At Carrollwood Day School, we cultivate entrepreneurial thinking, creativity, and real-world problem-solving skills. We empower students to become forward-thinking leaders, equipping them with the tools to navigate an ever-evolving, interconnected global society. One shining example of entrepreneurship in our community is the Brynjolfsson family, owners of VOLT Lighting. Since founding the company in 2008, they have built a thriving business, and now, their children, all CDS graduates, are stepping into leadership roles within the company.
Join us for a Q&A with our Alumni Coordinator, Carli Mianne '16, as she asks Griffin, Casey, Chrissy, and Gunnar Brynjolfsson about their roles at VOLT Lighting, their experiences growing up at CDS, and how their time at our school shaped their entrepreneurial mindset. From innovative business strategies to lessons learned in and out of the classroom, they share insights into what it’s like to work in a family business and how CDS prepared them for the journey ahead.
Tell our CDS community about what you do at VOLT.
Griffin ‘15: As the Director of Special Projects, I oversee the creation of our horticulture lighting brand, VOLT Grow. I am involved in product engineering, sourcing, marketing SEO, and building the sales team for this new channel. VOLT Grow created LED grow lights for the horticulture market serving a variety of customers from small hobbyists to large commercial agriculture operations enabling customers to grow plants in controlled environments year-round without pesticides.
Casey ‘16: I am a Project & Program Manager for VOLT’s contractor brand, AMP. My projects range from managing the build of our new Training Center and the ongoing monthly training sessions, planning and attending annual trade shows, spearheading marketing projects like a new digital catalog or project shoots, and leading our Council Program of top 12 AMP Pros to gather customer & industry insights. I love being able to tackle a new project every couple of months and learn from different departments and team members about what each new project relates to.
Chrissy ‘16: I am a Project Manager for the Retail & Marketing teams at VOLT. As a part of our Retail team, I work to maintain positive relationships with our retailers, such as Costco, Lowes, and Home Depot, and help grow our in-store and online business. With the marketing team, I help organize any new initiative, such as product launches, promotions, creative projects, and software implementations. I love being able to work on such a diverse range of projects to add some excitement to my work schedule!
Gunnar ‘20: I am currently in school, but spent the past summer interning at VOLT learning the ways of the company, specifically within the marketing department.
What was your experience like as a student at CDS?
Griffin '15: CDS was a great place to be a student. Being such a small community, you really got to build close relationships with the other students and the faculty. I felt like people all knew and cared about each other.
Casey '16: I had an amazing CDS experience, from Pre-K all the way through 12th grade! I was lucky enough to build the best friend group that I still am very close with today (even though we are spread across the country) and still have close relationships with some of my teachers and mentors.
Chrissy '16: I loved my experience at CDS and felt like it was an integral part of making me who I am today. I made lifelong friendships, had supportive teachers, got a great education, won sports championships, and was taught great core character values— what more could you ask for!
Gunnar '20: I had a great experience making friends and I was close with many faculty members.
What were the most positive aspects of your time at CDS?
Griffin '15: The friends I made at CDS remain some of the closest friendships I have in my life today. We still go out of our way to meet up even when we are scattered around the country.
Casey '16: One of my favorite aspects was being able to be a part of so many different groups in high school. Not many schools allow for students to be on more than three sports teams, five clubs, and such a range of classes depending on their interests. This helped me gain so many skills, lessons, and different relationships along the way!
Chrissy '16: The friendships that came from CDS is what stands out the most. I feel like it is very rare to have stayed close with many people from both elementary and middle school, but the tight-knit CDS community allows you to make friends for life!
Gunnar '20: I was able to make great friends that I am still in contact with to this day.
What is one of your favorite memories of CDS?
Griffin '15: Starting Red Reign with my friends was one of my favorite memories. It may have initially been an excuse to get out of class a little earlier, but it was so cool to see it grow and get more students showing up to support the various school athletic events like girls' volleyball, tennis, and basketball.
Casey '16: My favorite time at CDS was being a part of the CDS Varsity Volleyball team and having the support from Red Reign and the entire school on the road to States!
Chrissy '16: Being a part of the volleyball team was definitely a highlight. We all had so much fun together and made some great accomplishments. It was always very cool to see how many people would come out to support our games!
Gunnar '20: My favorite memory was starting on the varsity football team senior year!
What is one of your favorite CDS traditions you participated in?
Griffin '15: The fall festival was always so much fun as a kid. Dunking teachers in the dunk tank and playing carnival games in the field when I was in elementary school was always one of my favorite times of the year.
Casey '16: Being a part of the Patriot Buddies program was so special since I was a first grader at CDS myself. I love keeping up with my first-grade buddy and hearing how they are doing in life.
Chrissy '16: Fantastic Friday! I always remember how much I would look forward to doing all the fun water games and then being on school break!
Gunnar '20: Dressing up for Homecoming week was my favorite CDS tradition!
The Brynjolfsson family tells a story of the power of entrepreneurship, innovation, and a strong educational and family foundation. Their journey from CDS students to business leaders highlights the impact of real-world learning and the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age. As they continue to build on their family's legacy at VOLT Lighting, their experiences serve as an inspiration to future generations of CDS students who aspire to think boldly, lead with confidence, and make a meaningful impact in the world.
We love sharing our CDS alumni achievements and are delighted to share The Brynjolfsson Family's updates with the alumni community. If you are a CDS Alumni and would like to share your accomplishments, please contact our Alumni Engagement Coordinator, Carli Gauthier Mianne '16 at cmianne@cdspatriots.org and let us know what you have been up to since leaving CDS. We look forward to hearing from you!