Meet Hortons Home Lighting
Website: www.hortonshome.com
Owner: John Rot
Locations: 3 Illinois locations: Chicago, La Grange and Orland Park
How Hortons Home Lighting Got Started:
From a young age, John always knew he wanted to have his own business. He’d watched his dad as a small business owner and wanted a similar experience. At 24 years old, with a finance background and previous experience at Arthur Anderson, he began consulting Horton’s on their business operations. Three days into the new gig, he was asked to manage the company. “I had no experience in lighting or retail when I began managing the business,” John recalls. “But, at Arthur Anderson, I worked on projects for over 100 businesses so I knew enough about successful business practices to provide direction and make decisions.” Three years later, he was ready to call the business his own. “I decided if I was going to work 70-80 hours for someone, it might as well be for myself—and by then, lighting was in my blood.” Now, 25 years later, Hortons is one of the premier lighting and fan companies in the Chicago region.
Top-selling Fanimation Fans: Spitfire, Hugh, Embrace
Favorite Fanimation Fan: Spitfire – “I like its sleek, trendy, transitional style,” John says.
What You Like About Fanimation: “Fanimation represents everything I like about this industry. The industry is comprised of several small, family-owned businesses that get involved at the industry level to really make a difference—and that’s Fanimation,” John says. “Hortons and Fanimation have grown up together, and today Fanimation is our number one fan company. We can count on them for the basic, everyday workhorse fans, to the unique, niche ones that really stand out. There’s a great team at Fanimation and the culture is one of support. They are focused on working with their partners and our team appreciates that.”
What We Should Know about Hortons Home Lighting: “We’re really proud to be one of the premier lighting showrooms in the Chicago market,” he says. “Our culture is one of client service, and when someone walks into our stores or calls us, we work hard to carry that out and provide a good experience.”
Taking on the Fight Against Cancer: In 2000, Hortons had two associates diagnosed with cancer. One—a young mom—lost her battle. “As a family-owned business, that really impacted us. We quickly learned that this disease has touched almost everyone in some way. And we wanted to do something about it,” John says. The result was The H Foundation and its annual Goombay Bash fundraiser. The first year, the foundation sought to raise $20,000 for cancer research. It greatly exceeded that, raising over $100,000! Since its inception, The H Foundation has raised more than $7 million for cancer research. “It’s amazing what everyday people can do when they share a passion,” John says.
