UCF Business Incubation client engages experienced sales professional Lon Hudman 

Orlando, Fla. (May 10, 2023) – The Orlando-based solar lighting company Loola has expanded it operations to the west coast of the United States to directly market to companies and organizations looking for options in lighting.

Lon Hudman will be handling all business-to-business sales on the west coast of the United States for both brands under the LOOLA umbrella.

“It’s not often that a product comes to market that is unique and truly solves a problem faced by event planners worldwide – how to light events without extension cords in an upscale manner,” Hudman says. “Teresa Guastella and her team at Loola have found a unique way to solve this issue and I’m looking forward to seeing these lanterns throughout the country.”

Hudman has served in a wide range of roles in the meetings industry with a client based that included such well-known brands as eBay, Microsoft, Oprah Winfrey and the US Olympic Committee.

“We are very fortunate to have Lon as an integral part of our team and help our business grow,” says Teresa Guastella, owner and founder, Loola. “He is truly a legend in the meetings and events industry and I’m looking forward to what Lon will be building in the wholesale and west coast market.”

Loola started as a way to provide decorative lighting in outdoor events during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, Loola offers two unique brand lines: the signature Loola brand, which focuses on home decor, outdoor living and hospitality businesses; and Totik, aimed at disaster recovery and harsh environments.

In both cases, the lights offered by LOOLA are great for indoor and outdoor alike but have the function and customizable aesthetics along with accessories, along with hours of light on a single charge.

Currently, the portable solar lights can be found online at loolalights.com, totiksurvival.com and at several independent retailers.

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For more information please contact:

For Loola:  Teresa Guastella, 352-988-3483, teresa@studiocalathea.com

For the UCF Business Incubation Program: Michael Weiss, UCF Business Incubation Program, 321-281-8384, Michael.weiss@ucf.edu or Alan Byrd, Alan Byrd & Associates, 407-415-8470, alan@byrdconnections.com

About Loola:

Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., Loola is a gold standard provider of portable solar

lanterns and products for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research

and development, engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing, distribution, and customer

service. For more information, please visit loolalights.com/

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:

The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is a community resource that provides early-stage companies with the tools, training and infrastructure to become financially stable, high growth/impact enterprises. Since 1999, this award-winning program has provided vital business development resources resulting in over 300 local startup companies reaching their potential faster and graduating into the community where they continue to grow and positively impact the local economy.

With seven facilities throughout the region, the UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Corridor, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties, and the cities of Kissimmee, Orlando and Winter Springs. For the 2017/2018 fiscal years, the activities of these participating firms have helped to sustain more than 6,725 local jobs and have had a cumulative impact of over $725 million on regional GDP and over $1.3 billion on regional sales. During the same period, the program has returned more than $12.00 in state and local taxes for every $1.00 invested in the program. In addition, for every $1.00 of public investment the firms also produced $118 of additional regional GDP and $226 of regional sales.  For more information, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu