Celebrating 40 years of illumination with Bozeman’s distinctive lighting
by MOLLY KORDARES
Bill Fiedler didn’t choose a career in lighting. Lighting chose him. Well, technically a temp agency chose it for him, but fate deserves some credit, too. The year was 1994, and Fiedler had just moved to Missoula to finish a degree in creative writing. He signed on with the temp agency to help pay his way through college, and they found him a job at a local lighting store. For anyone else, the gig might have just been a one off college job that would soon fade into a distant memory. For Fiedler, it sparked a life long obsession with lights, and a career that would eventually settle him right here in Bozeman, Montana.
“I knew nothing about lighting when I started that first job,” says Fiedler. “They taught me everything: all the basics, how to work with contractors, how to work with interior designers. It was amazing. For a temp job, it ended up being quite productive.” It also taught him something about himself. “I discovered that I really excelled at retail,” shares Fiedler. “Anytime my boss told me to go talk to a customer, I did. I’m a people person, and it turns out that is a valuable skill.”
“I discovered that I really excelled at retail. Anytime my boss told me to go talk to a customer, I did. I’m a people person, and it turns out that is a valuable skill.”
–Bill Fiedler, Owner, Distinctive Lighting
After college, Fiedler moved to Seattle, but he decided to continue working in lighting. “I had gotten it in my blood,” he says. “And I realized it was a specific enough industry that once you had a foundation in it, you became very valuable. There just aren’t a lot of people who do what we do.” That realization only solidified when he attended the famous Lighting Market Show in Dallas. He saw that this job of his was part of a billion dollar industry, and that what he had experienced so far was only the tip of the iceberg. Dallas was also where he ran into his old boss from Missoula, who approached him with a new job offer: There was a lighting showroom in Bozeman in need of a manager.
A LIGHTING FIXTURE
For 40 years, Distinctive Lighting has been a Main Street fixture in Bozeman. First started by an electrician’s brother in 1985, the shop has always been locally owned. Over the decades, it’s grown into one of the biggest lighting showrooms in the Pacific Northwest, offering everything from bulbs and lamps to full blown lighting design and supply for homes and businesses.
“But back in 2002, when I first heard about the Distinctive Lighting job, Bozeman’s reputation was still that of a cow town,” says Fiedler. While that may have turned off some people, he wasn’t one of them. “I thought that was great—especially after living in Seattle for a few years. I wanted to be back in Montana, where the people are genuine, where everyone is accessible, and where you can really contribute to the community.” He packed his bags and moved to Bozeman.
“At that point, I was sold on the lighting industry, so it wasn’t a hard decision at all. I believed in what this kind of store does,” recalls Fiedler. He sees a huge difference between Distinctive Lighting and the national retailers, both brick and mortar and online. Sure, they sell light fixtures, but they aren’t lighting stores. “A store like ours prides itself in expertise of product and expertise of construction,” explains Fiedler. “When a customer walks into the store and has a very specific need, we can address that need in both an efficient and cost effective way. Not many other places can do that.”
“A store like ours prides itself in expertise of product and expertise of construction.”
–Bill Fiedler, Owner, Distinctive Lighting
Four years after he started managing Distinctive Lighting, Fiedler bought the store. “That was always my plan,” he says. “Owning the store was very important to me. I’m an entrepreneurial person, and I really do believe in small business over corporate America. Getting to call Distinctive Lighting my own was a no brainer.”
LIGHTING UP BOZEMAN
Bozeman may not be a cow town anymore, but it’s still a small town and in a small town, a good reputation goes a long way. Across the Gallatin Valley, Distinctive Lighting is known as the place to go for quality lighting projects, big and small. The vast majority of the work the shop does is with new construction projects. Fiedler says general contractors will frequently send clients his way because they’ve had such good experiences with his company in the past.
These days, as the Valley expands every year with more people and more places to live, that means new work comes his way all the time. “Bozeman is growing, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down,” says Fiedler. “Because of that, we have a unique opportunity to be involved in what’s happening here and help shape the conversation.” Fiedler and his company are involved with the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce, the Southwest Montana Building Industry Association, and Reach Incorporated, a nonprofit organization that helps people with developmental disabilities. “What’s that old adage?” he asks. “If you’re not growing, you’re dying? Well, there are plenty of places in Montana that are dying. So I’m very proud to be part of a community that’s growing, and I’m proud to be an active voice in it as well.”
“I love lighting. It’s creative, it’s technical, and I get to work on amazing projects. But ultimately, I do what I do because of the people involved.”
–Bill Fiedler, Owner, Distinctive Lighting
As for the day-to-day implications of Bozeman’s population boom, Fiedler explains that his clientele has both changed and also stayed the same. “Our clients are still the ranchers or farmers out in Manhattan that need something very specific for their home. But now, we also get the owner of a second home being built out in Big Sky—someone who wants something unique to them and their custom home. Everyone in southwest Montana needs lighting. So that means we have the opportunity to work with everyone.”
Distinctive Lighting also boasts clients from all across the country, they’ve done projects in California, New York, Arizona, and beyond. A client will come into the store and love their experience so much that they commission Fiedler’s team for projects in other states. “We can ship lighting just as easily as the national retailers can,” says Fiedler. “The difference is, with us, you get a hefty side of expertise and personal touch along with it.”
BRIGHT SPOTS
Fiedler has now owned Distinctive Lighting for 19 years. Above all else, he credits personal touch for his business success. It’s something he strives to teach each of his employees: how to do business with strangers but make them feel like friends. Even Addie, the nine-year-old shop dog, seems to get it. “I’ll see clients come in and say they’re having a bad day. But after just a few minutes playing with her, she’s already begun to brighten their mood,” he says.
“For me, the store is really just a vehicle to build relationships with the spectacular people that work here and shop here.”
–Bill Fiedler, Owner, Distinctive Lighting
When asked to reflect on his time with Distinctive Lighting and what he values the most, Fiedler says it’s the people he’s met along the way. “For me, the store is really just a vehicle to build relationships with the spectacular people that work here and shop here. Don’t get me wrong, I love lighting,” he explains. “It’s creative, it’s technical, and I get to work on amazing projects. But ultimately, I do what I do because of the people involved.”
When Fiedler drives around Bozeman, he doesn’t see a bunch of nondescript houses. He sees homes he knows, and people he’s worked with. “It really is so cool,” he says, “to drive around and notice the amount of influence that we’ve had in this Valley.” Forty years of influence, to be exact. As for the future of Distinctive Lighting, Fiedler grins and answers like a true, self proclaimed lighting geek: “Our future is very, very bright.”
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