Wal Mart Stores : How New LED Bulbs are Helping Light the Future

When the company I work for, LEDVANCE - the maker of SYLVANIA light bulbs - picked my 7-year-old daughter, Belle, and me to be featured in an advertisement about how LEDVANCE has invested millions of dollars in U.S. jobs, I was pretty much shocked. Being the lead in a video is not something I ever expected to happen to me. When I asked Belle if she wanted to be in it with me, she got a big smile on her face - she has the biggest dimples when she smiles.

It was a great experience, and I'm excited to be part of something that shows what my company is doing for families like mine.

I was born and raised in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, and have worked for the LEDVANCE factory for the past 13 years. The company hired me as a general laborer, and I worked my way up through different positions in the factory. Today, I'm a group leader who helps other employees solve problems and keeps everything running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

A lot has changed in the lighting industry over the years. Most recently, the company introduced three different styles of SYLVANIA LED bulbs, which require new equipment and processes at the factory. We're looking at adding more programming, automation and robotics to help create these new bulbs, so we're also training our workforce with new skills. Adding automation has actually created additional jobs, as the factory lines for these new products are much larger, and we need skilled workers to operate the equipment.

It's exciting to see the products you helped make prominently displayed on a store shelf. Sometimes I'll walk down Walmart aisles and check out the light bulbs to see if we made them in St. Marys, and even look if they were made on lines my team was working on. My team is very excited that this multimillion-dollar investment is allowing us to make the new line of LED lighting and add something different to the shelves.

I'm proud to work for a company that's investing in U.S. jobs, and I'm grateful for the chance to work with my daughter. It's something we'll share forever.