Apply Now for NAILD’s Paul Hafner Memorial Scholarship

Paul Hafner

Dec 31, 2018

The National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors created the Paul Hafner Scholarship Fund to help individuals who cannot meet the financial requirement necessary to enroll in the Lighting Specialist (LS) programs.

The scholarship is offered to an individual looking to enhance their lighting education. Applicants must be a member of NAILD, IMARK, NAED or NEMRA. Deadline for submission: March 1, 2019.

Paul Hafner was, a lighting industry veteran who created lighting specialist training programs for the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD). He passed away from pancreatic cancer on July 29, 2018.

Hafner worked in the lighting industry for nearly 30 years and made many contributions to NAILD, its educational programming and the industry at large, says NAILD. According to Becky Phillips, a past president of NAILD, “Paul was an inspiration, mentor and friend to NAILD and its members. He created the foundation of our successful lighting specialist (LS) program and developed and maintained both LS-I and LS-II for many years. He also worked with the organization and board for many years during conference and board retreats to guide the organization to its current path. Paul’s passion for lighting was evident in his relationships with his friends, students and the industry.”

Hafner created “The Transition of Legacy Sources to LED” (LS-I) and “Lighting Specialist II” (LS-II) and helped NAILD launch them in 2006. LS-I helps lighting sales employees better understand how and when customers should retrofit their facilities from incandescent and compact fluorescent light technologies to solid-state lighting (LEDs). LS-II takes that training one step further, focusing on retail, industrial, office and educational facilities. Both courses are a combination of expert technical instruction and hands-on field experience delivered through user-friendly, self-paced online courses that Hafner narrates.

Find out more about the scholarship: naild.org/training/paul-hafner-memorial-scholarship/.

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • EcoVadis Awards Sonepar Group the Platinum Rating in Sustainability

    EcoVadis Awards Sonepar Group the Platinum Rating in Sustainability

    Thanks to Sonepar’s global efforts in sustainability, EcoVadis has awarded the Sonepar Group the Platinum rating in sustainability, placing them among the top 1% of highest-rated companies worldwide.  EcoVadis’ mission is to provide the world’s most reliable sustainability ratings, enabling companies to reduce risk, improve performance, and optimize their environmental and social outcomes. It evaluates how well companies integrate sustainability into their operations… Read More…

  • Eaton Announces Rahul Duggal to the Position of Business Unit Manager

    Eaton Announces Rahul Duggal to the Position of Business Unit Manager

    Rahul Duggal has been appointed to the position of Business Unit Manager for Commercial Products & Assemblies (CPA) and Power Distribution and Control Assemblies (PDCA) – Electrical Sector – Electrical Americas – Canada. In this new, growth-focused role, Rahul will have full product line accountability for CPA and PDCA offerings within Canada. He will be responsible… Read More…


Peers & Profiles