As Jon Melchi steps into his role as the president and CEO of the American Lighting Association, he has much to consider … and much to learn, he said. Fortunately, his association background has prepared him for the landscape ahead. As he works on getting up to speed on the many facets of the organization and industry, Melchi noted that the overarching purpose is for the ALA to be “the hub for the lighting industry to connect through.”
Melchi’s background in association leadership spans several industries tangential to lighting. After 15 years in executive positions in HVAC and building industries — he was most recently the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio’s executive director — Melchi is approaching this new role with a solid foundation. “Being engaged with other housing-related organizations works in my favor,” he said.
He began his ALA journey at June’s Lightovation — the lighting industry‘s premier North American trade market — which has helped expedite his learning curve. “To an industry outsider, until you’ve been to a market, it’s challenging to understand. It was beneficial to be there [at Lightovation],” Melchi commented. Being at Lightovation has also helped Melchi to gather insights on what members would like to gain from ALA membership.
Historically, the ALA has been about supporting its members, and Melchi’s background sets him up to continue to deliver and elevate the association experience. “It’s easy for me to see that there are people who care deeply about the organization and want us to succeed,” he said. “I welcome their feedback.” By listening to ALA’s members, Melchi hopes to build on the power of connection and provide more of the insights, education and tools that offer value and make the organization even more relevant. “We are working to refocus the organization to deliver the value our members want. This is the industry’s association. We work for them,” he said.
To deliver on its membership’s needs requires an exceptional level of connection between members and ALA staff as well as complementary organizations that can expand the lighting industry’s profile. “Being the hub for the lighting industry to connect through is our purpose,” Melchi said. To that end, ALA staff will be building on connections that have worked well for its members, such as its Women in Lighting programming, as well as coming up with innovative ways to deliver information and facilitate further connection among members, their customers, influential advocacies and related industries.
According to Melchi, the ALA team is working on ways to provide valuable information that serves the industry without overburdening people’s inboxes. In addition, he would like to see the ALA’s annual conference have even more relevance than it already does, with elevated educational content and networking opportunities. “Our goal is to be the biggest, can’t-miss lighting meeting in North America,” Melchi said. “My goal is that anytime someone comes to an ALA event, they feel it was well worth their time, and they’ll need to bring someone else with them the next time.”
Education has been a primary focus for the ALA, something members have come to rely on, especially considering the fast pace of technology in this industry. As Terry McGowan, director of engineering, has retired after a 60-year career in the lighting industry, Mary Beth Gotti has assumed this ALA role and will continue to coordinate and deliver the technical education needed. Gotti has more than 40 years of experience — most recently as co-chair of the ALA Engineering Committee — and she will continue such insightful programming as ALA’s tech forum. “Our educational programs have been of great value to our members,” Melchi said. “We’ll continue to identify new ways to determine how we take what we’re doing to make it relevant in 2025 and beyond.” He added that as Gotti and Palmer Schoening (the ALA’s new Government Affairs Consultant) were hired by acting CEO/President Laurie Gross, owner of Gross Electric, he owes her interim leadership a debt of gratitude for setting him up for success in his new role.
One of the more pressing current issues for the lighting industry is understanding government regulations and striving for the best industry outcomes, which will fall, in part, to Schoening. While much of the talk has been around navigating shifting tariffs, other regulatory efforts the ALA will address include suppressing counterfeit products that don’t meet U.S. standards but are sold through channels that aren’t regulated. “Leveling the playing field for our members is a major role for the ALA,” Melchi said, adding that the organization will be aggressive when advocating for its members, whether that’s communicating to government agencies how tariffs are affecting the industry on many levels or ensuring companies outside the core lighting industry don’t find workarounds to the now-closed de minimus loophole, which helps retailers stay competitive.
“We serve a unique place here. We’re focused on the betterment of the entire lighting industry,” Melchi said. “Our leadership has been clear that the evolution of our organization is the top priority.”
