Meet (some of) The Team

Work hard, play hard – an old saying that has resonated with me for years! Whether I am skiing, biking, doing a triathlon or working 30 straight days in the month of November, I do it with passion.

I’m an Orange County transplant from Palm Springs. As soon as I was old enough I moved to cool air to live in the City of Seal Beach with my beautiful wife, three children and a pint size dog. As Founder and President of Dekra-Lite, I wear many hats throughout the year. From shopping the world and trade-shows for new products and services, to helping my Sales and Marketing teams develop the best holiday designs for the upcoming season. I love going to China to find new and exciting products and factories. It gives me great satisfaction to bring a new seasonal product to market that fills a niche in our industry.

It is fun to support my team, great to meet new customers, and very satisfying to hear we did a great job for a client. Quality innovative products, good service, and happy customers make me work hard every day!

I’m a family man living in Orange County, Ca with my wonderful wife, four boys and a girl.

Much of my leisure time the last 20+ years has been at the fields enjoying my kids playing baseball and soccer. With my youngest only at six years old I’m excited to have a new one just starting out and years more sports to come. I believe life should be fun. I can’t think of anything more fun than the holidays.

Doing what we do at Dekra-Lite puts smiles on people’s face and contributes to a magical part of each year. The shopping, the music, the families and friends gathering, religion and the celebrations make the holidays special at my home. As Dekra-Lite’s General Manager for 25+ years I tend to be the strong arm. I have a great job, with a lot of variety. Through our annual cycle I get the opportunity to work with all departments and see all the parts come together each and every holiday season.

Every time I tell people what we do at Dekra-Lite, the inevitable response is “What do you do for the rest of the year?” “Plenty!” is my usual response. We innovate new designs and products, shop the world, buy & stock those fabulous holiday decorations, plan future holiday customer projects, market, sell, and simply improve ourselves to work more efficiently.

Being a part of the Dekra-Lite family is a blessing to me. Everyday I come to work, I get to work with very passionate people, who are all co-owners, since Dekra-Lite is an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Program) company. The role I perform also gives me plenty of opportunities to use all the competencies I have gained from my previous careers as a corporate executive in DHL and Amazon and also as an entrepreneur, owning Subway franchises. I really look forward to helping Dekra-Lite fulfill its growth vision for the next 10 years.

Born and raised in Singapore, the U.S. is my third country of residence. I had also lived and worked in Vietnam during those early and exciting years after the country opened its doors to foreign investments. I enjoy traveling, food and the outdoors. I have been privileged to have traveled to many countries including Nepal, Maldives, South Africa and even visited the Killing Fields in Cambodia. A few of the most exciting things I have done are rappelling down a hoovering helicopter and doing aerobatics in an aeroplane. A favorite pastime these days is barbecuing and smoking meats. I have progressed from hamburgers and hot dogs and can now do a pretty good job of smoking ribs and briskets. For the future, It is my objective to take a long road trip with my wife around the United States on a Can-Am Spyder!

COMING SOON

I’m an idea girl, an art enthusiast, vertically challenged on most days and obsessed with Starbucks, obscure movie quotes, blue pens, speaking with my hands and anything that sparkles. I want to live in a world where one day my dog will answer me, where it’s completely acceptable to make up words in every day conversation and where people get to experience Christmas year-round like we do – you have to love life walking into the Santa’s Workshop everyday!

As Head of Strategic Partnerships, my eclectic career has prepared me to wear many different hats. I’ve been spreading holiday cheer with Dekra-Lite for three years and I am charged with determining the best ways for us to visually represent our brand while growing our product line and company presence. Working with sales staff and clients I also help to come up with innovative and intelligent solutions to all types of holiday needs – it’s seriously fun work! When I’m not decking the halls, I can be found around town at the best sushi joints, the coolest wine bars, the hottest music venues or … at home getting ready for Christmas.

Give me a little stretch of beach to walk and maybe some water sports and I’m very happy! Although I love living in Southern California for just this reason, I can relate to my friends and clients all over the US after growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, IL and living in Jacksonville, FL for a few years.

As a member of Dekra-lite’s sales team, I recently celebrated 11 years with the company. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure to represent a wonderful evolution of Holiday decorations and designs, one of the many perks of being with an innovative Holiday Décor company. One can say that the buisness world of art, design and retail sales are all that I’ve ever known professionally. Prior to joining Dekra-Lite, I represented highly aclaimed artists in the wholesale art business for 5 years, and prior to that I owned and operated a thriving True Value Hardware store for 10 years. I am very happy to say I’ve traded hammers, paint and frames for garland, bows, ornaments and some of the tallest Christmas trees ever!

My name is Chris Madsen. I have been a Southern California native my whole life. I have always loved living here and growing up down the street from Disneyland. I have an amazing family and a beautiful fiancé that I spend most of my time with. Whether I am playing golf or going snowboarding, I always keep a smile on my face. I am very thankful for my life and to be working at Dekra-Lite.

Since working at Dekra-Lite I have grown immensely as an account executive. I have worked with companies like Saks Fifth Ave., SeaWorld Entertainment, Toys R’ Us and the San Diego Zoo to name a few. It is a great feeling to bring my grand holiday ideas to fruition. My customers have always been left feeling good about their experience with Dekra-Lite and myself. I look forward to many more successful holiday seasons. Give us a call and I will bend over backwards to be helpful and attentive to your needs. Have a great year!

I’ve been sprinkling holiday cheer for over 4 years now. I began my career at Dekra-Lite on the Operations side of things, where I was decorating and building some of our most sought after designs. I then had the opportunity to move to the Receptionist position where I greeted our visitors and callers, I also had the chance to aide in the Accounts Receivables department. But, I quickly found a calling in the Sales Department. Here I began assisting the Sales Executives and discovered a passion for helping our customers bring their holiday visions to life.

Today, I’m a bilingual Dekra-Lite Account Executive and proud ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Program) committee member who enjoys working with my clients in both North and South America on creating their most memorable holiday experiences yet!

When I’m not at the North Pole, I’m savoring the Southern Californian life with my husband and two sons (14 years and 7 years).

Feliz Navidad!