Owner Keith Campbell

At 17, Acu-Bright's owner, Keith Campbell, accepted a position at a 38-year-old company that cleaned windows and restored chandeliers. Trained by skilled craftsmen, most of whom were in their 60s and 70s, Keith was impressed by the wealth of knowledge they possessed. Fortunately, these artisans were willing to share their craft, their wisdom and their experience. "My hands-on training during this time was instrumental in preparing me to be a successful business owner," Keith acknowledged.

After five years, Keith partnered with the man who trained him, and the two bought the company.

The idea for the Aquasonic™ machine happened quite by accident. While cleaning chandeliers by hand, Keith was always looking for ways to improve the business. At a wedding at a Boston hotel, he happened to look up at the chandeliers and noticed how dirty they were— and how large. He began to reflect on the best way to clean a chandelier of this size.

He had recently heard about an experimental Japanese method to clean clothes using sound waves. The concept intrigued him and he set about to learn all he could about ultrasonic technology.

Later, at another hotel event, he again happened to glance up at a dirty chandelier—but when a light bulb went off, a light went on in Keith's head. With the proper invention, he realized that he could apply ultrasound technology to the cleaning of a fixture without removing or damaging the thousands of crystals hanging from it.