Bob Kliegl
A fourth-generation member of the family that founded and managed Kliegl Brothers Lighting, Bob began his career at a very young age working in the manufacturing and field service operations of his family's business. When his family sold its business in 1990, Bob started RKL Lighting, an independent dealer/distributor for the industry's leading brands.
While still maintaining ownership in RKL; in 1993, Bob was recruited by Altman to build a worldwide sales and customer service program for the company. Over the next seven years, Bob established and managed a worldwide network of over 550 Altman dealers. In 2000, Bob established the Altman Agency to develop architectural lighting sales for the company. Through the new Agency, Altman was able to quickly grow its base of architectural sales.
In 2001, Bob was promoted to the position of National Sales Manager by Altman. In that new position, Bob focused on developing national accounts for the company. From 2003 - 2020 Bob and Bruce McFarlane joined PRG to perform a similar function in custom retail and architectural lighting with sales exceeding $100 million.
The major national accounts that Bob has worked with include but are not limited to: Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister Company, The Limited, Victoria's Secret, Limited Too, McDonald’s, Toys "R" Us, and Disney. He truly enjoys helping his clients implement their marketing and entertainment technology concepts.
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After a successful relationship with PRG, following the industrywide hardships from the pandemic, in 2021 Bob has been invigorated to renew his dream of RKL Lighting providing the highest quality solutions to his clientele.
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Bruce McFarlane
Bruce began his lighting career in college when he took a job selling lighting fixtures and accessories in the heart of New York City's Theater District. Throughout his career, Bruce developed permanent lighting solutions for retail stores, restaurants, theaters, performing arts centers, hotels, churches, corporate marketing centers, museums, theme parks, and many other types of themed environments.
In 1999, Bruce became the Northeast Sales Manager for Aromat. After overseeing Aromat’s CDM Ballast OEM business for two years, he joined Altman as Director of Worldwide Sales. In addition to managing the company’s sales team, Bruce helped Altman launch new architectural and LED lighting lines.
In 2003, Bruce joined PRG with Bob Kliegl to focus on developing solutions for PRG’s clients. He also helped PRG introduce many new technologies into the marketplace. Bruce gets his greatest professional satisfaction from developing and delivering client solutions. Major national accounts that Bruce has worked with include: Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister Company, The Limited, Victoria’s Secret, Limited Too, McDonald’s, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Disney.
Bruce has over 45 years of experience in the lighting industry. Bruce and Bob have been working together for over 25 years, and Bruce is looking forward to working together for many years to come.
History
RKL Lighting was established in 1990 to provide equipment and services to; Elementary, Middle, and High School Markets as well as Houses of Worship, Colleges and Universities, and Community Theater markets. With over 80 years of combined experience in the lighting industry, Bob Kliegl and Bruce McFarlane have always been extremely passionate about what they do. Authors and owners of over a dozen lighting industry Design and Utility Patents, Bob and Bruce grew up in the theater industry. Bob grew up in the Kliegl Bros. family business, building lighting fixtures and dimmers .and Bruce grew up in the theater business since he was 17 years old, pulling gel, selling lighting fixtures and bulbs in the heart of the Broadway Theater District in New York City.
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RKL is a continuation of the long line of lighting experts starting as Kliegl Brothers Lighting in 1896. From early on Kliegl Brothers Lighting became internationally recognized as the leading manufacturer of quality lighting systems. The record of development at Kliegl reads like a history of electrical stage lighting: The first dead front switchboard installed by Kliegl in 1903; the first approved "stage" plug and "pin connector" in 1905; the first arc "Klieglight" designed for use in motion pictures in 1911; the first "disappearing" footlight in 1915; the first prismatic lens spotlight (Fresnel) in 1926; the first ellipsoidal reflector spotlight in 1932; the first "cold" patching system in 1951; the first SCR dimmer in 1958; the first tungsten-halogen fixture line in 1964. In 1970 Kliegl became the first manufacturer to make memory-assisted lighting control systems commercially feasible. In 1977 Kliegl introduced the first microprocessor lighting control memory system. In American and international theatres, outstanding performances were supported by outstanding, custom-designed Kliegl systems. Some of the major projects include Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, Metropolitan Opera, Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles Music Center, The State Opera House in Vienna Austria, Teatro Teresa Coreno in Venezuela, and the Ernie Pyle Theatre in Tokyo. The same superlative standards of quality and ingenuity typified Kliegl for nearly a century characterized their notoriety in the theatrical lighting world. Kliegl lighting of TV studios was also a vital part of television since its experimental days in 1938. Prior to cable, with few exceptions, the equipment that was unique to the Television industry was created by Kliegl.
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