About us
Our Vision
Our goal is to create a tailored integrated experience for the luxury residence as a multi-discipline Design/Build firm across all disciplines of electrical, lighting design, lighting control, shades, AV, automation, and security. Using our solid track record of over 20 years in business, in Southern California, and proven expertise with an abundance of knowledge, we will deliver projects through an integrated design and sales process. We create aspirational projects where reliability, practicality and safety are underpinned with graceful design, all the while supported well into the future.
The History
In 1999 Troy Dunnington and Business Partner Todd Walling met working for a local Design Center in San Diego. Troy as the Owner of Lightz On was an electrical subcontractor for the company and Todd as a Lighting Specialist working for the design center started working together on projects and found a synergy and common passion for lighting, construction and design.
The formation of Lightworks was in response to a need in the market. Troy and Todd were noticing how many different subcontractors were providing electrical and low voltage services on the jobs they were on. There was an Electrician, AV & home theater person, a lighting control person, a landscaper putting in landscape lighting, someone doing telephone & data, another doing security and at that time motorized window treatments were just becoming available and that was yet another subcontractor. In this instance there were seven independent subcontractors, some working for the builder, some working for the client directly and others working for the interior designer – all who were NOT communicating to one another and in the end delivering seven fragmented standalone systems to the client. Troy and Todd knew there was a better way.
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At this point Troy had already had an interest in audio video and lighting control and was actively pursuing his education to learn and implement these in his own home as a testing ground for his future clients. Todd had spent his career in the lighting industry and was also increasing his knowledge base in lighting control as well as CAD and other design software to better his craft. Troy began to implement more sophisticated lighting control on his jobs as well as surround sound and whole house audio. Todd helped with lighting specification, applications and electrical & lighting plans for his crew to work with. As Troy's projects grew he saw the potential of bringing in one by one each of these disciplines and providing his clients better systems that were designed to work together providing value that wasn’t there on so many projects he was coming across.
In the early 2000’s Design | Build was a fresh concept in the new construction and remodel market. Troy and Todd knew that they needed to have a facility to display and allow the clients to experience the products and services they were offering and that is when Lightworks was conceived. In 2002 the first Lightworks Showroom was opened in Sorrento Mesa and 8 years later out growing their 1,500 sqft facility they moved to their current 4,000 sqft location in Miramar.
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The Now
Over the years, the company has continued to grow and now has 30 staff, some of whom have been with the company since the beginning. With skills and depth across these major disciplines - Smart power electrical, lighting design & lighting fixtures, lighting control, shades, AV & Security, Lightworks has developed into a full design/build firm.
Partnering with many top SoCal builders, architects, and designers, Lightworks value their part as trusted design and consultation partners. Over the years, many partnerships have developed with leading technology partners with whom Lightworks has built strong relationships. Last year, Lightworks were inducted into the Lutron Hall of Fame, being one of only 31 Lutron dealers from around the globe with this distinction. Other honors include being a Savant Ambassador, HTA Certified and Lutron Black Diamond dealer.
The strength of the internal culture, which includes the training and personal development of staff, combined with the market share in the SoCal market, continues to attract top talent to the Lightworks family.
Meet our founders Troy and Todd, and our General Manager, Glen.
Leadership Team
Troy CEO/Owner
Troy Dunnington started his career as a licensed journeyman electrician in Colorado, before moving to San Diego. Troy has held his Californian electrical license since 1991 and in 1993, started his first electrical business, Lightz On. Troy has always had a passion for lighting design and lighting control solutions which has guided much of his career.
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Seeing a gap in the market for a full Design | Build firm, Troy started Lightworks with business partner Todd Walling in 2001. Troy attributes much of his business success to the strong 20-year partnership that he and Todd have enjoyed and relishes the opportunity to give back to those who have supported the business. He is very proud of the unique culture Lightworks has, where the team is a family.
It’s not all work and no play for Troy though as he values his family as the number one priority in his life. He loves spending time at his home, in San Diego, with his wife Debbie and twins Tyler and Katie and vacationing in Colorado, where he enjoys fishing, skiing, and spending quality time relaxing with family and friends. Here’s some more facts we found out about Troy!
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- Favorite Food: Mexican
- Childhood Pet: Toby a Pekingese
- Personality Type: A VISIONARY who likes detail
Todd Principal
Todd has over 40 years’ experience in the lighting industry and has held various roles across retail, wholesale, manufacturing, and design. A Co-Founder of Lightworks, Todd’s main drive to start the company came from the opportunity to solve the disconnect between clients and subcontractors.
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As a lighting designer Todd loves the opportunity that he has in his role to collaborate with builders, architects, designers, and clients. He enjoys working with other professionals to create a positive, aesthetically pleasing result for all involved.
Todd’s passion for all things creative flows from his work, into his personal life as well. On the weekend, you can find Todd working on remodeling projects in his home. Todd is also currently modernizing a cabin in Northern California which, from a different era than his family home, he finds a fun challenge. When not working on remodeling and creative projects, Todd loves to spend time with his family. See what else we found out about Todd:
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- Favorite Food: Anything chocolate or bad for him!
- Childhood Pet: Rusty the dog
- Personality Type: A PASSIONATE IDEALIST
Glen General Manager
Glen has held multiple roles at Lightworks, since starting in 2019, including salesperson, AV director, contractor, and now General Manager. Glen enjoys being responsible for the processes and development of multiple areas of management and leadership involving sales, operations, and finance. Running businesses has been a passion of Glen’s throughout his career. Before moving from New Zealand to the USA in 2019, Glen owned and ran multiple AV businesses where, in a smaller economy, he had to be multi-skilled and extremely efficient to have any chance of success.
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Outside of work Glen enjoys being on the water, preferably in a boat, so San Diego is a great spot for him. Traveling around the US, and overseas, and spending time with his family are also high on Glen’s priorities. Here are some more things we found out about Glen:
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- Favorite Food: Anything with meat & cheese
- Childhood Pet: Mindy the golden retriever
- Personality Type: AN OPTIMIST WHO IS consistently Inconsistent
Credentials
At Lightworks, we are committed to quality in all aspects of our business. For our partners and customers that means we will ensure that all aspects of your project are delivered on time, to a high standard and with a professional team who strives to ensure satisfaction.
We're proud to have these partners, working alongside us, with world class products and to have the quality of our work affirmed and accredited by our affiliation with these organizations.
Lutron Excellence Awards and Hall of Fame Celebration
Plan Your Next Project
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