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Firefly-One, Inc. blossomed out of a chance meeting between Dick Bostdorff and Gene Wisakowsky in a Northern Ohio tomato field in 2015, when a common friend brought the two together. Both had a lifelong history in agriculture and an ambitious entrepreneurial drive in common – so when Dick mentioned his idea of using pulsed xenon lighting in crop production, Gene immediately imagined its potential and sought to test if the novel approach could work.
They began collaborating on the idea and first proved that pulsed xenon lighting could indeed increase crop production at a fraction of the energy use of previous lighting technology. What they discovered was that the approach could in fact improve root development, grow stronger stems with reduced internode spacing, and produce faster transplants and shorter crop cycles for greater crop yield.
The next six years consisted of designing and optimizing a lighting system that could introduce these benefits to growers. Ultimately, they created a lighting technology that replicates the full spectrum of sunlight and saves energy by a stroboscopic output that imitates the wind-induced dappling effect of sunlight under a tree canopy, known as sunflecks, that accounts for as much as 80% of understory growth in the natural environment.
As the process advanced, they teamed up with Craig Satterfield, an industry leader in lighting systems technology, to build and manufacture a final design for a user-friendly lighting system that could be simply installed, easily moved, and endure the rigors of the greenhouse. In 2022, the trio formed Firefly-One to bring to market the culmination of their research, the SunFlek™ Dynamics lighting system known as PhotonFlux.
At FireFly-One, we are leaders in assisting greenhouse crop production and controlled climate agriculture, bringing a fresh and innovative approach to plant lighting systems. We are committed to research and development that increases crop yields, lowers operational costs and reduces the carbon footprint of growing operations. We invite growers to discover how our Xenon strobe lighting systems can help them grow their success.
With a combined experience of over 170 years of experience, the FireFly-Team came together to introduce the use of xenon pulse lighting to the horticulture industry – advancing agriculture lighting to the next level. PhotonFlux grow lights are a unique innovative technology that can replace both HPS and LED lighting by reducing energy use up to 97%. This patented use of xenon pulse lights for plants will make a difference in your grow operation, save you energy, reduce carbon emissions, and increase your profitability. FireFly-One is available to assist you with the transition.
Dick has been immersed in agriculture ever since he was six years old, and he drove his first two wagons of tomates from his family farm in northwest Ohio to the HJ Heinz factory. Receiving his bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Ohio State and a master’s degree in extension education marketing from the University of Missouri, he worked for 15 years as extension vegetable specialist in New York and Oregon and spent the following 10 years as vice president of horticulture plant production for Speedling, Inc. Later, during his 27-year tenure of operating a successful transplant production facility and nursery, Dick formed an Idea for plant lighting that would boost growth and reduce energy costs compared to HPS and LED lighting and ultimately patented a new grow lighting method called the PhotonFlux Pulse Xenon Light System.
