Living the American Dream
By Adam Bricker
August 5, 2026 • 6 min read
IT STARTED WITH a light bulb moment of truth in a grocery store checkout lane 33 years ago.
“The business started when Laurie and I were at checkout with our three-month-old, and she handed me the checkbook to write and sign the check,” Glenn Gara recalled. “I was baffled because she always handled the money, until she leaned in and told me it might bounce. ‘Ouch.’ The very next day, we started 1st Source Lighting to be able to provide for my family.”
Without a corporate blueprint or deep-pocketed investors, Glenn and Laurie turned their family garage into a workshop. For Glenn, that hustle was second nature. As a kid growing up in America, he bought seed packets from the back pages of comic books to sell door-to-door, excelling at school fundraisers and Boy Scout projects. He was a born entrepreneur, a product of the classic American spirit that values grit, craftsmanship, and self-reliance.
“I like to build things,” said Glenn. “Building our top-quality lighting fixtures for pickleball, tennis, and padel right here in America is truly an honor.”
Three decades later, that garage startup has evolved into a premier American manufacturing powerhouse. Today, Glenn and his son, James, are living proof that when you build with integrity, family values, and true pride of workmanship, the American Dream isn’t just alive. It’s thriving.
From Baby Backpacks to 30-Foot Lifts
The ultimate test of any family business is whether the next generation catches the vision. For James Gara, stepping up alongside his father was a natural progression grounded in early immersion and deep mutual respect.
“My dad told a story about when I was a baby,” James chuckled. “He put me in a little baby backpack so he could work out in the shop. I ended up just pulling on his hair the whole time! Yeah, that didn’t last long.”
As James grew, so did his appreciation for his father’s work ethic. Traveling together for trade shows offered an invaluable masterclass in human connection. Watching Glenn read body language and converse with clients taught James that successful business isn’t about slick sales pitches, it’s about genuinely listening and solving problems.
That commitment to customer care was put to the test during a massive custom installation for Menards. A rare manufacturing defect in specialized 200W lamps threatened to stall the project. Even though the fault lay with a component supplier, the Garas didn’t point fingers or pass the buck.
“We got on a flight, rented a lift, and went to work diagnosing the issue,” James recounted. “It turned out the small mercury amalgam beads inside had become dislodged. The only fix was placing thermal insulators over the vestibules, and of course, I was the one going up 30 feet on the tiny lift to service the entire store.”
They stayed until every fixture was fixed and operating perfectly.
“It taught me an extremely valuable lesson,” James reflected. “Even if something isn’t directly your fault, taking care of the customer is the right thing to do. Plus, getting to spend quality time with your dad, even 30 feet up on a tiny lift, showed me his integrity and why I strive to be like him. I think I’m on the right track so far!”
Stealth Precision: Relighting an American Icon
Before revolutionizing court lighting across the nation, 1st Source Lighting proved its engineering chops on one of the grandest stages in American history: retrofitting all 168 historic fixtures on the Golden Gate Bridge.
The directive from the bridge authority was absolute: preserve the exact historic color, light distribution, and presence of the landmark. Nothing could look altered.
Glenn’s team acquired an original high-pressure sodium fixture, submitted it to rigorous photometric testing in Boulder, Colorado, and worked side-by-side with Osram Sylvania engineers, including Icetron pioneer Dwight Kitchen and product manager Jodi Vallante, to fine-tune a custom phosphor mix until the output matched the original warm hue precisely.
Six custom prototypes were mounted mid-span over the Pacific. During a dusk photo shoot to prove the match, punctuated by a surreal moment when a low-flying commercial airliner banked overhead for a commercial film shoot, the evidence was undeniable. The purchase order was approved, with one strict condition: 1st Source could not speak a word about the project for a full year to ensure public acceptance.
1st Source kept their word. For 365 days, all 168 retrofitted fixtures operated flawlessly above the Bay. Not a single commuter or tourist noticed a change; the ultimate mark of historic preservation.
“That’s the real measure of success on a project like this,” said Glenn. “When the work is so precise and respectful that the landmark continues to look exactly as the world expects it to, only better where it counts.”
Illuminating America’s Favorite Sport
Over the last 25 years, 1st Source Lighting has poured that same landmark-grade precision into sports lighting, rapidly becoming an indispensable partner in the national pickleball boom.
Because pickleball players spend so much time tracking high lobs and overhead smashes, standard downward “shoebox” lighting creates blinding hot spots and severe eye strain. Applying their engineering background, the Garas approached court illumination with specialized direct-indirect overhead systems and asymmetric optics.
Indoors, indirect optics bounce light off the ceiling, creating a soft, shadow-free glow that virtually eliminates glare during overhead play. Outdoors, precision asymmetric lenses distribute light evenly across the court while preventing harsh glare from shining directly into players’ eyes. Their commitment to thoughtful engineering also extends beyond the court itself. Advanced beam control meets Dark Sky standards by limiting light trespass into neighboring properties, while smart lighting controls integrate directly with court reservation software, automatically dimming unoccupied courts to reduce energy consumption and operating costs.
The Legacy Continues
From a bouncing check at a grocery counter to custom-engineering national monuments and brightening courts from coast to coast, Glenn and James Gara embody the very best of the American ethos: work hard, take care of people, build things that last, and put family first.
As pickleball continues to bring communities together across the nation, 1st Source Lighting stands ready, proving that when lighting is built with integrity, the future stays bright. ●
About Adam Bricker
Adam Bricker is a prominent American pickleball promoter, marketing executive, and entrepreneur known for his leadership in the business and commercial development of the sport. Based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, he serves as the Director of Marketing for the World Pickleball Conference and the CEO of Pickleball Cards. He is a frequent speaker and guest media personality who drives industry growth by connecting brands, facilities, and professionals across the sports entertainment landscape.
Read the full magazine issue! Click below, then tap Full Screen for the best reading experience.
