34 PL & P
34 PL & P
In Focus
Jean-François “ JF ” Canuel
By Andrew King
If you ’ ve been keeping up-to-date with the professional lighting trade publications lately , you ’ ve likely noticed a lot of attention surrounding A . C . Lighting and its family of well-known brands . Celebrating its 15 th anniversary in 2018 , the company has enjoyed an impressive growth trend in the last few years , and JF Canuel , the managing director of North American operations , has a lot to do with that .
Born and raised in Montreal , Canuel began his production career on the audio side , mixing bands in local clubs at just 15 years old . By 23 , he ’ d expanded his skills into lighting and was touring North America , then the world with various artists and productions . At 35 , he decided he ’ d had enough of the nomadic lifestyle and sought a new opportunity . That ’ s when he took a job as an operation manager with Christie Lites ’ Toronto location .
Working his way up to the role of chief technical officer , Canuel helped to guide the company ’ s current – and remarkably successful – means of operation in his time there . That work led to a new opportunity as VP of R & D with Toronto ’ s Spectrum Manufacturing , a designer and manufacturer of value-priced products for the entertainment and event lighting industry . Spectrum eventually became part of the A . C . Group family of brands , based in the U . K ., and Canuel eventually became the head of the parent company ’ s North American operations .
Canuel tells Professional Lighting & Production that right now , his professional priorities are managing A . C . Lighting ’ s ongoing growth and planning for the future .“ We ’ re excited to be executing our strategic growth plan ,” he says .“ In 2017 , we launched three new brands – ProLights , Follow-Me , and Luminex – and also hired new staff to support that plan .”
While he and his team have made adhering to that plan look easy in recent years , Canuel admits it ’ s a challenge keeping up with an ever-evolving industry and adapting company strategies accordingly – and in a timely fashion .“ That necessitates personal growth as well ,” he tacks on ,“ and the ability to learn new skills at a very fast pace .”
He says that the success of A . C . Lighting and , in particular , the Chroma-Q line of LED lighting solutions at the international level has been a personal highlight of the last few years , coupled with the satisfaction of “ attracting great talent and building a strong team .”
Generally speaking , it ’ s a combination of regularly interacting with interesting people and innovative technologies that keeps Canuel enthusiastic about his work . Of course , his job requires that
he develop and continually maintain a synergy between A . C . Lighting ’ s people , products , and business practices , and so far , that ’ s been working out quite well for him and the company .
Canuel is currently based in Toronto , and when he ’ s not in the office or travelling for business , he enjoys keeping active with a wide array of activities , from hot yoga to indoor rock climbing to skiing and sailing . He also appreciates the visual arts , which isn ’ t all that surprising for a veteran of the lighting and production industry .
Despite A . C . Lighting ’ s string of professional successes of late , Canuel isn ’ t one to risk complacency by resting on laurels ; instead , he ’ s already looking ahead to the rest of 2018 and beyond , which includes , among several other major initiatives , a move into a new building for the second time in less than five years – another testament to the company ’ s steady expansion . “ I think that 2018 is going to be a fantastic year ,” he says . “ Between the celebration of our 15 th anniversary , the upcoming move into our brand new facility , and the deployment of our aggressive next five-year development plan , there ’ s a lot underway and a lot to be excited about .”
Speaking specifically about the 15 th anniversary , he adds : “ We have achieved this milestone by the dedication and hard work of our team and the high level of customer and technical support that they provide to our customers . We also attribute our growth and success to the strength of our customers and their dedication to our brands .”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Lighting & Production .