Who We Are

Michael Sadighpour

Michael has a BA in Design | Media Arts from UCLA and started AffordableLamps.com as a web design class project at UCLA in 1999. Michael has always had a lighting background, working at father's lighting store, and wholesale / imports company, Lighting Star. Merging the skills and love for lighting, business, design, marketing, and web technology, Michael launched www.AffordableLamps.com (formerly www.YourLamps.com) in his bedroom during college years, recognized by New York Times as one of the first major online lighting stores in the US.

In his spare time, Michael likes to work out, discover new music, and is a gadget enthusiast and frequent reader of gadget blogs Engadget and Gizmodo.

Mark Sadighpour

Mark graduated from Tehran School of Engineering in 1971 with a master's degree in civil engineering. He was the project manager of large construction projects in Iran before immigrating to the US. In 1990 he established Royal Lighting, a lighting showroom in West Los Angeles that has proved to be a success. He is a co-owner of Royal Lighting Inc. and continues to manage the company.

In 1996 he started a new company, Lighting Star, Inc. that was primarily involved in imports and wholesale of lighting products when his son, Michael, came aboard and took the company to a new direction, launching www.AffordableLamps.com in 1999.

Mark is proud to see the American Dream come true with the family business he started.

Alan Williams

Alan has been head of sales at AffordableLamps.com for over four years. He is head writer of the Lighting Blog for the website as well. Prior to that, he was VP of Creative Development for Lazarus Lighting Design for six years, as well as a co-founder of Lumia Therapy with Brett Lazarus. He was also Director of Merchandising for Dizko Lighting. He is the Editor and Publisher of STEMS, and The Mutant Press, and has written articles and contributions for Pro Light and Staging News, VMSD, Professional Lighting Magazine, Soul Brasil, Gringoes.com, Brazzil Magazine, Sign Builder Illustrated, and Native American Casino magazines.

He has been published in Who's Who of Poetry from 2003-2007, and Best Poems, 2002-2007.

He plays keyboards, percussion, bass, recorders and guitar, as was founding member, keyboardist and songwriter for the band Alchemy.

Bartosz Michalak

Bartosz Michalak is originally from Poland and has been living in US for the past 11 years. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Management from Cal State Dominguez Hills and possesses a Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from UCLA Extension. He has been in the financial field for over 4 years and has been with us for about 18 months in charge of billing, focusing on accounts payable, bookkeeping, shipping, and issues related to charges on customer accounts.

In his spare time he plays basketball, soccer and trades stocks.

Erland Kelley

Erland is in charge of data entry and writing, adding new products to the store, with descriptive, detailed descriptions and ensuring that the accompanying photos are accurate. He is slowly working his way west. Born in Maine and raised in Washington, D.C., he then spent a good seven years getting his Chemical Engineering Film degree in Madison, Wisconsin before finally moving out to sunny Southern California last year. Next stop, Hawaii, and then onward to Japan!

In his spare time, Erland likes to write and work on independent movie productions as a sound designer and editor. His second favorite film of all time is Raiders of the Lost Ark.