Leviton moves on: Milestones noted after CEO’s passing
-- Control Engineering, 11/8/2007
Little Neck, NY – After Harold Leviton’s death at age 90 in September, the Leviton Manufacturing Co. named new company leaders later that month. In October, “setting the tone for the company’s second century in business,” the company launched a major re-branding initiative that “reflects a shift towards a more progressive identity.”
Stephen B. Sokolow is Leviton chairman of the board of directors.
New brand identity
Donald J. Hendler, Leviton president, was named CEO. He raised the flag recently “on” new corporate branding for Leviton.
Harold Leviton, CEO and chairman of the company his father founded, passed away in September.
The company’s two-color logo and emblazoned “ON” in a bright green color field is designed to communicate the company’s position as a market leader on the cutting-edge of technology and trends. “The new brand identity unites all our business units, all our people and all our products into a single dynamic market force that is positioned towards the future,” says Donald J. Hendler, Leviton president and CEO.
Succession plan preserves family lineage
In his appointment of Hendler as Leviton CEO and Stephen B. Sokolow as chairman of the board of directors, Harold Leviton, through a carefully-architected succession plan, ensured that the company his father began in 1906 would continue as a private, family-owned and operated company.
Hendler and Sokolow are Harold Leviton’s sons-in-law; both have worked for the company for decades. Hendler was named president in 2005, adds the CEO position. Sokolow, who was named vice chairman of the board in 2005, continues as chairman. Hendler said he and Sokolow “moving the Leviton Company forward in the same friendly, family atmosphere that has become so much a part of our heritage, philosophy and culture.” The Leviton Website has more about experience of each.
Praise, condolences from NEMA, ESFI
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) extended condolences to the Leviton family and the employees of the Leviton family of companies upon the death of industry leader Harold Leviton.
“Almost every building in America contains at least one Leviton product,” said NEMA’s Evan Gaddis, president and CEO. “Harold built the company his father started into a global enterprise that stood for quality. It has been an honor to work with him, and he will be greatly missed.” Leviton served on ESFI’s board of directors and, at 30 years of service, was one of the longest-serving governors in NEMA’s history. The organization called him “a driving force behind establishing NEMA as a leader in standards development.” ESFI’s Brett Brenner, president, noted, “Quality and safety were paramount to him, and his dedication to those ideals made him an icon in the industry.”
Founded in 1994 through a joint effort between Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the NEMA, the ESFI is North America's only non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to promoting electrical safety in the home and workplace, the group says.
Passing of CEO, chairman Harold Leviton
In a Sept. 12 statement, the company called Harold Leviton’s dedication to the electrical industry and its key professional associations “legendary,” after he served “on many industry association and civic boards over a span of decades, rarely missing a meeting. Well into his late 80s he traveled around the world to position his third-generation family business, formed at the turn of the century, into a global industry leader. His life revolved around his family, his company, his hobbies and generous philanthropic and civic pursuits.”
Born in 1917 in Brooklyn, NY, Harold Leviton grew up with “electricity” and a passion for the electrical business running through his veins. While his young contemporaries were out playing stickball or softball on Saturdays, he regularly accompanied his father on visits to the family’s Greenpoint, Brooklyn factory, where he spoke to employees at all levels of the company and learned the business from the ground up.
Saving a life with standards, safety efforts
A long-time advocate for industry safety, Leviton once noted a letter that thanked him for saving a child’s life through use of a GFCI plug. “This is perhaps one of the best examples of giving back,” he recalled. “Through the industry’s involvement in safety standards, we gave back a child’s life.” Many other industry accolades are outlined on the Leviton Website.
—Edited by Mark T. Hoske, editor in chief
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