Nino's Sees the Light and Goes Green

Shoppers at the Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace can find freshly picked fruits and vegetables from Michigan and the United States in displays across the store.

Now the lighting is also domestically produced, more energy efficient and beneficial to the "greens" on display in the stores.

More than three thousand 75-watt halogens and nearly all of the stores’ incandescent lights have been replaced with low-wattage LED lamps in Nino stores in St. Clair Shores, Clinton Township and Troy.

“By changing to LEDs, we fully focus the new energy-efficient lighting on the variety and scope of our product selections in our many departments.” said Kirk Taylor, Nino's president, in a release. “In addition to reducing the heat directed at our products, we’ve had the
added benefit of decreasing our air conditioning and refrigeration costs."

The retrofit of lighting in all three of the Nino Salvaggio stores was done with locally sourced products. The American-made LED lamps were purchased from Lexicon Technologies International in Shelby Township.

“It was important to Nino’s management to embrace business with a U.S.-based manufacturer, one with intense quality controls and sophisticated technology," said Joseph Dobosz, Lexicon president, in a release.

DTE Energy also provided cash incentives through the Your Energy Savings Program to help Nino's reduce their energy use.

"These incentives reduce the up-front cost of installing more efficient equipment and make it easier for customers to invest in energy efficiency," said Gerald Polk, manager of energy optimization at DTE Energy. "Since a portion of energy costs are a controllable operating expense, every dollar saved can make an impact on the bottom line.”