Grow with…
Rachelle Winningham

Meet Application Engineer Rachelle Winningham

From working out the tiniest installation details for a project to helping setting horticulture lighting standards, work is never boring for Senior Project Manager and Application Engineer, Rachelle Winningham. She loves the variety in her job and the fact that her work can make a real difference in how we feed the planet.

From ballasts to LEDs

“After Rachelle received her B.S. degree in electrical engineering, she started working in design engineering in the ballasts division of Philips Lighting in 1999. “I first learned about the Horti group when I was working as part of the Application Solutions team in Philips Research in North America. One of the projects that became available five years ago was in the horticultural venture. I learned more about the group after working part time in the division and I’ve been working here full time ever since.”

An exciting new industry

“This is a very new and exciting industry to be working in. The electrical industry is very familiar with conventional lighting such as fluorescents or HID (high intensity discharge). However, LED is still relatively new in the lighting industry and LED horticultural lighting is even newer. Technical requirements, specifications, and installations are different from general lighting, which means we get heavily involved from the design of the project to installation. The industry recognizes a need for horticulture lighting standards, which I am involved with along with some colleagues from Europe. In addition, I am working with utility companies in determining what requirements are needed for utility rebates for the customers. That’s very satisfying to do.”

Bigger and bigger projects

“The biggest project I’ve been involved in working on is the research and training horticulture facility at the Colorado State University (CSU). This is the biggest installation in North America and the first with our newest products. We will also be collaborating with CSU on research projects and using this site for customer visits as well. It’s been really challenging and fun to work on this project.”

Never a boring job

“It’s never a boring job. Not only am I touching the technical portion, but because we are a small team, we do many other things. I get involved in the product management role, logistics, order management, and quality. I get a very holistic view of everything. That’s the main reason I got a Master’s degree in business administration. I enjoyed design engineering, but I wanted to know more and get involved in the entire process, from the market need and conception to the development of products to working out the details of installation in each application.”

A big impact

What I love about my job is that what we’re doing can have a real impact on people. In collaboration with our partners and customers, we are helping develop better ways to supply food to our world. It’s amazing how with our technology you can have fresh vegetables right next door to a restaurant because you can grow it in a commercial building.

Rachelle WinninghamSr.

Project Manager and Application Engineer

Contact us

Contact certified partners

Philips products are sold through a global network of certified partners. Find partners in your region for more information about Philips LED grow lights.

Find a partner

Contact Philips

What are the best LED grow lights for your situation? We are here to help. Please use our form to submit your request.

Request information

Events

GreenTech

Amsterdam, 13-15 June

ICBC – International Cannabis

Business Conference
Berlin, 29-30 June

We're talking about

Blog

How to build a successful vertical farm

Here are a few key lessons learned from city farming expert Roel Janssen on successful vertical farm projects.

Grow with… Rachelle Winningham