California Lighting Sales

What California Lighting Sales does

California Lighting Sales (CLS), founded in 1967 and headquartered in Ontario, California, is a privately held manufacturer's representative agency for commercial and architectural lighting and controls. The firm represents 108+ independent lighting manufacturers, offering architects, lighting designers, interior designers, engineers, contractors, and facility managers access to what the company characterizes as an unequaled product selection across fixtures, controls, illuminated furniture, bollards, artificial skylights, and AIoT-enabled smart lighting systems (e.g., CoeLux, Xicato, Lumos Controls, BL Lighting, Finelite, Starfire, Bullard Collection, Leviton). The company complements its line card with complimentary technical services including point-by-point photometric studies, lighting analysis software (AGi32, Lumen Micro, Visual, Revit), payback calculators, and rebate support, structured to influence specification decisions during the design phase of commercial, hospitality, healthcare, education, and government projects.

CLS operates a field-led go-to-market model: roughly 50 factory-trained specification sales reps are deployed across seven (and now nine) Southern California counties—Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, plus San Diego and Imperial—a region of nearly 20 million people. A parallel contractor distributor sales team, led by Principal Michael David, handles procurement and pricing for installation contractors. The firm maintains active affiliations with IIDA, DLF, and AIA chapters and previously supplied IESNA Los Angeles Section leadership, embedding it in the regional design community.

Economically, CLS earns manufacturer representative commissions on product sales flowing through its specification and contractor channels; the company does not publicly disclose commission rates, project values, or financial results. In 2026 it transitioned to its fourth generation of ownership ("CLS 4.0") under principals Dave Klevens (MFA, UC San Diego; ex-Walt Disney Imagineering), Michael David (ex-Tahoe Donner Association), and David Burandt (Cal State Fullerton), each with 17+ years at the firm. Revenue is structurally dependent on Southern California non-residential construction cycles and on the firm's ability to retain and onboard independent lighting brands before competing rep agencies.

Name

California Lighting Sales

Legal name

California Lighting Sales

Website

https://californialightingsales.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

California Lighting Sales is a Southern California manufacturer's representative agency, founded in 1967, representing 108+ lighting and controls manufacturers to architects, designers, and contractors across nine counties. It earns commissions by providing field sales, photometric support, and technical services that drive product specification on commercial projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Lighting Sales Representation

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Lighting manufacturer representative
• Commercial lighting agency
• Lighting controls distribution
• Architectural lighting sales
• Specification lighting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Manufacturer Representative Commissions: As a manufacturer representative agency, California Lighting Sales generates revenue through commissions from lighting and controls manufacturers whose products they represent and sell through their network of specification and contractor sales channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

California Lighting Sales (CLS) is a manufacturer representative agency founded in 1967 that represents over 108 lighting and controls manufacturer lines across California. The agency provides outsourced field sales, specification support, and project assistance to architects, lighting designers, electrical contractors, distributors, and facility managers in the commercial lighting market, acting as the regional sales arm for the manufacturers it represents.

Product overview

California Lighting Sales (CLS) is a lighting sales representative agency founded in 1967, representing 113+ innovative, high-quality independent lighting manufacturers. The company offers an unequaled selection of lighting fixtures and control systems combined with superior lighting expertise, serving architects, lighting designers, interior designers, engineers, and contractors across commercial, hospitality, and residential sectors in Southern California. Their portfolio includes diverse product lines such as CoeLux artificial skylights, Lumos Controls smart lighting systems, Bullard Collection outdoor and illuminated furniture, BL Lighting linear systems, Finelite high-performance lighting, Starfire architectural linear lighting, Xicato AIoT track systems, Lumetta customizable pendants with Lumenate technology, Uplight Group designer collections, Metalumen Rail Wet Series for exterior applications, Eclipse Lighting pendants, Leviton control systems, and SSL quick-ship products. CLS provides complimentary application assistance, photometric studies, technical support with software tools (AGi32, AutoCAD, Revit, eLumen), and quote request services to support the design community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lighting and Controls Manufacturer Representation Outsourced regional sales representation services for 108+ lighting and lighting controls manufacturers, providing field sales coverage, specification support, quotation assistance, and project coordination to architects, lighting designers, electrical contractors, distributors, and facility managers across California. CLS acts as the manufacturers' local sales arm in the territory.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customer testimonial indicates 20+ year working relationships and ongoing successful project partnerships
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AYO LightingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 December 2025California Lighting Sales announced its representation of AYO Lighting throughout Southern California in December 2025. The partnership unites two homegrown companies sharing passion for innovation and the distinctive California aesthetic. AYO Lighting is known for audacious approach to lighting form with meticulous engineering and superior build quality, offering sculptural statement fixtures that command attention.
• Bullard CollectioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023California Lighting Sales announced its partnership with Bullard Collection in July 2023. Bullard Collection is a leading manufacturer of premium lighting solutions including illuminated furniture, bollards, outdoor lighting, and solar lighting. The partnership expanded CLS's offerings in innovative solutions for both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Lightology: Online-first architectural lighting retailer serving designers, specifiers, and consumers. While not a rep agency, it competes for specification-mindshare with digital tools and direct-ship capabilities that could complement or substitute for traditional rep relationships, particularly for younger/tech-forward designers.
• YLighting: Online architectural lighting retailer (now part of Visual Comfort & Co.). Targets design professionals with curated lines, potentially overlapping with the specifier customers CLS serves; represents the digital direct-to-designer model that could evolve into a structural alternative to independent reps.

Direct peers

• Lighting One: A consortium/network of independent lighting representative agencies across North America. Lighting One members share best practices and aggregate scale advantages, competing against agencies like CLS in regional markets for manufacturer representation rights and specifier mindshare.
• C.W. Cole & Associates: Independent lighting and controls manufacturer's representative agency serving architects, designers, and contractors across multiple U.S. territories. Operates the same manufacturer-rep business model as California Lighting Sales, with field-based specification sales and complementary technical services.

Others

• Lutron Electronics: Dominant lighting controls manufacturer; one of the most important brands flowing through the CLS line card. Lutron's mix of direct sales, online tools, and rep relationships means it is both a critical partner and a structural force that shapes the rep-agency business model.
• Signify (Philips Lighting): World's largest lighting company (Philips, Color Kinetics, Interact). Maintains extensive rep-agency partnerships globally while also investing in direct online configurators and BIM tools; represents both a partner relationship for CLS and a structural force in lighting distribution.
• Acuity Brands: Leading North American lighting, controls, and lighting-as-a-service manufacturer. Many of its product families (and those of acquired brands) flow through rep agencies like CLS; Acuity's direct specification programs and digital tools both enable and threaten the independent rep channel.

Broad incumbents

• Sonepar North America: World's largest electrical distribution company with operations across the U.S. including California. Provides lighting products to commercial and industrial customers through branch networks, competing for the same specifier/contractor channel as independent lighting reps.
• Rexel USA: U.S. arm of global electrical products distributor Rexel Group. Serves electrical contractors and commercial/industrial customers with lighting as a key category. Far larger scale than CLS but competes for the same contractor-driven downstream demand.
• Graybar Electric Company: Large North American electrical and lighting distributor serving contractors, industrial customers, and commercial accounts. Provides full-line lighting and controls products with substantial technical support, representing the channel alternative to independent specification rep agencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/californialightingsales
• Facebookfacebook.com/CaliforniaLightingSales
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-lighting-sales
• Instagraminstagram.com/californialightingsales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Lighting Sales