Starting Import Venture on the Right Path

(Cyndia Zwahlen — LA Times)

The owner of Parker Lighting in Inglewood has started a business selling energy-efficient bulbs from China. But bringing them over efficiently and profitably is vital. An expert offers advice.

It’s not easy for a small lighting company almost a half-century old to suddenly jump into the potentially treacherous waters of international trade.

But that’s just what Louis Hirsch, owner of Parker Lighting Inc. in Inglewood, has decided to do with his four-person business founded in 1965. It’s been a chilly swim so far.

The retailer has long sold fluorescent and high-intensity lighting for parking lots and offices, as well as specialty bulbs for industrial customers and others. But in recent months, he has been exploring the use of an energy-efficient bulb from China that he thinks will save his commercial customers money and provide a boost for his business. Read more here.