Task Lighting & Power, a Hardware Resources brand, is celebrating its 40th anniversary serving the kitchen and bath industry. It is an impressive milestone for a company started by a kitchen designer who wanted to bring better lighting and power solutions to cabinetry professionals. Task Lighting and Power continues to serve the kitchen and bath industry while also providing solutions for commercial applications.
The company’s origins are deeply rooted in the kitchen and bath industry. Founder Ken Anderson was a successful certified kitchen designer in Kearney, Neb., in the early 1980s. At the time, fluorescent lighting was standard for kitchens, especially under-cabinet lighting. Anderson was an advocate for including lighting in kitchen design, but he suffered with a condition called photophobia, an excessive sensitivity to light. The flickering of fluorescent lights (up to 100 times per second) can cause headaches for people with photophobia. It is estimated that nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from the condition. Anderson believed there had to be a better solution that would not only address people with light sensitivity but also improve the light quality in the kitchen.
In 1985, Anderson and his wife, Linda, founded Task Lighting in Kearney, Neb. The company’s first product was the first low voltage (12VAC) light fixture made with miniature lamps used in automobile headlights that provided a steady light that didn’t flicker. The fixtures were designed for a range of kitchen cabinetry applications including under cabinet, interior, toe kick, soffit, and cove lighting. The product was sold exclusively to cabinetry trade professionals and quickly became the industry standard.
Since introducing its first product, Task Lighting and Power has continued to innovate. The focus is on developing products that solve real world challenges builders, remodelers, and designers see in the field. Task Lighting and Power developed and patented the original Angle Power Strip, a solution that provides easy access to electrical power without having to cut into kitchen backslash. The Angle Power Strip discreetly installs under kitchen cabinets and eliminates the need for traditional outlets. Task Lighting is also a leader in providing LED lighting solutions for the kitchen and bath. The Tunable White Lighting series features patented two-wire TandemLED technology that makes installation fast and easy. Tunable White Lighting enables homeowners to personalize the temperature and dimming level of the lighting on-demand with a wireless controller or by using a smart home app or by voice control.
Most recently, Task Lighting and Power introduced Neon Flexible Lighting, a 24-volt LED lighting solution for creating elevated lighting designs. Housed in a bendable silicone housing, Neon Flexible Lighting provides seamless, dot-free accent lighting for curved and recessed surfaces. It is the ideal choice for frameless cabinetry or under shelving where the light source is visible due to its sleek look and low profile.
