Topaz Appoints Executive Vice President

HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. — Glen Kruse has joined Topaz as Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Management. This appointment will accelerate Topaz’s growth as the company continues to expand its product categories and strengthens its relationships with all stakeholders in the distribution channel.

Kruse has a strong background in general management of industry-leading product companies in lighting, controls, and IoT. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Kruse began his career as an electrical engineer and designed air traffic control systems that were deployed through most of the airports in the U.S. He led the development of HomeWorks Interactive at Lutron before getting promoted to run the Home Systems business unit. Kruse later led Acuity Downlighting as it entered the era of LED lighting. Kruse was then promoted to VP&GM of Controls, Systems and Services, consolidating Acuity’s growing portfolio of Controls companies. Most recently he served as Chief Product Officer at InVue, bringing IoT capabilities to the company’s retail security products. His abundance of technical knowledge and industry experience will be a tremendous asset to Topaz and their customers.

Anthony Arena, Topaz President welcomed Kruse by saying, “Glen has an outstanding understanding of the lighting and electronics industry as well as a unique ability to keep up with rapidly changing technology. He has already built an excellent rapport with our teams and channel partners, and we are excited to see the ways that his expertise can propel us forward.”