Philadelphia-area company takes business overseas with new hire and special patents
 
Independence LED Lighting, LLC today announced it has hired Benjamin Stammen as Director of International Business Development as part of a new push to reach international markets for its energy-saving LED tubes.
 
Stammen has more than 17 years of experience in the lighting industry. He worked for five years in Belgium and 12 years as managing director in Hungary for the category-leading European company Massive Lighting, where he developed and led a factory with more than 700 employees and 2,000 contractors.
 
Stammen has also worked in the United States as the senior project manager for the $1.2 billion Swiss Datwyler Group, which operates worldwide, focusing on serving the pharmaceutical, automotive, civil engineering and manufacturing industries. Stammen opened the company’s Pennsauken, N.J., facility and became plant manager.
 
“This is an exciting time for Independence LED, as LED tubes are gaining an increasing foothold worldwide, and we’re positioning ourselves to meet those growing global needs,” said Charlie Szoradi, chairman and CEO of Independence LED. “Ben Stammen brings a legacy of excellence in the lighting industry and a background in five languages that will surely help us become a strong export company.”
 
Stammen’s addition to Independence LED team comes shortly after the company filed patents for its energy-saving LED tubes in 40 countries beyond the U.S., including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union. The company also won a 30,000-tube bid for the Republic of Slovakia.
 
The company is now more easily able to export its LED tubes because it has received ISO) 9001:2008 certification. This certification is used in more than 170 companies and dictates quality management standards.