{"id":1170,"date":"2025-05-27T21:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T21:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1170"},"modified":"2025-05-28T11:58:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T11:58:18","slug":"ala-taps-building-industry-exec-as-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1170","title":{"rendered":"ALA Taps Building Industry Exec as New President & CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The American Lighting Association (ALA<\/a>) has named Jon Melchi (pronounced Melk-eye) as its new President and CEO after an intensive hiring process led by the association\u2019s Executive Search Committee after Larry Lauck\u2019s retirement in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than 20 years of experience in association management, public policy, and business development, Melchi is recognized for his innovative leadership and results-driven approach. He most recently served as executive director of the Building Industry Association (BIA) of Central Ohio<\/a>, where he spearheaded key initiatives that modernized the organization and elevated its impact. Under his leadership, the BIA introduced new membership categories to reflect an evolving industry, launched a robust corporate sponsorship program, and revitalized its signature events \u2014 driving record engagement and revenue. His strategic vision significantly expanded membership and strengthened the BIA\u2019s influence on housing and development policy across central Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter completing a comprehensive search over the last few months, we are thrilled to welcome Jon as our new ALA President & CEO,\u201d said Cathy Choi, president of Bulbrite and head of the ALA Executive Search Committee. \u201cThe Committee focused on finding a strong leader with significant trade association experience and an ability to drive transformation. Jon stood out among a group of highly qualified candidates, and we are confident that his leadership and the board’s guidance will position ALA for future success and growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since February, Laurie Gross of Gross Electric has served as Interim President and CEO of the ALA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are excited to announce Jon as our new ALA President and CEO,\u201d Gross said. \u201cI was very impressed with the Executive Search Committee\u2019s process and the time they took to find the right person to lead our amazing organization and work with our dedicated staff. I am looking forward to Jon\u2019s transition into this role, and I will continue to work with him over the coming months as he learns about our industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before his work with BIA, Melchi served in leadership roles at Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI<\/a>), a national trade association representing over 1,000 companies across North America. As vp\/government and external affairs, he directed the organization\u2019s advocacy strategy, led high-profile legal and legislative efforts, and built relationships on Capitol Hill that contributed to the passage of key tax provisions, such as the expanded 179D energy-efficiency deduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melchi graduated from The Ohio State University and has been recognized multiple times on Columbus Business First\u2019s Power 100 list of business leaders. He is active in several national and state-level industry groups focused on housing, small business policy, and economic development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He will officially begin his role with ALA on June 16 and will be in Dallas for June Lightovation<\/a>. Laurie Gross and ALA staff will introduce Melchi to industry members throughout the show. All Lightovation attendees are encouraged to enjoy light refreshments and meet Melchi on Wednesday afternoon, June 18, at 1 p.m., at the ALA outpost on the fourth-floor atrium next to the Minka showroom in the Trade Mart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Executive Staff Changes at ALA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALA Searches for New President & CEO \u2014 Could It be You?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The American Lighting Association (ALA) has named Jon Melchi (pronounced Melk-eye) as its new President and CEO after an intensive hiring process led by the association\u2019s Executive Search Committee after Larry Lauck\u2019s retirement in February. With more than 20 years of experience in association management, public policy, and business development, Melchi is recognized for his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":275,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10],"tags":[53,52,339],"class_list":["post-1170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-people","tag-ala","tag-american-lighting-association","tag-jon-melchi"],"yoast_head":"\nALA Taps Building Industry Exec as New President & CEO - Lighting News Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The American Lighting Association (ALA) has named Jon Melchi as its new President and CEO after a five-month search.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1170\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ALA Taps Building Industry Exec as New President & CEO - 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