Ellis Yan is President, CEO and Chairman of Technical Consumer Products, Inc. Yan’s compact fluorescent light bulbs have made his company the world’s leading innovator in energy-efficient lighting Originally from China, he came to Cleveland State University at the age of 20, and graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in 1982.

Yan began manufacturing halogen lighting products in 1986 and founded Technical Consumer Products, Inc. in 1993. Committed to developing energy efficient lighting technology, TCP was the first company to introduce the “SpringLamp” in 1996, replacing the straight tube style of compact fluorescent lamps and revolutionizing the residential lighting industry.

TCP controls a large majority of the U.S. market. TCP produces more than 1.4 million CFLs every day. TCP is a privately held company, employing more than 15,000 people globally with more than $300 million in sales in 2007. 

Yan was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame in 2009.