John Maneri has worked in the energy efficient lighting industry for 22 years, beginning in 1990 with RISE Engineering, based in Providence, RI. He has been involved in this industry from the very beginning, when utility companies first began providing incentives for small commercial/ industrial customers to convert their old T12, inefficient lighting systems to the new more efficient T8 systems.
John began his career in Houston in 1979 in the construction management industry managing the construction of new houses for David Weekley Homes. After five years in the residential construction business John moved into commercial construction, working for Marriott International. He project managed the construction of five Courtyard by Marriott hotels in New York and New England from 1985-1990.
John has a unique combination of construction management experience and design-build energy efficient lighting experience. He has utilized these two disciplines to create and develop successful design and installation processes that are not only unique to the industry, but also proven over many years.
In 1996, after six years with RISE Engineering, John accepted an opportunity with Honeywell DMC. He was hired to startup a new large commercial energy efficient lighting business for Honeywell, servicing their national ESCO team. John quickly leveraged his fast track construction experience with his recent lighting experience and put processes and people into place that grew the business to $20 million in four years. This team’s unique ability to quickly and efficiently survey, design and install large lighting projects anywhere in the country was ground breaking in the industry.
John’s greatest achievement is the team of lighting professionals he has developed over the last 15 years. The original lighting team that was formed within Honeywell in the late 90’s remains intact today and forms the core management team of Maneri~Agraz. Our fifteen years of experience working together on a wide variety of facilities such as institutional, commercial, industrial, retail, municipal, and military bases, has provided our team with experience unmatched in the industry.
Some of John’s high profile projects include:
- Johnson Space Center (120 buildings)
- Kellogg Company (multiple sites throughout the US and Canada)
- Kirtland Air Force Base
- Little Rock Air Force Base
- Dole Packaged Foods
- CenterPoint Energy (multiple sites in Houston area)
- PepsiCo (Tropicana, Gatorade, Quaker Oats)
- JC Penney (150 stores in 17 states)
Mr. Maneri graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a BS in Economics in 1979.
Frank Agraz has worked in the energy efficient lighting industry for 18 years. Focusing on turn-key lighting retrofit solutions in the large commercial market, Frank has helped his clients reduce their recurring annual expenses, reduce overall maintenance burden, and improve productivity of each space.
Frank started his career with Amtech Lighting in 1993 as an account representative. He 
sold lighting retrofits and long-term maintenance agreements. After less than one year working at the Houston, Texas branch, he was promoted to the Fort Lauderdale, Florida branch to manage the sales effort for south Florida.
Frank’s early success led him to a new opportunity in Austin, Texas working in sales and lighting design at MetalOptics, a custom lighting manufacturer of specialized high efficiency luminaires and retrofit kits.
Frank started working with John Maneri at Honeywell DMC Services, an internal, turn-key, lighting retrofit contractor for Honeywell International. Frank brought sales and design experience that helped the lighting division grow to $20 million in sales in the 1st four years of business. His responsibilities included management of lighting survey and design teams that contributed to the generation a project proposal. He was tasked with delivering a creative lighting solution that was simultaneously profitable, cost-effective, and visually pleasing.
In the fall of 2000, Frank joined Aqualine Resources to implement innovative solutions in energy-efficient lighting design and specification. He delivered project cost and savings to the customer by developing the most cost-effective lighting solution that meets financial hurdle rates.
In 2007, Frank Agraz and John Maneri joined forces to create Maneri~Agraz, LLC, a premier turn-key lighting retrofit solution provider. The M~A team has recruited a veteran team of lighting professionals who provide significant value for their clients.
Mr. Agraz is Lighting Certified (LC) by the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP). The NCQLP is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 to serve and protect the well-being of the public through effective and efficient lighting practice.
He has been invited to speak at national conferences in the food processing industry and has been published for an article he authored on advanced lighting design practices.
Mr. Agraz graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas in 1992. He received a B.S. in Industrial Distribution.
