South St. Paul, Minn.-based Holtkoetter International – the North American partner of renowned German lighting manufacturer Holtkoetter Leuchten GmbH in Lippstadt – has filed for bankruptcy. The North American company is undergoing reorganization with the intent of continuing to manufacture, distribute, and market the same products as it has in the past.
The new management team – headed by Tom Lillie, who has been with the company for the past 13 years as national sales manager – hopes to resume shipping within the upcoming month. The new management, along with Hans Holtkoetter, who runs the 50-year-old manufacturing company in Lippstadt, intends to take the brand to the next level without compromising the manufacturer’s commitment to high-quality workmanship and cutting-edge technology. The transition is expected to take place over the next few months with the goal of achieving and maintaining higher inventory levels than ever to better serve its customers. In addition to the successful product lines that the company is known for, the new team aims to expand into additional categories, increasing its LED offerings and include more progressive European-influenced designs in the future.
The new management expressed its appreciation for Paul Eusterbrock – who was instrumental in founding the North American partnership – for his many years of service and for growing the company’s reputation for high-performance, contemporary lighting products. “His contributions to the American Lighting Association (ALA) and the industry as a whole are very significant,” Lillie notes. Holtkoetter International received the prestigious ARTS Award in the Lighting Fixtures category in 2002, and Eusterbrock has served on the ALA’s board of governors as Chairman (among other positions) and was named one of the ALA’s Pillars of the Industry in 2009. “We wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” Lillie says.
“Through the past several months, we very much appreciate and have been humbled with the patience, support, understanding, and loyalty within our distributors, designers, sales representatives, and employees. We will get through this and vow to provide the most quality products, highest level of customer service and we will reciprocate that same level of loyalty in return,” Lillie affirms.
As of press time, the new company plans to remain in the St. Paul, Minnesota area.
