History
Over seven
remarkable
decades.
See article featuring a special tribute to founder DeLight Breidegam Jr.
A Proud Past with a Bright Future.
East Penn began as a dream of the Breidegam family. In 1946, DeLight Jr., a young Air Force veteran, started a battery business with his father, DeLight Sr. The location of their business was a small, one-room creamery in the village of Bowers, PA.
Wartime made for scarce battery materials, but there was big demand for rebuilt batteries so returning GIs could get their vehicles running again. DeLight and his father filled that need by collecting old batteries and rebuilding them to new.
From the beginning, the Breidegam’s knew if their business was to be successful, customers and employees would have to be the top priority, and opportunities for improvement could never be overlooked. These founding principles make East Penn what it is today.
In seven remarkable decades, East Penn has grown from a one-room shop with a product line of five automotive batteries to one of the world’s leading battery manufacturers with over 10,500 full-time employees, 515 product designs, operations around the world, and hundreds of awards for industry excellence.
Our core values are as strong today as they were in 1946, and we continue to embrace them as we prepare for the future of energy storage solutions and sustainable practices.
The History of Deka
In 1947, a new partner joined forces with the Breidegam family and a brand was born. Karl Gasche, a former associate of DeLight, Sr. teamed up with the Breidegam’s. Karl became vice president of East Penn and remained so until his retirement in 1966. In fact, the name “Deka” is a combination of “DeLight” and “Karl.”
East Penn is proud to carry on the Deka brand name today – more than seven decades after its birth – with new Deka battery products introduced to market every year.
