The ability to dim the lights in our home from our smartphone, or to remotely raise and lower the shades when we’re not even there, stems from a continuous stream of innovation in the Lehigh Valley. 

What drew Lutron Electronics to the Lehigh Valley? And how did the Lehigh Valley position the company to grow from a husband-and-wife team working in a makeshift lab in their spare bedroom into a global powerhouse that makes more than 15,000 products sold in more than 100 countries?

Those questions were at the heart of the conversation at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s recent Fall Signature Event, “Lehigh Valley: Making Products & Making Places.”

Held Nov. 11 at Archer Music Hall in downtown Allentown, the event celebrated the innovation, resilience, and community spirit that has shaped the Lehigh Valley’s economic renaissance.

Brian Donlon, Vice President – General Manager of Sales Operations at Lutron Electronics, joined leaders from other global brands based in Lehigh Valley – Crayola, Mack Trucks, Martin Guitar, and Olympus – for a panel discussion about why the Lehigh Valley is such a draw for iconic makers.

Here’s why Lutron Electronics’ products are Made in Lehigh Valley.

Humble Beginnings

Joel and Ruth Spira founded Lutron Electronics in 1961 in their tiny apartment in New York City, combining Joel’s inventive and conceptual mind with Ruth’s practicality. Their goal - to give the world "lighting to live by," personalized to enrich experiences.

Today, the company remains family owned and is headquartered in Upper Saucon Township. There, it designs and manufactures lighting controls, automated shading solutions, and intelligent lighting fixtures for residential and commercial use.

It all started with the first dimmers and sliders.

“Joel was an inventor. Joel invented the solid-state rotary dimmer, once maybe most familiar in your grandmother’s dining room, and now lighting controls are found all throughout rooms in the home. The whole objective was to make spaces more beautiful, more comfortable, and energy efficient,” Donlon said during the panel discussion at LVEDC’s Fall Signature Event, attended by a record turnout of about 450 people.

The company’s early inventions are considered so groundbreaking that they are housed within the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History archives in Washington, D.C.  

“It started with very humble beginnings in the second bedroom of a small New York apartment, and today we're the global leader in lighting controls,” Donlon said. “We manufacture thousands of products for residential spaces and commercial spaces, from light controls to intelligent shading systems to intelligent lighting. And we found our way to Lehigh Valley.”

Love Leads to Lehigh Valley

“Joel, he met Ruth Rodale. She was the daughter of J.I. Rodale, the founder of the Rodale Institute. Ruth introduced Joel to her family, who at the time lived in Emmaus. Ruth and Joel started the company in Emmaus, manufacturing dimmers there until the 1970s when they moved to our current headquarters location.”

During an interview with LVEDC following the Fall Signature Event, Donlon elaborated on the advantages that Lutron Electronics sees in being based in the Lehigh Valley.

“It's really just a wonderful place to live and work and raise a family. You've got affordable housing, affordable living in general. You've got great school districts, top ranked colleges, universities, technical schools, innovative health care, arts and culture, outdoor recreation. In addition, you also have proximity to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. And we found that special recipe, combination of goods, has really allowed us to recruit and retain the best talent.”

“It's a great place to work and live, and there's so much to offer,” Donlon continued. “And I think that for most people, they look for that work-life balance. And I think the Lehigh Valley has a special balance.”

Innovating into a Global Leader

“Innovation is core to our culture. Joel had a very strong belief that he ingrained in all of us - that you would never introduce a product that was a knockoff or a substitute for something that already existed. Everything had to be a new dimension. Everything had to have a new value proposition for our customers,” Donlon said during the panel discussion at the Fall Signature Event. 

“And he was meticulous about making sure that we delivered the highest quality, reliable product possible for our customers. And with that, some of those products, because they were new to the world, created new business opportunities for many of our customers. We've got thousands of customers who have built their business around the design, installation, and commissioning of our products.”

Today, the products made by Lutron Electronics can be found in all types of buildings, all around the world, Donlon said.

“We’re in homes of every size and shape, and commercial spaces - commercial offices, healthcare, hospitality, education, museums, music halls, stadiums - and they're all intended to make those spaces more comfortable and more productive and more energy efficient.”

In the U.S. alone, Lutron products annually save an estimated 10 billion kWh of electricity, or approximately $1 billion in utility costs. 

(Photos courtesy of Lutron Electronics and Marco Calderon Photography)