Lithonia Lighting was established in 1946 by Sam Freeman in Lithonia, Georgia. Initially, the Company finished and assembled metal parts fabricated by other firms and sold them to local and regional customers. A broad range of both fluorescent and incandescent fixtures was produced for commercial, industrial and residential use. The Company grew rapidly and in 1950 expanded operations to 15,000 square feet, and the metal fabrication operation was brought in-house.

Growth in the '50s
The 1950s saw further growth and change. In 1953, residential and incandescent fixtures were dropped from the product line, and the Company concentrated its activities in the commercial and industrial fluorescent market. The decision was made to sell only through wholesale electrical distributors. Markets outside the southeast were entered, and a fleet of trucks was purchased to transport fixtures to these markets and bring back raw materials and components. Standardized parts and mass production methods were developed to reduce product costs and assure consistent quality. These decisions have proven so successful that they are still the basis of Lithonia's manufacturing and distribution policies.

In 1957, after several expansions, maximum capacity of the Lithonia plant was reached. Lithonia Lighting moved its facilities into a modern 80,000 square foot building in nearby Conyers, Georgia.

Lithonia Lighting Becomes Publicly Owned
Lithonia became a publicly-owned company in 1961, and common stock was sold in order to obtain additional capital for future growth. With new financial resources, the Company continued to build its manufacturing and distribution capabilities. The Conyers plant was expanded several times during the 1960s and 1970s to more than 520,000 square feet, and a 270,000 square foot distribution facility was leased to provide more inventory space and greater shipping capacity.

In June 1969, Lithonia merged with National Service Industries, Inc. (NSI). At the time, this was one of the largest mergers ever completed by two Georgia firms. NSI is a widely-diversified corporation engaged in linen and other textile rental service, chemicals, office specialty products, and various other businesses, operating in more than 225 locations and employing approximately 17,000 people domestically and internationally. The merger further broadened and strengthened Lithonia's financial base and provided a long-term source of future growth capital. With sales in fiscal year ending August 31, 1998 of over $1 billion, Lithonia Lighting was the largest division of NSI.

Expansion into New Markets
In 1971, Lithonia Lighting made its entry into the fast-growing high-intensity-discharge (HID) lighting market with the establishment of the Hi-Tek operation in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Hi-Tek manufactures indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures using energy-efficient HID light sources (mercury vapor, metal halide and high pressure sodium). The phenomenal growth of the group has led to the acquisition of several companies with related product lines. Today the Hi-Tek Group markets downlighting, track lighting and outdoor lighting products, as well as a broad range of industrial fixtures.

Lithonia Lighting opened a satellite plant in Cochran, Georgia, in January 1972. The plant, established to manufacture high-volume fluorescent fixtures, was built with an original floor space of 225,000 square feet. Continued growth required a second addition in 1985 of 150,000 square feet. Today, the Cochran facility has a total of 475,000 square feet.

The Company returned to the residential fixture market in 1976 with the introduction of decorative fluorescent products designed expressly for the home consumer. These products, as well as downlighting and track lighting, are sold nationwide through home centers and other retail outlets under the Home-Vue label and through lighting showrooms under the Light Concepts name.

In June 1977, Lithonia entered the emerging flexible wiring market with the acquisition of Reloc Wiring Systems of Boston, Massachusetts. Reloc manufactures modular wiring systems which are completely relocatable and reusable, saving time and costs of installation. The Reloc operation was moved to Conyers in April 1978 to consolidate manufacturing facilities and meet growing demand for the line.

Continued Growth in the '70s and '80s
In May 1978, Hi-Tek introduced Contemporary Architectural Lighting (CAL), a line of commercial downlighting products. The CAL product line consisted of recessed and surface mounted downlights and wall washers, using incandescent, quartz and HID light sources. CAL was subsequently consolidated into the Lithonia Downlighting operation in Vermilion, Ohio.

An additional entry into the lighting market, Lithonia Emergency Systems, was organized in January 1979. This group, located in Decatur, Georgia, specializes in the design, manufacture and marketing of a wide range of exit signs, emergency lighting and emergency power systems.

In September 1979, Lithonia Lighting acquired the Lighting Standards Division of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation. This business became National Lighting Standards (NLS), which operated in Louisville, Kentucky, until mid-1995. NLS manufactured steel and aluminum poles for area lighting and operated as part of the Hi-Tek Group. The Louisville facility has been closed.

Another expansion was the acquisition in July 1980 of the Indoor Lighting Division of ITT, consisting of products sold under the names Gotham, Art Metal and Wakefield. These product lines became part of the Lithonia Downlighting Group in Vermilion, Ohio.

