Redwood Landscape, Lumin8 decorate the GNL office for the holiday season

The GreatNews.Life (GNL) office recently received an extra touch of holiday magic with the help of Redwood Landscape and its sister lighting company, Lumin8 Outdoor Lighting. With lights, wreathes, and garland in tow, the companies came out to the digital news network’s Valparaiso location to decorate the building’s exterior. Now, thanks to their help, the GNL office shines bright like Rudolph’s nose as it guides the community down West Street into the holiday season.

When GNL sat down with Redwood Landscape for a partnership meeting earlier this year, the landscaping contractor made it known that it was gearing up for the upcoming season and officially breaking out the holiday decor. This prompted a discussion about how exciting the decorating process can be, with the plan to come decorate shortly solidified to build on that momentum. It wasn’t long before the Lumin8 van pulled into GNL’s parking lot ready to get to work. 

“We’ve been working with GNL for years, and it came across in a meeting that this could be an option,” said Joy Zandstra, owner of Redwood Landscape. “We like working with them, and it’s a great time to come out here and see what they have going on.”

The wholesome magic that Christmas lights bring to people of all ages is what makes this time of year a favorite for the Redwood Landscape and Lumin8 teams. Lights also play a prominent role in the overall holiday experience. While adding a lighted display may seem like just a minor touch, its impact goes long beyond the holiday season.  

“It’s exciting,” Zandstra said. “One thing I like about Christmas lights is that it always makes customers so happy, which makes it a ton of fun. It brings joy to people’s faces, and it’s a fast project. You come in and come out, and people just are so happy at the end, which really adds to the experience.”

The lighting options are plenty for Lumin8 customers. Whether it’s a simple layout of lining the house and bushes or an elaborate display with big signs and larger fixtures, Lumin8 has the ability to bring most any outdoor winter wonderland to life. For GNL, that took the form of bulbs strung along the edges of the roof, decorative wreaths at the cabin’s peaks, and garland wrapped around the building’s many pillars, resulting in a Christmas-cardesque design. 

“We offer the standard Christmas lights with c9 and c7 bulbs, similar to the ones you would buy at the store by commercial grade,” Zandstra said. “We have permanent inception lighting options that we do. That’s a mesh tech product that we also install, and that’s been really picking up since permanent lighting has been becoming such a hot topic in the industry. We are also currently getting trained on a product called Omnilight, a lighting option that customers can purchase.”

Holiday lighting options aren’t just limited to a specific size or type of building – Lumin8 can do it all. Some of Zandstra’s personal favorite past projects include Albert’s Jewelers store and plaza in Highland and a house in Crete, Illinois that was a part of a holiday light tour.

The Lumin8 team also does all of the installation and clean up. Gone are the days of taking down tangled cords or tiny hooks in subzero temperatures or biting your nails knowing your older relatives risk it all when climbing up high on ladders at their homes. Instead, a team of skilled professions make the magic happen from start to finish, and everywhere in between. 

“We come help them out and install it for them. If there are issues after the installation, we’ll come out and troubleshoot to figure out what’s going on,” Zandstra said. “What we do depends on what you’re looking to do – you know what you’re looking for, and we’re here to help. We also take all the holiday lights down in January when the season’s over.”

GNL is extremely thankful Lumin8 and Redwood Landscape were able to light up its holiday season with classic decor. Now, the GNL team can enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year” to the fullest, packed with long lasting memories of joy, excitement, and, of course, light.

“You may think lighting is not that big of a game changer, but once you have it installed and see how it looks against your house, you see how much of an impact it really has,” Zandstra said. “It’s just warm and inviting, and it makes it great to pull off when you have people over. It’s really an experience factor at the end of the day, that it’s just awesome. It’s for sure fun to have.”

In addition to holiday lights, Lumin8 also offers year-round lighting options. To learn more, visit lumin8outdoor.com. To see the full scope of Redwood Landscape’s service options, visit redwoodlandscapenwi.com.