NEWH Winter 2022 - 56

COVER STORY
The Right Touch
From a high-end residential history Chapman Manufacturing Company channels its expertise into just
the right pieces for hospitality projects
By Alia Akkam
Photos by Trent Bell, Nicholas James Photo, and courtesy of Chapman
B
ack in 1939, when Chapman Manufacturing Company was just getting
off the ground, it produced low-cost lamps for the department store
chain Sears, Roebuck and Co. But amid the postwar boom of the
1950s, Chapman successfully shifted its focus to turn out swish residential
lighting fixtures instead. These clamored-for creations, no longer readily
available in retail outlets, cemented Chapman's reputation as a leading highend
lighting brand.
" They were expensive pieces, and Chapman sold them to the rich and
famous. One day, one of those rich and famous reached out to us saying he
was building the biggest hotel in the world, that he had our products all over
his house and he wanted them all over his hotel, too, " recalls Tom Ruskin,
president of Chapman Manufacturing Company.
Chapman to move its production overseas, scale up, and essentially " knock
off our own work, " Ruskin points out. A glitzy project designed by the
now-defunct Dallas firm Wilson Associates, the Venetian was indeed an
auspicious hospitality debut for Chapman.
" It was such a high-profile job and it went beautifully without a hitch,
so through word of mouth, people started wanting us for their own hotels.
We didn't even have sales reps at the time. They would ask us if we could
do something, and we figured it out and did it, " explains Ruskin. Today,
hospitality comprises over 90 percent of Chapman's business.
Chapman's residential realm has been defined by luxury for several
decades, and hotel brands of the same ilk-Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and
Mandarin Oriental among them-organically followed the Venetian. While
Ruskin oversees all aspects of production, it is his younger sister, Rosanne
Regent, who helms the hospitality division as CEO, coordinating directly with
ownership groups, purchasing agents, and designers. Ruskin and Regent
joined Chapman in 1981 and 1983, respectively, working alongside their late
father Bernard, mastermind behind Chapman's pivotal midcentury foray into
upmarket territory.
" We enjoy collaborating with designers and capturing their vision for
lighting as a functional piece of art, an accessory in the room, " says Regent,
noting that it must perform well and " look gorgeous and give the right
ambiance and color at the same time. " Chapman's lighting expertise is also
highlighted in a CEU course organized by Ruskin.
Rather than releasing product after product, Chapman thrives on the
challenges of customization, responding to each designer's proposed
concept-often accompanied by complementary photographs, illustrations,
descriptions and, in one case, salad spoons-and translating it to reality.
Chapman's engineering background, adds Ruskin, also means that designers
rely on the team for crucial feedback, whether it's recommending a heavier
material or a thinner stem.
Another asset is that Chapman has significant control over its products
Rosanne Regent, CEO of Chapman's hospitality division, with her brother, Chapman
Manufacturing Company president Tom Ruskin
The man who came calling with this transformative opportunity was
Sheldon Adelson, the late casino magnate who opened the Venetian
Las Vegas on the Strip in 1999. Furnishing the property's some 3,000
guestrooms and corridors with lamps costing a thousand dollars each,
say, wasn't economically feasible, but the resourceful Adelson convinced
even though, at the suggestion of Adelson in the '90s, they are now
manufactured across three factories in China that are dedicated to Chapman
goods (the original facility, in Avon, Massachusetts, operates with only
20 staff members and is currently used for the likes of model rooms and
inspections). And while it isn't part of any off icial sustainability program,
Chapman actively collects data to make improvements in reducing its carbon
footprint every year.
When the Chapman portfolio revolved solely around residential off erings,
the products were frequently buoyed by global touches. " There were
semi-precious stones from the Philippines, hand-chased brass from India,
and Murano glass. People had to wait two years for a Chapman lamp, "
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