A fourth generation New Orleanian, Jay McLellan has been called a “father of the home automation” industry thanks to his founding of Home Automation, Inc. Back in 1985, the company produced a product that offered the ability to control a home’s temperature, security and lighting from the then-new Motorola bag phone.
Home Automation, Inc. grew into a global home and business automation company that was acquired by Leviton Manufacturing in 2012. Based in Melville, New York, Leviton is a 111-year old company that holds over 1,000 patents and manufactures 2.5 million parts related to electrical wiring devices, networking and automation every day.
In July 2014, Leviton opened its Experience Center at 334 Carondelet St. in New Orleans, joining similar centers in San Francisco and Anaheim. The centers invite people to see for themselves how the company’s security and automation, lighting and energy solutions operate in real life business and residential settings.
In September 2017, Leviton opened an Innovation Center at 865 Fulton St. McLellan leads the center’s team, which is already a recognized leader in the Internet of Things — defined as the interconnection, via the internet, of any device with an on and off switch.
The Innovation Center works on product marketing, development and support, including electronic design, cloud services, apps and embedded firmware. The company has developed strategic partnerships with Amazon, Apple, Google and Samsung to develop products that work specifically with their voice controls and smartphones, among other things.
In 2017 alone, Leviton received more than 16 “smart” awards from home builders, engineering societies, architects, third-party review sites and retailers. The company was 2017’s Home Depot’s Electrical Supplier Partner of the Year.
After more than 30 years spent selling to high-end clients, home automation is finally available to everyone.
“Now, $40 smart switches and dimmers sell at Home Depot, Amazon and other major retailers, which creates a larger customer base for our NOLA-based products,” McLellan said. “Voice control is the No. 1 driving factor right now, with a majority of our customers using the My Leviton app along with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant devices.”
McLellan says the fact that the company now sells to end users requires Leviton to be a consumer-facing company. “We’re focusing on ‘Excellence in Customer Experience’ initiatives moving forward.”
