Innovative Lighting Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Story City, Iowa-based Innovative Lighting, one of the first LED fixture manufacturers in the U.S., is excited to continue its commitment to pioneering innovative LED technology as it celebrates 30 years of transformation.

When the company first opened its doors in June 1993 in the heart of the Silicon Prairie, it offered one product: a retractable stern light for marine applications. Today, Innovative Lighting provides design, engineering, manufacturing, and support for LED solutions across five divisions: Marine, Truck & Trailer, Commercial, Refrigeration, and GENISYS PoE Lighting.

Over the past three decades, the company has earned 40+ patents covering innovations that range from proprietary optics to innovative ways to light state-of-the-art commercial buildings while saving energy. Its intelligent GENISYS PoE Lighting system utilizes smart technology that powers, controls, and monitors lighting systems using a safe, low- voltage ethernet cable.

Company owner and founder Jerry Handsaker has dedicated a lot of time to traveling the country and providing education on the benefits of LED technology. After growing up on a farm and learning firsthand the value of innovation, Handsaker practiced law in Iowa for more than 20 years while he launched and grew Innovative Lighting. In 1998, he left the law practice to manage and operate the lighting company full-time.

Over the past 30 years, Innovative Lighting has been named to Inc.’s 500 Fastest-Growing Companies list four times, and Handsaker was celebrated as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2004.

“We began when LEDs were only manufactured in red,” says Harry Aller, President at Innovative Lighting. “Now we have over 1,000 products in our catalog and are recognized as an industry leader in developing and manufacturing LED technology. Innovative Lighting will continue to push beyond the boundaries of existing lighting systems to achieve groundbreaking results with every passing day.”