About Us
Our Story
Golden is a lighting company that designs and manufactures residential light fixtures and chandeliers. Founded in 1982, Golden Lighting was established as an importer of manufactured products. In the mid-1980s, significant distribution opportunities were uncovered in the ceiling fan market that allowed the company to focus on selling fans to electrical and builder supply houses in the Southeast. During the 1990s, the focus shifted toward residential lighting fixtures and as the product line developed, more decorative lighting products were added. Today, Golden Lighting sells primarily to lighting showrooms and electrical supply houses throughout the United States.
Golden Lighting has an outstanding reputation for understanding customer needs and incorporating those needs into its product designs. Strong industry awareness, a high level of customer service, and a dedicated team of highly trained sales professionals are hallmarks that have solidified Golden’s position as a leader in the residential lighting industry.
“One of the best things that I ever learned was to listen to customers. Most customers would walk away without saying a thing to you, but the ones that care about your business will speak up so that you can improve.” -Yuh-Mei Hutt
Mission
We deliver an exceptional experience by providing top-notch service and fashionable, quality lighting designs through a passionate team that cares.
Values
- Provide superior customer service and quality products
- Honor our commitments and be consistent and fair
- Promote true teamwork based on cooperation, trust, and gratitude
- Invest in our people and products
- Maintain a strong community presence
- Continually seek improvement and innovation in every aspect of our business
- Data-driven decision making
Meet our President
President - Yuh-Mei Hutt
Golden Lighting is a family business. 17 years ago, Yuh-Mei Hutt, the daughter of founder, Ingshang Liao, took over as president of Golden Lighting. Since then, Yuh-Mei has expanded the company, making it a leader in the industry.
A compassionate businesswoman who is dedicated to the industry, her company, and her hometown of Tallahassee, Yuh-Mei puts her heart into the projects and people she holds near and dear. Her enthusiasm can be seen through her life, work, goals, and expectations. Under her leadership, Golden Lighting has won Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year and the Jim Moran Institute’s Entrepreneurial Excellence awards.
As president of Golden Lighting, she focuses her positive energy on her business and its employees, finding ways to improve things for both. The community of Tallahassee is not forgotten in Yuh-Mei's plans and efforts. She is significantly involved in the business community and pours time and energy into working with local leaders and organizations to create a better future.
Yuh-Mei is active in promoting startups, angel investment, and exponential mindset in Tallahassee. She supports local charities and acts as a strong role model and catalyst for change in the Tallahassee area. Through her work as Chair of Domi Station, a business incubator that aids entrepreneurs and innovators, Yuh-Mei has invested in creating workspaces where bright creators can collaborate and grow.
In the interest of improving Tallahassee, Yuh-Mei invests in bringing powerful voices and ideas to Tallahassee in the hopes of inspiring the next generation. She has sponsored contests to identify and uplift future leaders. When asked about the motivation behind her service to the community, she simply stated, “I believe the future is positive and that we can have a meaningful impact on our community.”
As president, Yuh-Mei has worked hard to cultivate a business culture where employees feel like a part of the Golden Lighting family. She has hand-picked and groomed a team of bright executives. Together, they are tasked with moving the company forward.
Meet our Executives
Sales Director - Ivan Parada
Sales Director Ivan Parada is a valued leader of our eCommerce and Sales division. Ivan manages a growing team of skilled salespeople, and acts as a point of contact between reps, retailers, and Golden.
Through persistence and excellence, Ivan has worked his way up the departmental ladder to sit as Director among upper management. When asked why he gravitated toward a sales-centric career he stated, “Everyone in the world is in sales no matter what position or life stage they are at…”
Several years since joining Golden, Ivan’s love for the company, its success, and employees comes as no surprise. When asked about his key motivators as a leader, Ivan thoughtfully commented on the satisfaction he feels from making customers, partners, and colleagues happy, as well as his passion for personally implementing new strategies and challenging himself.
When probed further, Ivan admitted that he also loves the fact that Golden has not been stagnant in any way for the almost 5 years, “There is always something going on, and I thoroughly enjoy being able to make an impact and appreciate the opportunities that have presented themselves."
Operations Director - Matthew Roche
Operations Director Matthew Roche oversees some of the most vital components of our organization from Customer Service, Warehouse, Quality Control, to Supply Chain. Matthew and his team manages the day-to-day operating procedures, maintain stock, process orders, and track products throughout the business process.
A key to his team’s success is setting and reaching continuous matrix goals. He communicates these goals to all team members and then measures how well these goals are met to ascertain what improvements can be made to surpass the latest goals. He also regularly reviews recent performance with the teams. Under Matthew's leadership, his departments have fine-tuned Golden Lighting’s operations to withstand extreme scenarios.
As his team continues to develop and grow, they are formalizing goals to further streamline departments and ensure continued success for the overall organization.
Creative Director - Danielle Dzurik
Golden Lightings’ Design, Product Support, and Marketing efforts are all led by Creative Director, Danielle Dzurik. Danielle started at Golden Lighting as the sole designer more than 10 years ago. As the company grew, so did her team. She now commands a full creative department, allowing her to tackle almost any task in-house.
Her team fuels the company’s growth with innovative designs and superior merchandising. Danielle says, "To do this, customer’s needs are kept central to everything we do, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve, which drives us and our success."
Danielle grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. She credits her parents with influencing her love of creation and steering her into a career in product design. Armed with a degree in industrial design from Auburn University, she started her first job in the lighting industry at Hubbardton Forge in Vermont. There she found a great mentor in the founder, George Chandler, who launched her career path in lighting by exposing her to the ins and outs of lighting design. A desire for the warmth of the Florida sun and the developing Golden Lighting team brought her back home to Tallahassee.
Outside the office, Danielle is devoted to improving the lives of local animals in need. She and her husband have 3 fur-babies of their own, but that does not stop Danielle from regularly volunteering with the animal shelter as a foster parent. She passionately encourages others to open up their homes and hearts to animals in need, "Fostering saves lives! By fostering, you free a kennel and save a life. All you need to provide is love, some time, and a temporary home. Doing so gives these animals a second chance on life and love!"