Lutron Electronics announced that Joel Spira, its founder, owner and director of research, has been inducted into the Lehigh County Bicentennial Hall of Fame.
- Joel Spira.
- The induction took place on Saturday, March 10, in conjunction with the Lehigh County Bicentennial celebration in Allentown, PA.
- The Lehigh County has been home to Lutron since 1961, when Spira started the business in Emmaus, PA. He relocated the business to Coopersburg in 1970 and to this day, runs the company’s global operations from the same campus he built more than 40 years ago.
- “Joel Spira was a clear choice for the inaugural class of the Lehigh County Hall of Fame," said Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham, chairman of the Lehigh County Bicentennial Committee, which created the Hall of Fame. "He is already in the equivalent of the United States "Hall of Fame" with his papers and designs of the first dimmer switch in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., right next to the work of Thomas Edison. Mr. Spira is an American treasure and we are proud that he calls Lehigh County home and that he chose to build Lutron Electronics here."
- “It’s an honor to be recognized as an inaugural Hall of Fame inductee,” said Spira. “I’ve called this area home for more than 50 years – both personally and professionally – and find it to be one of the most charming areas to raise a family and to enjoy the sights and sounds of the community.”
- Other Bicentennial Hall of Fame inductees, all with ties to Lehigh County, include Former Chrysler Corporation CEO, Lee Iacocca; Marley & Me author John Grogan; Superbowl Champions Dan Koppen and Matt Millen; and a host of other athletes, celebrities and notable personalities.
