CJS
CJS Lighting is a Northern California and Northern Nevada manufacturers' representative firm, founded in 1974, representing 129 lighting manufacturers across architectural, commercial, controls, and power-and-technology product categories. The firm serves architects, engineers, contractors, distributors, and building owners through a commission-based, distributor-mediated model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersRoseville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CJS does
CJS Lighting is a manufacturers' representative firm founded in 1974, headquartered at 290 Derek Place, Roseville, California, serving the Northern California and Northern Nevada markets (Sacramento, Bay Area, and Nevada territories). The firm represents 129 lighting manufacturers with a catalog exceeding 16,742 products spanning architectural, commercial, industrial, exterior, and specialty luminaires, with deep alignment to Acuity Brands' portfolio (Lithonia Lighting, nLight, SensorSwitch, Juno). Supporting the core lighting offering is a Power & Technology division covering electrical infrastructure, EV charging solutions, exit and emergency lighting, transformers and inverters, and smart building systems.
The business operates on a commission-based model through a regional distributor network — CJS does not carry inventory and does not sell directly to the public. Customer segments include architects, engineers, electrical contractors, distributors, and building owners across commercial, residential, healthcare, education, and industrial sectors. Beyond distribution, CJS delivers technical services including CALCTP Certified Title 24 acceptance testing, controls system commissioning, on-site pre-construction consultation, start-up support, end-user training, and project management.
The firm employs approximately 38 known individuals across outside sales (architectural, specification, contractor, and distribution sales), quotations, project management, controls applications (including a Photometric Specialist and Lighting Controls and Systems Trainer), and field services. Leadership is held by principals Patrick O'Flaherty (CEO) and Josh Tamietti (President). CJS is a privately held company with no external investors identified, a NEMRA Lighting member, and operates through a mix of direct field engagement and digital channels (website, Lighting Exchange portal, and brand social profiles).
CJS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CJS
- Legal name
- CJS Lighting
- Website
- https://cjslighting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CJS Lighting is a Northern California and Northern Nevada manufacturers' representative firm, founded in 1974, representing 129 lighting manufacturers across architectural, commercial, controls, and power-and-technology product categories. The firm serves architects, engineers, contractors, distributors, and building owners through a commission-based, distributor-mediated model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CJS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Lighting Distribution & Manufacturing Representation
- NAICS
- Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)
- SIC
- Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Street Lighting & Area Lighting EPC / Maintenance (EUAEACAH)
Keywords
Where CJS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Roseville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CJS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Manufacturer Representative Commissions: CJS Lighting operates as a manufacturers' representative firm, earning commissions on sales of lighting products and systems sourced through their distributor network. The company does not carry inventory and works exclusively through distribution channel partners to deliver products to architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B quotation-based pricing — no public pricing available |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
CJS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CJS is a commercial lighting manufacturer's representative agency that aggregates 129 lighting manufacturers and over 16,742 product SKUs, providing specification, distribution, and post-sale support of architectural lighting fixtures, lighting controls, and power/technology solutions across Northern California and Northern Nevada. The firm supplements product representation with on-site services such as pre-construction consultation, job startup assistance, training, and CALCTP-certified Title 24 acceptance testing for code compliance.
Product overview
CJS Lighting is a manufacturers' representative firm (not a product manufacturer) serving Northern California and Northern Nevada since 1974. Their offering is a portfolio of lighting solutions from 129 manufacturer partners, organized around three core divisions: (1) Core Lighting Products accessed through their Line Card, featuring architectural and commercial luminaires from manufacturers like Gotham Lighting, Peerless, Eureka, and Hydrel; (2) Lighting Controls including the nLight platform and SensorSwitch for networked and code-compliant control; and (3) Power & Technology covering EV charging, exit/emergency systems, and electrical infrastructure. Supporting services include on-site pre-con/start-up/training, CALCTP Title 24 acceptance testing, and professional education courses. The company connects architects, engineers, contractors, and distributors to manufacturer products through their distributor network, operating only with Industry Sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Commercial Lighting Fixture Line Card Aggregated portfolio of architectural, commercial, and industrial lighting fixtures represented from 129 manufacturers, sold to architects, engineers, contractors, distributors, and building owners across Northern California and Northern Nevada.
- Lighting Controls Solutions (nLight and SensorSwitch) Represented lighting controls product portfolio covering networked lighting control platforms (nLight) and occupancy sensor product lines (SensorSwitch), with specification and on-site support provided to designers, contractors, and owners.
- On-Site Lighting Services Professional on-site services including pre-construction consultation, project startup assistance, jobsite training, and field support provided to architects, contractors, distributors, and owners across the project lifecycle.
- CALCTP Title 24 Acceptance Testing Certified acceptance testing service for California Title 24 lighting controls compliance, performed by CALCTP-trained technicians and provided to contractors, owners, and building officials on commercial projects.
- Power and Technology Solutions Represented power, technology, and EV charging solutions offered alongside the lighting portfolio to specifiers, contractors, and owners developing commercial buildings and infrastructure.
- Continuing Education and Training Programs Continuing education and training programs delivered to lighting industry professionals covering topics including circadian lighting and WELL Building Standard, offered to specifiers, contractors, and distributor audiences.
Companies that use CJS
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CJS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CJS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Acuity Brands (including Lithonia Lighting, nLight, SensorSwitch, Juno, and related brands)coreCJS Lighting serves as a manufacturer's representative for Acuity Brands and its portfolio of lighting and controls brands. Key represented brands include Lithonia Lighting, nLight (lighting controls platform), SensorSwitch, and Juno. The partnership involves representing these products to architects, engineers, contractors, and distributors across the Northern California and Nevada territories.
- Eureka LightingcoreCJS Lighting represents Eureka Lighting (architectural lighting fixtures) in their product portfolio, featured as a manufacturer highlight on their Line Card.
