Alex Dee Bio August 2022

Maria Hough, Howard’s, wife opened Alex Dee Lighting in Middletown NJ in 2004, just after she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The store was just 500 square feet and was right next to her newly opened ladies fitness center. Maria named the store after our daughter Alex Dee, who was just 7 years old at the time.

The store initially opened with just two lines, Murray Feiss Lighting, that I was the National Sales Manager for, and the Uttermost Company. Maria’s concept was to offer a discount shopping program to all of the ladies in the little store who had signed up for membership to her fitness center. She hired a family friend, Maria Vanzelli, to manage the little store and Maria ran the ladies fitness center in between her visits to the city for her cancer treatments. Maria Vanzelli is still managing the Lighting Store today.

Unfortunately, in 2005 my wife Maria passed away. Shortly after her death, I had to leave my position in the lighting industry to be home to raise my now 8 year old daughter Alex Dee. We eventually moved from our tiny showroom in Middletown to a showroom a 10 times the size of the original space in nearby Holmdel.

Alex Dee Lighting now represents virtually every major lighting line in the industry and have grown our presence to boast that that we have achieved the highest ranking, according to Google, of any Lighting Showroom in New Jersey or New York. We have earned this position with a lot of hard work and continuing to maintain the original vision that my wife opened the business with.

Howard Hough

Alex Dee Lighting

President