Altman Lighting Inc. announces that Bill Groener has joined the company as its new Chief Operating Officer. Groener’s distinguished career spans more than 40 years in the entertainment, themed, and architectural technology sectors. Before joining Altman, Groener was the COO of The Lighting Design Group, President of Vincent Lighting Systems and the VP of National Business Development for 4Wall Entertainment. Furthermore, Groener held key positions with Color Kinetics, Barbizon, Elliptipar, and Strand Lighting. He was also the principal and sole owner of BGr + A, a sales agency covering the Metro New York area that was dedicated to meeting the diverse lighting needs of the theatre, television, film, and architectural markets.
Groener relocated to Northern Colorado during the summer to join the Altman team as their Chief Operating Officer, fully aware of the many challenges that Altman Lighting has faced during and following the pandemic including the relocation of their factory from Yonkers to Denver right as the lockdown began. But Groener sees those challenges as an opportunity to build on the incredibly strong foundation that Altman Lighting has built over its 70 years in the industry and find newer and better ways of moving into the future.
“I operate from a philosophy of honoring the past, resolving the difficulties and recognizing the opportunities of the present, and building something of value that can endure long after me,” says Groener. “I believe that I can help the Altman organization honor its past, overcome the challenges of today, and build a strong foundation for a bright future.”
In addition to his management experience, Groener has professional design expertise as a show lighting designer at WED Enterprises, now Walt Disney Imagineering, where he did architectural and theatrical lighting design at EPCOT Center, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland. He also has served in technical director and designer/consultant roles for a number of theatrical companies and at his alma mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara. On the teaching side, Groener was assistant professor/technical director at the Department of Theatre at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Groener has B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara and has done postgraduate studies at London Business School and Harvard Business School.
He has served as one of nine members of the governing body of PLASA, is a past president of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association and a vice-chair of PLASA in North America., He also served on the board of directors for the ESTA Foundation and the Southern Connecticut Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He is a member of several industry associations including USITT, IESNA, SEGD, and TEA and actively supports their programs.
Russell Altman, President of Altman Lighting is looking forward to having Groener on board. “We are delighted to welcome Bill Groener to Altman. Bill is a seasoned lighting professional with exceptional communication and management skills that have brought success to multiple disciplines within our industry. We believe that Bill’s diverse and distinguished career experience in design, teaching, and management will be a tremendous asset to help lead Altman into the future.”