- Prudential LtgcoreCJS Lighting represents Prudential Ltg (architectural linear and cylindrical lighting) in their product portfolio, with featured products including the BionicPro series and NanoCove.
- Gotham LightingcoreCJS Lighting represents Gotham Lighting (architectural lighting) as part of their manufacturer lineup.
- HydrelcoreCJS Lighting represents Hydrel (outdoor/architectural lighting, SAF Family) in their manufacturer portfolio, featured on the homepage as a key brand.
- Peerless LightingcoreCJS Lighting represents Peerless Lighting (architectural interior lighting) as part of their product portfolio, featuring products such as the Celeste Pendant.
- Mark Architectural LightingcoreCJS Lighting represents Mark Architectural Lighting in their portfolio, featuring products including the Custom Recessed Cylinder.
- Targetti USAcoreCJS Lighting represents Targetti USA (Italian architectural lighting manufacturer) in their product portfolio, with featured products including the STILO WALL series, DURATAPE COB, and DURAFLEX NOTTE neon linear series.
- VC&C (Visual Comfort & Co.)coreCJS Lighting represents VC&C across multiple collections including Modern Collection, Generation Lighting, Landscape Collection, and Fan Collection, featuring products such as the Aspen outdoor wall sconce and Stagger Large Wall Sconce.
- NightingalecoreCJS Lighting represents Nightingale (healthcare lighting specialist) in their portfolio, featuring the Embrace overbed luminaire designed for healthcare environments.
- NEMRA (National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association)coreCJS Lighting is a proud member of NEMRA Lighting, the national trade association for electrical manufacturers' representatives in the lighting industry. This membership provides industry advocacy, education (NEMRA Lighting Stepped Educational Curriculum), and networking within the lighting rep community.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CJS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sonepar USA: Sonepar USA is one of the largest electrical distribution networks in North America with deep California/Nevada coverage. Both CJS and Sonepar serve the same architects, engineers, and contractors, though Sonepar carries inventory whereas CJS works through distributors on a commission basis.
- Rexel USA: Rexel USA operates a multi-branch electrical distribution network across the Western US including Northern California and Nevada. Like CJS it focuses on lighting and controls channels serving commercial construction, but as a stocking distributor rather than a manufacturers' representative.
- Graybar Electric Company: Graybar is a major national electrical, lighting, and communications distributor serving the same architect/specifier/contractor ecosystem as CJS. Overlap is in commercial lighting distribution across the West Coast, though Graybar owns inventory and CJS earns manufacturer commissions.
- Acuity Brands: Acuity Brands is CJS's anchor manufacturing partner (Lithonia Lighting, nLight, SensorSwitch, Juno, Gotham, Mark Architectural, Peerless, Hydrel, Eureka, etc.) and the dominant North American lighting manufacturer. While not a competitor to CJS, it is the principal principal-counterparty shaping CJS's revenue and capability.
- Hubbell Incorporated: Hubbell is a major electrical and lighting products manufacturer whose lighting and controls lines compete alongside Acuity Brands' portfolio represented by CJS. Comparable as a broad lighting-industry incumbent whose products flow through regional rep-and-distributor channels.
- Signify (formerly Philips Lighting): Signify is the global lighting leader (Philips, Color Kinetics, Cooper Lighting Solutions) and one of the largest competitors to Acuity Brands in commercial lighting. Western US specification sales for Signify flow through competing manufacturers' rep agencies versus CJS.
- GE Current, a Daintree company: GE Current is a lighting and IoT solutions manufacturer competing with Acuity nLight in networked lighting controls. Many of CJS's represented controls brands run head-to-head with Current's Daintree platform on California Title 24 projects.
- Legrand North America: Legrand manufactures lighting controls, wiring devices, and data infrastructure with Vantage, Wattstopper, and Finelite lines. Vantage/Legrand controls compete in the same networked lighting specification environments as nLight and SensorSwitch represented by CJS.
- Lutron Electronics: Lutron Electronics is a leading lighting controls manufacturer (RadioRA, Quantum, Vive) that competes directly with nLight/SensorSwitch in California specification projects. Its products also flow through local rep agencies parallel to CJS in Northern California.
Regional players
- Border States Electric: Border States Electric is a regional, employee-owned electrical distributor with strong Western US footprint including California and Nevada. It operates as a distributor serving many of the same electrical contractors and commercial accounts CJS supports through rep activities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CJS social profiles
Digital presenceCJS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CJS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
CJS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CJS 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 CJS
What does CJS do?
CJS is a commercial lighting manufacturer's representative agency that aggregates 129 lighting manufacturers and over 16,742 product SKUs, providing specification, distribution, and post-sale support of architectural lighting fixtures, lighting controls, and power/technology solutions across Northern California and Northern Nevada. The firm supplements product representation with on-site services such as pre-construction consultation, job startup assistance, training, and CALCTP-certified Title 24 acceptance testing for code compliance.
Is CJS a public or private company?
CJS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CJS founded?
CJS was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CJS based?
CJS is headquartered in Roseville, United States, in the North America region.
How does CJS make money?
One revenue line is on record: manufacturer Representative Commissions.
Who are CJS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sonepar USA, Rexel USA, Graybar Electric Company, Acuity Brands, Hubbell Incorporated, Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), GE Current, a Daintree company, Legrand North America and Lutron Electronics. Border States Electric is listed as a regional player.
Does CJS have an API?
No public API is recorded for CJS.
What industry is CJS in?
CJS's product category is Lighting Distribution & Manufacturing Representation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAIAG, Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination), with a secondary code of EUAEACAH, Street Lighting & Area Lighting EPC / Maintenance. Its NAICS code is 33513 and its SIC code is 3640.