BABA, BAA, and Tariffs:
Paul Kennedy and Veena Cagle, U.S. Outdoor Lighting
Tuesday
April 14, 2026
9:30 am - 10:30 am ET
April 14, 2026
9:30 am - 10:30 am ET
Credits 1 LU | Elective
Intermediate
Lighting project requirements for BAA and BABA have increased complexity for current and future compliance, while changing tariffs on components and finished products have further challenged how to comply for manufacturers, reps, and specifiers. This presentation will help to simplify understanding of the project compliance challenges, while providing simple tools to optimize product design and selections (and costs) especially considering changing requirements and future uncertainty.
Learning Objectives
- Develop a clear understanding of BAA and BABA project qualification requirements, both current and future changes
- Understand how changing component and product tariffs affect BOM compliance for BAA and BABA
- Review simple tools to evaluate BAA and BABA sensitivity to future requirement and tariff changes
- Understand where to go for real information and support to meet project compliance requirements for your customers
Speakers
Paul Kennedy
VP of Product and Markets
U.S. Outdoor Lighting
Paul Kennedy serves as the VP of Product and Markets at U.S. Outdoor Lighting, responsible for driving US Outdoor’s growth through Market Execution, Product Innovations, and Customer Support. Paul has 20+ years’ experience in Lighting with leadership roles in Business, Operations, and Product at LED industry pioneers including Color Kinetics, Signify, and Ecosense Lighting. Paul holds an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University, and a bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Veena Cagle
VP of Business Development
U.S. Outdoor Lighting
Veena Cagle is Vice President of Business Development at U.S. Outdoor Lighting, where she brings more than 14 years of strategic leadership in commercial and infrastructure lighting markets. She leads growth initiatives that help drive “Made-in-USA” manufacturing, domestic sourcing, and compliance with evolving standards such as Buy America and Buy American. She has had a versatile career, with significant experience in engineering and development and senior operations management. Prior to joining U.S. Outdoor Lighting, she held roles at NLS Lighting and Vision Engineering, leading projects across product development, specification channels, and market expansion. Veena combines deep technical acumen with a proven track record of delivering business results in the complex professional lighting industry.