Racine-based Ruud Lighting, a subsidiary of Cree Inc., has landed a global contract to provide outdoor lighting for Walmart stores.
Ruud Lighting president Christopher Ruud made the announcement this week during a village board meeting at Mount Pleasant Village Hall, according to the Racine Journal Times.
Ruud was at the meeting to voice his support for a 41,000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market store proposed for 5625 Washington Ave. Ruud said his company had recently been named the outdoor lighting supplier for the retailer and already has “an indoor lighting contract for parts of Walmart on the global basis,” the newspaper reported.
“It would be very beneficial for our business to have (the store) as a showcase for LED lighting that would be manufactured right here in Racine County,” Ruud said. “We do intend to use that location as a showcase for new technologies where we can bring existing clients as well as some of Walmart’s executives themselves.”
In November Ruud Lighting announced plans for a $24.5 million expansion expected to create 469 new jobs within four years. In March Ruud said the company had already hired about 40 more people since the expansion announcement, increasing its second-shift operation.
