It is often said that the best way to create a winning business model is to simply find a need and fill it. The owners of Green Light Manufacturing, Inc. in Lusby, Md., seem to have hit upon just such a winner with their latest invention of custom-colored, solar-powered piling caps.

Owners Mark McGrath and Steven Moore, who also own an injected plastics manufacturing company, Chesapeake Plastics Manufacturing, and tool and die company CPM Fastools said they worked on the idea for several months after learning about a customer who had been searching for colored plastic piling caps to no avail.

McGrath says, “We came up with the two simple ideas of adding lighting to pier piling caps and offering the caps in an array of custom colors – nobody was putting the peanut butter and jelly together and that’s really what the customer wanted. We did a patent search and found that nobody else was making this product and now we have a patent pending and seven distributors looking to carry it on the East Coast.”

Moore says the piling caps can also be used on decking and are extremely convenient since they provide lighting without the need for expensive wiring or electrical outlets. “The beauty of the product is that it’s solar powered, single and multiple LED” he said. “There is no need for electrical installation and most homeowners can install them with simple tools.”

Currently Moore and McGrath are working with marina supply distributors, and offer direct-to-consumer sales via their online e-commerce Web site. The company is a member of Businesses for the Bay and the MD/DC/VA Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA) and was a finalist in the NASA Tech Briefs “Create the Future Design Contest,” which recognizes cutting-edge products that have wide appeal and applicability for the general public.

For more information on Green Light Manufacturing, or to learn about distributor opportunities, visit online at www.greenlightmfg.com, call 410.394.0303 or e-mail sales@greenlightmfg.com.