Lumenomics
Marti Hoffer
One benefit of a WMBE program is that it can connect a big project with a small, local business capable of manufacturing and installing a groundbreaking solution.
The Seattle Convention Center (formerly known as the Washington State Convention Center) Addition project (also called Summit) achieved that with lumenomics, a Seattle-based, woman- and LGBTQ-owned business specializing in window treatments and lighting controls. Lumenomics developed an energy-efficient covering for the 60,000-square-foot ballroom in Summit, which features floor-to-ceiling 63-feet-tall windows. In June 2022, crews installed the nation’s largest window shade system.
“The ballroom window shade system was a unique and exciting challenge,” said Marti Hoffer, founder and CEO of lumenomics. “It required manufacturing two sets of 12 integrated, seamless window coverings the equivalent of six stories tall – one room-darkening and one light-filtering – as well as the metal tubing and components to make it all function. These shades are huge!”
The shade system is the first of its kind. As an innovation-oriented business that offers “the best light for the money,” Marti and her team at lumenomics saw it as an opportunity to deliver on the company’s mission at a grand scale. With offices just a few miles from Summit, the lumenomics team will be able to provide maintenance services with ease.
Prioritizing a diverse workforce has contributed to lumenomics’ success, Marti said. It is a double-certified minority business and a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) manufacturer in Seattle. At lumenomics, 68% of employees reside in a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone, 46% are women and 30% are ethnic minorities.
Marti said a key small-business benefit for the Summit project comes from its general contractor, Clark Construction, which offers an MBA-style series called the Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) that educates small suppliers in the construction industry. Marti and lumenomics’ HR Manager, Anna Sevostyanova, recently graduated from the program.
“Programs like SPP are difference-makers,” Marti said. “They help cities and general contractors benefit from world-renowned products made by companies that have worked hard to establish themselves. This is one of the best programs like this I have attended.”