1B Specialty Lighting was created by Tom Blee and Aaron Bentley, both Fort Wayne natives. The two worked together at a prominent landscape company for 20 years prior to starting 1B Specialty. Landscape lighting was one of the services at that landscape company. Tom and Aaron have seen LED evolve from the beginning and know it has been proven to be the only long term, energy efficient light source. The two caught the entrepreneurship bug and bet on LED to change the way we live and especially light up our landscapes.
We've been asked many times, "why are you called 1B Specialty?" Well, we're the first to tell you that it may not be the most clever name in the business world! While Tom and Aaron were driving to Indianapolis for business, they discussed starting their own lighting company and making a difference in this emerging field. As they pulled into a parking garage and shook hands on it, they were in parking spot, 1B. It is also a nod to their last names, both beginning with the letter B. Lighting is their specialty and all that they focus on. So that's that!
Since 2020, Aaron has transitioned his career into a more organizational role, performing impeccable book-keeping services for 1B Specialty, along with a few other local businesses. Although Aaron is not with us on the job sites, seeing our customers on a daily basis, we are very lucky to have him behind the scenes, doing what he does best.
In 2023, Tom's son Patrick joined the company to form a father and son company with Patrick's intention being to grow the business with his father for many years to come.