After 23 years with Visa Lighting, current Vice President of Sales and Marketing Rick Diehl will retire on Dec. 31, 2023. Diehl began his career at Visa in 2000 as a senior applications engineer and has held the positions of applications manager, regional sales manager, inside sales manager and director of sales. “Rick has seen Visa Lighting through many stages. He has positively impacted Visa’s success and culture with his knowledge, network, warmth, and dedication, and we are sincerely grateful,” says Ryan Oldenburg, president of Visa Lighting.
With Rick’s retirement, Visa has added two new directors to the executive leadership team: Eric Loferski and Tracy Hansen. In September, Loferski joined Visa Lighting as the director of marketing and product management. He will be responsible for developing and executing the marketing strategy to help drive awareness, demand, and market share within existing product segments and oversee new product launches. Loferski has an extensive marketing career with progressive responsibilities in the construction products industry, most recently serving as the Director of Marketing for Bostik Inc. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a master’s degree in marketing from Marquette University.
Hansen joined Visa Lighting as the director of sales in October. She will manage the inside and external sales organization and maximize sales opportunities. She comes to Visa with many years of sales management experience in the lighting industry with companies like Lutron, Osram Sylvania, LED Linear and Ecosense Lighting. Hansen holds a bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and served eight years in the US Navy.
“We are excited about the next phase of Visa Lighting,” Oldenburg adds. “Tracy and Eric’s expertise and perspective will help drive us forward to expand on our leadership position and continually provide value to the market.”