Stephen Gottlich
Stephen’s business career began in South Africa at Valiant Signs, a leading design and fabrication company specializing in illuminated signage. Over the years, he took on roles of increasing responsibility, ultimately serving as Managing Director. His experience in product innovation, sales, production, design, and finance laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial spirit. Seeking new opportunities, he left Valiant to establish Hawk Industries, where he led the design and fabrication of unique point-of-sale displays for major brands such as Coca-Cola, Revlon, and Scholl Plough. During this time, Stephen also forged a strategic relationship with GTI, a large corporation based in Kansas.
Due to the evolving political climate in South Africa, Stephen relocated to the United States in 1992, where he joined GTI as General Manager of its promotional division. In this role, he played a key part in developing an innovative product solution initially sold to McDonald’s USA. This product became the foundation of a groundbreaking customer loyalty program, offering free food and randomized rewards. Over a five-year period, Stephen worked closely with McDonald’s marketing leadership on strategy and the development of technology-based programs, gaining invaluable business experience.
Following the sale of GTI’s promotional division to an overseas company, Stephen partnered with Jacob Horwitz to launch Illuminology, a venture focused on selling innovative home décor products to consumers and big-box retailers. As market conditions shifted, the business was eventually wound down, and Stephen joined Gable Signs in a business development and innovation role. He was the chief architect behind Gable’s digital division, which was established 15 years ago and played a crucial role in redefining the company as a leader in visual communications and built-environment solutions. Over the years, he advanced within the company, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation.
In February 2025, Stephen reunited with Jacob to lead Illuminology, driven by their shared passion for building a business rooted in great service, bright ideas, and brilliant products—creating success for its owners, partners, vendors, and team members alike.
Jacob Horwitz
Jacob Horwitz, Founder of Illuminology and former President & CEO of Installation & Service Technologies (IST) and ZUTEK, LLC, is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for technology and business development. With over 30 years of experience in technology service and deployment, Jacob’s expertise spans from hands-on field operations to executive leadership and strategic business growth.
Under his leadership, IST grew from a small service business into a major industry player, overseeing nationwide technology deployments for McDonald’s, Burger King, Sonic, and other Fortune 500 companies. IST and ZUTEK executed the largest deployment of digital menu boards in Quick Service Restaurant history, setting a new standard for the industry.
Beyond IST, Jacob leads Bump Bar Distributing, which designs and distributes wired and wireless bump bar systems, with over 100,000 devices in use in restaurants worldwide. He is also at the helm of EckaTech, a B2B managed services software provider specializing in solutions for the restaurant industry.
Jacob's entrepreneurial ventures also include founding Customer Knowlogy, a customer loyalty systems firm that has successfully penetrated over 15 international markets.
Today, Jacob serves as the CEO of Illuminology, LLC, a consulting and technology solutions company specializing in digital signage and display innovations. Originally founded in 2001 as a manufacturer of candles and gift products for consumers and retailers in the U.S. and EU, Illuminology has since evolved into a B2B-focused company, leveraging over two decades of expertise in point-of-sale (POS) and digital signage solutions to help businesses create impactful visual experiences.