In January 1981, Lithonia Lighting purchased Major Corporation of Northbrook, Illinois. Now part of the Hi-Tek Group, Major Reflector Products engages in the anodizing, spinning, buffing and hydroforming of reflectors used in various types of light fixtures.

In April 1982, Lithonia acquired Acme Lighting and Manufacturing Company, a fluorescent fixture company in the Los Angeles area. Now operating as Lithonia West, this facility in City of Industry, California, produces a variety of fixtures for the Lithonia Fluorescent Group and enables Lithonia to provide better service in the western United States.

In May 1984, Lithonia acquired certain assets of Acme Dunbar Industries, Inc. and production capability was expanded to the Hi-Tek operations in Crawfordsville, Indiana and Vermilion, Ohio. This addition gave Lithonia a line of indoor and outdoor vandal-resistant products and maximum security lighting for incandescent, fluorescent and HID light sources.

In 1986, Lithonia Control Systems became a separate operating group of Lithonia Lighting, offering a line of lighting control systems. This group, located in Decatur, Georgia, gave Lithonia another strategic entry into the lighting market with the introduction of dimming and switching products in 1989.

Hi-Tek opened a pole and fixture facility in Rancho Cucamonga, California, in 1986, further increasing production and shipping capabilities in the western United States. In the last several years, the Hi-Tek Poles and Hi-Tek West facilities have been closed.

Lithonia Lighting Moves Outdoors
In 1988, Lithonia Architectural Outdoor Lighting was created to serve the large market for commercial outdoor lighting. That same year, Lithonia Lighting purchased the Trakker Corporation of Munster, Indiana. Trakker produced track lighting systems for the residential and home remodeling markets. This facility has also been closed.

International Expansion
In October 1989, Lithonia Lighting expanded its fluorescent and HID market opportunity through the purchase of York Lighting Company in Montreal, Canada.

In May 1995, Lithonia Lighting acquired Infranor Canada, Inc., St. Hyacinthe, Quebec. The purchase of Infranor, a manufacturer of high-performance outdoor lighting products, allowed the Company to aggressively expand its outdoor lighting business throughout Canada. The Infranor operation became a part of the Lithonia Hi-Tek Group.

In 1995, Lithonia began expansion into Mexico. A 100,000 square foot fluorescent manufacturing plant was constructed in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, which will supply products for the entire North American lighting market. During 1996, an additional 96,000 square feet was added to the Monterrey Plant. Lithonia is just beginning to penetrate the Mexican lighting market and plans to become a major supplier of lighting equipment in Mexico within the next several years.

Latest Expansion
Lumaid
In March 1997, Lithonia announced the acquisition of Lumaid, Inc., a supplier of emergency lighting products to the Canadian market. The combination of products and capabilities of Lumaid and Emergency Systems will provide one of the most comprehensive emergency product offerings in that market.

Hydrel
In September 1998, acquired substantially all the assets of GTY Industries, Inc., known in the industry by the brand name Hydrel™. Hydrel is a major manufacturer of commercial underwater, landscape and outdoor architectural lighting products.

Peerless Lighting
In April 1999, Lithonia announced the acquisition of the Peerless Lighting Corporation. The acquisition will provide Lithonia Lighting with entry into the fastest growing segment of the architectural indoor lighting market.

Holophane
In July 1999, Lithonia Lighting’s parent company, National Service Industries, Inc., completed the acquisition of the Holophane Corporation.

Holophane™ is an excellent company with complementary products and customers that make it an ideal strategic fit with Lithonia Lighting. Holophane has a strong presence in outdoor and industrial lighting equipment and energy service related market sectors utilizing the Holophane, MetalOptics, and Antique Street Lamps brand names. In addition to the widely known and respected brand name, Holophane has an innovative product development program, significant manufacturing capability, and a 225 person factory sales force that is unique in the lighting equipment industry. The acquisition will provide greater access to utility, energy service, department of transportation, and international market opportunities. Holophane’s sales base, when combined with Lithonia’s 1.1 billion sales dollars, will significantly expand Lithonia Lighting’s North American market leadership.

New Parent Company
Lithonia Lighting's parent company, National Service Industries, Inc. (NYSE: NSI), announced Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) as the name for its lighting equipment and chemicals spin-off company, which separated from NSI at the end of November 2001.

Acuity Brands, with 2001 annual revenues of $2.0 billion, employs over 10,000 people. Acuity Lighting Group consists of lighting brands Lithonia Lighting, Holophane, Gotham, Peerless, Hydrel, Antique Street Lamps, Metal Optics, SpecLight, and Carandini. Acuity Specialty Products Group is comprised of specialty chemical brands including Zep, Enforcer, and Selig. Acuity Brands is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga.

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