SARASOTA, Fla., Sept. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- New York
Yankees' pitching legend Mariano
Rivera has joined forces with LED (light emitting diode)
company, Evolucia Inc. (OTCBB & OTCQB: ILED) to create a
one-of-a-kind LED baseball.
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130920/CL83577-a)
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130920/CL83577-b)
With a Major League career 652 saves -- the most all time --
Rivera is famous for his bat-breaking pitch called "the
cutter." Now preparing to retire from baseball, Rivera says
he wanted his commemorative baseball to send a message to fans
throughout the U.S. and in Latin
America: "we can cut energy consumption, reduce pollution
and save money by switching to LED lights."
Rivera challenged Sarasota-based Evolucia Inc., an industry
pioneer in the design and manufacture of high-performance LED
lighting systems, to come up with a regulation-sized baseball that
would feature the company's LED lights. Rivera is also a
stakeholder in the company.
Guided by CEO Mel Interiano, the
company developed an innovative LED-lighted baseball that is the
same size and weight as a regulation Major League baseball (9"
circumference weighing 138-142 grams). The ball leaves a trail of
light as it is thrown, and is powered by a rechargeable battery.
The commemorative baseball will go on sale today (Friday) with a
portion of the proceeds benefitting Rivera's charitable
foundation.
Evolucia is an industry leader and a turn-key solutions provider
of high performance LED lighting systems to U.S. and global
lighting markets, installing thousands of clean energy LED fixtures
at military bases, universities, municipalities, and large
commercial entities, helping to save millions of dollars in energy
costs.
Rivera, who once told the MLB Network that he grew up in
Panama playing with a baseball
made of balled-up fabric wrapped in tape, wants to encourage people
in the United States and his
native Central America to convert
to LED lighting technology.
"This is the REAL 'cutter,'" Rivera said of Evolucia's LED
lighting products. "By switching to LED lights, we can all cut our
electricity bills by 60 to 80 percent. That's important to people
here in the United States, and
it's vital to those in Panama."
Together with former Red Sox and Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez, a native of the Dominican Republic, Rivera hopes to encourage
both Latin American countries to update their lighting systems
using the more efficient Evolucia technology. Evolucia is
retrofitting his church in New Rochelle,
New York, with energy-efficient LED lighting solution, which
Rivera says will be the center of his post-retirement life.
For Interiano, the chance to help Rivera commemorate his career
was "a dream come true. For 19 years, Mariano Rivera has been an essential part of the
Yankees' roster, an incredible asset to his team and much-beloved
figure in sports. We are honored to play a part in celebrating one
of the greatest pitchers of all time."
The limited-edition LED Baseball includes Rivera's signature
number 42, as well as his top Hall of Fame career stats. Each ball
is fitted with eight custom embedded Evolucia LED lights that glow
a deep navy blue. The LED baseball is available for purchase at
www.evolucia.com/mariano.
About Evolucia Inc.
Evolucia Inc. is an industry pioneer in the design, engineering,
manufacture and marketing of high performance LED lighting systems
to the global lighting markets. Evolucia received the United States
Department of Energy's highest award for lighting within the LED
category, and has installed thousands of its fixtures at military
bases, universities, municipalities, and large commercial entities.
Evolucia's LED lighting products are sold under the brand,
Evolucia (www.evolucia.com).
All Evolucia products offer highly energy efficient, durable,
commercial-grade LED lighting for both indoor and outdoor
applications. The company's award winning cobra head and shoe box
fixtures employ Evolucia's proprietary Aimed Optics™ technology,
which increases light levels and visibility by strategically
directing light to the target area. Evolucia fixtures require 50%
to 80% less energy than traditional lighting and last for
approximately 12 years without maintenance.
More information about Evolucia Inc. and its LED lighting
systems is available in the company's Securities and Exchange
filings, which can be found at www.sec.gov or at
www.evolucia.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements made by Evolucia in this press release
are forward-looking in nature. Actual results may differ materially
from those projected in forward-looking statements. Evolucia
believes that its primary risk factors include, but are not limited
to: development and maintenance of strategic acquisitions; domestic
and international acceptance of our product lines; defending our
intellectual property and proprietary rights; development of new
products and services that meet customer demands and generate
acceptable margins; successfully completing commercial testing of
new technologies and systems to support new products and services;
and attracting and retaining qualified management and other
personnel. Additional information concerning these and other
important factors can be found within Evolucia's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press
release should be evaluated in light of these important
factors.
SOURCE Evolucia Inc.