Harold Leviton
Chief Executive Officer, Leviton Manufacturing Company

Harold Leviton, president and chief executive officer of Leviton Manufacturing Company for nearly four decades, remembers the day that exemplified why he chose a career in electrical manufacturing. Several years ago, he received a letter from a parent thanking him for saving a child’s life. It seems that this parent found a hair dryer in the bottom of the bathtub with her child. After removing the child, the parent learned that the GFCI had tripped, saving the child’s life. “This is perhaps one of the best examples of giving back,” he recalls. “Through the industry’s involvement in safety standards, we gave back a child’s life.”

NEMA will return the good deed, giving Leviton the prestigious Bernard H. Falk Award at NEMA’s 77th Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., in recognition of his many years of service to the electroindustry.

Leviton has held his position since 1965, when he assumed the leadership of the company from his father Isidor Leviton, its founder. Under his direction, the company has made a strong commitment to research and development, integrating the latest technologies into its products in the interest of performance and safety. Through a series of strategic acquisitions under his leadership, the company has expanded its breadth and depth of product line.

Founded in 1906 to manufacture a single product—tip mantles for gas lights—Leviton Manufacturing’s light switches, receptacles, and lamp sockets are now found in nine out of 10 homes in the United States and Canada. Its 22 facilities produce three million switches, receptacles, GFCIs, lighting controls, and home automation and communications products every day. There are 20,000 distinct catalog numbers in Leviton’s product offering, but the company is a rarity in today’s business environment—a successful family-owned business.

“Harold Leviton is a legend in the electrical industry,” says NEMA President Malcolm O’Hagan. “His dedication to the industry and to NEMA is truly remarkable. He has served on the NEMA board since 1976 and has rarely missed a meeting. At age 86, Harold still travels the world, positioning Leviton as a global player. His life revolves around his company and the industry he loves, and his active participation in NEMA sets an example for all industry leaders. He is the epitome of the good corporate citizen who invests his own time and talent in the furtherance of the industry and the public welfare.”

In addition to his seat on the board, Leviton has served as chairman of the Wiring Devices section and chairman of the Building Equipment Division from 1976 to 1979. He is the only person to have been named as a NEMA director emeritus, making him an honorary member of the board for life.

He is also a charter board member of the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFi). “Leviton Manufacturing has been one of our strongest contributors and supporters,” says Mike Clendenin, ESFi president. “There is no questioning Harold’s dedication, indeed, passion, for electrical safety. He is well deserving of the accolades.”

Leviton has long been a proponent of meaningful standards for electrical product performance, safety, and reliability. “I am pleased that many of the philosophical beliefs I hold so dearly have been embodied by the industry over the years,” he says.

Leviton’s concern for youth is well documented. He instituted the Leviton Industrial Arts Award, which has since become the single most prestigious honor for New York City high school students in the electrical trades. He has also devoted much time and energy as a volunteer for the United Jewish Y’s of Long Island.

This is far from the first award Leviton has received in his career. He is a past winner of Albert Einstein’s College of Medicine’s Humanitarian Award in 1976; the Metal and Metal Products division of the Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award in 1979; the Wire and Cable Club of America’s Charles D. Scott Distinguished Career Award; and the Consul of Portugal’s Medal of Merit of the Portuguese Communities. He has also been recognized by the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, the United Cerebral Palsy Men’s Council, the American/Israel Friendship League, the Children’s Medical Center of New York Fund, and the United Fund.

Leviton’s civic activities are many and varied. He has served for 10 years as a trustee and deputy mayor of the Village of Hewlett Harbor, as vice president of the board of the Woodmere Academy, and as a member of Family Service of the Five Towns (a community chest agency). Today he serves the community as chairman of the appeals board and vice chairman of the recreational committee.

Love for his work is matched only by Leviton’s love for his hobbies. An avid collector of stamps, post cards, and jigsaw puzzles, he also enjoys salt-water game fishing, golf, and creating latch-hook rugs. In 1996 he showed his appreciation for the association by creating a rug featuring NEMA’s new logo, which hangs in the lobby at headquarters to this day. “NEMA has made significant advances in raising the bar in America for electrical safety,” explains Leviton. “I have personally witnessed great strides being realized in the area of product safety as a direct result of NEMA’s dedication and concentration on this most critical issue.”

Leviton attended the University of Miami and graduated with a bachelor of arts in business administration. Today he serves his alma mater as an active member of the President’s Council. He also received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Beaver College in 1979.

“It is an honor of the highest level to be selected to receive the NEMA Falk award,” says Leviton. “As a devoted member of NEMA, I personally know and admire many of the past award recipients. It is a rare tribute to be selected by the nominating committee for this most prestigious distinction and to be counted among individuals of this caliber. Having known Bernie Falk for well over 30 years, it is doubly an honor for me to receive this award that is named after my good friend.”

The Bernard H. Falk Award is given each year in recognition of outstanding achievement in technology, management, marketing, international trade, education, public affairs, or any other field important to the electroindustry. Recent winners have included U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky, former astronaut Neil Armstrong, Square D Company Chairman Charles W. Denny, and TXU Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Dr. Erle Nye.