Solid Light
Solid Light is a Louisville-based, privately held design-build firm that delivers immersive visitor experiences — including exhibits, media, and fabrication — for museums, cultural institutions, distilleries, and corporate clients under single GMP contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Solid Light does
Solid Light, Inc. is a Louisville, Kentucky-based, privately held design-build firm founded in 1999 by Cynthia Torp that specializes in immersive visitor experiences for museums, cultural institutions, historic sites, corporations, and distilleries. The company operates as a full-service B2B professional services provider, delivering end-to-end project execution under single contracts with Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) commitments that encompass masterplanning, architectural concept, exhibit design, immersive media production, physical fabrication, and installation. Its proprietary Emotional Mapping methodology, developed in-house, is a multi-dimensional communication framework that maps emotional journeys across gallery spaces to pace intense and quieter moments appropriately.
The firm's core technical capabilities combine architecture, physical exhibit fabrication, and immersive media (film, projection, audio, visual effects) under one integrated team, eliminating handoff friction typical of fragmented competitors. Its portfolio spans projects including the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (25,000 sq ft, Bardstown, KY), Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (4,800 sq ft), The Dot Experience at the American Printing House for the Blind (20,000 sq ft), the American Civil War Museum Robins Theater, the Sagamore Spirit Distillery, and the Delta Blues Museum. Solid Light has earned 21 Telly Awards over 25 years and maintains active involvement in seven museum industry associations (SEMC, AMM, MAAM, AAAM, AAM, AASLH, NAME).
Commercially, Solid Light generates revenue through project-based design-build fees for large-scale capital projects, with pricing structured around GMP commitments and project-specific quotes. Its go-to-market relies on enterprise field sales and relationship-based business development targeting institutional decision-makers in the museum, cultural attraction, corporate visitor center, and bourbon trail segments. In June 2024, founder Cynthia Torp completed a strategic ownership succession, selling her remaining shares to an eight-partner internal ownership team while transitioning to Board Chair; Mike McCarthy serves as CEO and Chris Mozier as President. The company remains independently owned and has not raised outside capital.
Solid Light firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Solid Light
- Legal name
- Solid Light, Inc.
- Website
- https://solidlight-inc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Solid Light is a Louisville-based, privately held design-build firm that delivers immersive visitor experiences — including exhibits, media, and fabrication — for museums, cultural institutions, distilleries, and corporate clients under single GMP contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Solid Light industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Exhibit Design and Fabrication Services
- NAICS
- Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132)
- SIC
- Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial Lighting Fixture Installation (HSAOAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)
Keywords
Where Solid Light is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Solid Light business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Design and Fabrication Services: Project-based fees for design, planning, media creation, and fabrication services for immersive visitor experiences. Revenue generated through large-scale capital projects for museums, corporations, and cultural institutions.
- Design-Build Project Delivery: Single-contract design-build services encompassing masterplanning, architectural concept, design, media, fabrication, and installation. Pricing structured with Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) commitments.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Solid Light product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Solid Light is a full-service design-build firm specializing in immersive visitor experiences for museums, cultural institutions, corporations, and distilleries. The firm delivers end-to-end services including masterplanning, architectural concept design, media production, physical fabrication, and installation under a single-contract, Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) delivery model. Notable projects include the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, the American Civil War Museum Robins Theater, and The Dot Experience at the American Printing House for the Blind.
Product overview
Solid Light is a full-service design-build firm specializing in immersive visitor experiences. The company provides end-to-end services including masterplanning, planning, design, media production, fabrication, and installation for museums, cultural institutions, corporate environments, and visitor centers. The portfolio includes named project experiences such as the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, American Civil War Museum Robins Theater, The Dot Experience, Discovery Park of America's AgriCulture exhibit, Delta Blues Museum, Sagamore Spirit Distillery Experience, and the Secretariat: America's Horse exhibit at Kentucky Derby Museum. Services integrate storytelling, immersive theatrical media, hands-on learning experiences, branded environments, and physical fabrication into cohesive visitor journeys.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Immersive Visitor Experience Design-Build Services Full-service design, planning, and fabrication of immersive visitor experiences for museums, cultural institutions, corporate environments, distilleries, and visitor centers, integrating storytelling, immersive media, and physical fabrication under a single-contract Guaranteed Maximum Price delivery model.
Quantifiable outcome
- Visitor surveys at American Civil War Museum revealed 80% of participants felt personal connections to historical stories
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Solid Light
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Solid Light technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Solid Light partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Abel Construction CompanycoreSolid Light partnered with Abel Construction Company alongside Heaven Hill leadership to create the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience visitor center project. Abel Construction served as the construction partner in this multi-phased project.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Solid Light competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Solid Light social profiles
Digital presenceSolid Light financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Solid Light leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Solid Light funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Solid Light M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Solid Light
What does Solid Light do?
Solid Light is a full-service design-build firm specializing in immersive visitor experiences for museums, cultural institutions, corporations, and distilleries. The firm delivers end-to-end services including masterplanning, architectural concept design, media production, physical fabrication, and installation under a single-contract, Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) delivery model. Notable projects include the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, the American Civil War Museum Robins Theater, and The Dot Experience at the American Printing House for the Blind.
Is Solid Light a public or private company?
Solid Light is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Solid Light founded?
Solid Light was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Solid Light based?
Solid Light is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Solid Light make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Design and Fabrication Services are the primary driver. The others are design-Build Project Delivery.
Does Solid Light have an API?
No public API is recorded for Solid Light.
What industry is Solid Light in?
Solid Light's product category is Exhibit Design and Fabrication Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAOAFAM, Commercial Lighting Fixture Installation, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAJ, Lighting Design Services. Its NAICS code is 335132 and its SIC code is 3640.