Lighting company opens new facilities

Knoxville's Bandit Lites now shines in England

By Michael Flannagan, News-Sentinel business writer
May 8, 2002

When Michael Strickland started setting up stages for bands more than 30 years ago, his biggest logistical problem was finding somebody with a driver's license to drive him to a gig.

He was 12 in 1968 when he began borrowing lighting equipment from school and operating it for acts that came into Kingsport, where he grew up.

So far this year, his Bandit Lites has opened a 25,000-square-foot operations center in Bedford, England, that serves as European headquarters, bought a 140,000-square-foot warehouse to expand its Nashville operations, and added a couple of industry awards to its portfolio.

It's now the second-largest entertainment lighting company in the world,
behind New York-based L.S.D.

In his office in Knoxville's Pleasant Ridge Industrial Park, Strickland said
he started his work as a good way to "meet girls and get into concerts for
free."

He borrowed lights and ladders from his high school in Kingsport and created
psychedelic backdrops for touring rock bands in the early 1970s. "I went to
school during the week, and on the weekends I was touring with the James
Gang," he recalled.

As he built his business, the prestige of the artists on the stage grew as
well, ranging from Aerosmith to R.E.M. to Frank Sinatra to Garth Brooks.

Heavy-metal act System of a Down, Columbian singing star Shakira and senior folksters Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young might not have much in common
musically, but they've all been lit by Bandit Lites.

The quality of the major tours that sign with them is evident, said David
Barbour, editorial director for Entertainment Design/Lighting Dimensions, an
online industry magazine.

News Sentinel photo by Saul Young

Rick Monroe, a technician at Bandit Lites, works on wiring for floodlights on a lamp bar at the company's headquarters in Knoxville

"They consistently get a high number of acts and highly visible tours, and
that's because they build long-term relationships and deliver high-quality
service."

Bandit's new facility in England provides a place to prepare tours before
hitting the road.

"Given the tremendous growth we have experienced in the European market, we
needed a larger facility to better suit our needs," Strickland said.

The firm also has offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Ireland that are used to
store equipment as well as prepare for tours. And in the United States,
besides Knoxville and Nashville, where the company built its first facility
in 1982, Bandit has U.S. operations in San Francisco.

As it expands worldwide, Bandit has garnered industry accolades.

Bandit received the Total Production Magazine's lighting company of the year
award as well as International Production Company of the Year by Live!
Magazine this year.

"When you win awards it's a double-edged sword," Strickland said. "You are
happy but then you know you're going to have to try even harder the next
year to keep up with that standard you have achieved."

Bandit is having a record concert season, based on number of acts booked,
but it also has film, television, theater, architectural design,
installation and consultation departments.

Based on company research in 1989, Bandit Lites was the eighth-largest
lighting company in the world. By 1992, it had moved to the No. 3 slot and
has since climbed another slot.

Strickland continues to tour the country to see how Bandit's highly
computerized light shows are operating. And he still enjoys the music.

"I'm still a fan," said Strickland. "In the last two weeks I have seen Alan
Jackson, Jethro Tull, Brooks & Dunn and Barry Manilow."

Michael Flannagan can be reached at 865-342-6317

The Lights Are On

Bandit Lites has illuminated shows from local high school events to Superbowl half-time

By Eleni Chamis, News-Sentinel business writer

Before the backstage passes, concert tour managers and roadies, Michael Strickland was a 5-year-old performing in community theater. He grew into a preteen with a passion for the entertainment industry.

Today, he's the chief executive officer of Knoxville-based Bandit Lites, the second-largest lighting company in the world.

Bandit's client list ranges from Aerosmith and R.E.M.to Frank Sinatra and Garth Brooks. The company lights for symphony, theater, ballet, beauty pageants, movies and television programs, and has done special events such as Farm Aid and a Superbowl half-time show. It also does work locally, lighting church Christmas pageants and high school programs.

He also finds time to offer free monthly seminars to the public. ''I knew when I started that I would be the best,'' said Strickland. ''But I had no comprehension at age 12 how big that would be. We had no idea how big the market could be.

''It staggers me, the size of it,'' he added. ''We've only scratched the surface. . . . We have more business than we know what to do with.''

In 1989, Bandit Lites was the eighth-largest lighting company in the world; by 1992, it had moved to the No. 3 slot. Today, Bandit stands as the second-largest. Los Angeles-based L.S.D. is the largest. Bandit employs 110 people, 50 of whom are based in Knoxville.

''Up until a year ago, I never thought about taking the company public,'' Strickland said. ''An infusion of outside capital is a necessity. It's the only fair thing to do for the employees who work here. To not allow that growth to happen would be detrimental to the employees. The employees are the strength and foundation of this company.

''That's the next logical step. But I'm not going to do it until the time is right.''

Since 1989, Bandit has been headquartered in a 30,000-square-foot building off Dutchtown Road in West Knoxville. It is negotiating to purchase a 50,000-square-foot building in the Pleasant Ridge Industrial Park off Interstate 640.

In January, Bandit opened an office in San Francisco, its third in the U.S. and first on the West Coast; the other two are in Nashville and Charlotte. It also has offices in London, Dublin, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Even though most of Bandit's competitors are in Los Angeles and New York, Strickland believes he's at an advantage being located in Knoxville.

''Think about it,'' said Strickland, a Kingsport native. ''There is a geographic advantage to Knoxville. We're within a day's drive of 95 percent of all the markets in the U.S.

''Why put everything in LA? It's great for showbiz, for Hollywood, for power lunches. But I can have trouble in Birmingham and fix it tonight. If you're in LA, it's a three-day truck trip.''

This year, kudos have poured in for the company --something that Strickland attributes directly to his employees.

''The nature of the business has really changed, ''said Bandit publicist Richard Willis. ''We believe we are driving the industry to become more professional. We're not the long-haired, stereotypical rock 'n' rollers.''

Strickland assists the image makeover by offering all his employees full-time status, along with company-funded health insurance, retirement, and a dollar-for-dollar matching 401(k), benefits just now becoming standard business practice in the industry.

Since the equipment they use is highly computerized and technical, he spends nearly $100,000 a year to send employees to educational and training seminars.

In 1996, Bandit won the Country Music Association Support Services Company of the Year, and the Mass Mutual Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award. It also was named the 1996 Entrepreneurial Company of the Year by sponsors of the Greater Knoxville First & Future 50.