Pacific Lighting Systems
Pacific Lighting Systems is a Pacific Northwest manufacturer representative firm for commercial lighting and controls brands, operating through West and East Washington offices and serving contractors, distributors, and specification buyers with sales, design, and SimplSubmtl documentation services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersKent, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Pacific Lighting Systems does
Pacific Lighting Systems (PLS) is a privately held manufacturer representative network headquartered across two offices in Kent, WA (West team) and Spokane Valley, WA (East team), serving the Pacific Northwest commercial lighting market. The company represents multiple premium lighting fixture and controls manufacturers — including Nuura, Louis Poulsen, and NeO — and earns commissions by providing sales coverage, technical support, quotations, and project management to contractors, electrical distributors, and specification buyers across commercial construction projects.
PLS's core proprietary offering is SimplSubmtl (Simplified Submittal), a documentation platform launched in 2025 that consolidates lighting controls shop drawings, RFIs, exclusions, switch schedules, network maps, and quick-link references onto a small set of standardized, navigable pages. The platform works across manufacturer brands, technologies, and local electrical codes, replacing the traditional dozens-of-pages documentation format with a streamlined alternative designed for users of any technical background. Complementing the platform, PLS delivers professional services spanning design assistance, technical expertise, estimating, project management, and field-service programming and startup.
The business operates on a commission-based manufacturer-rep revenue model, supplemented by professional-services revenue tied to project execution. Go-to-market is driven by two direct field sales teams organized by territory, supported by a centralized quotations function, a dedicated controls-specialist group, and project managers who coordinate from quotation through completion. In 2025, following the unexpected passing of founder Seamas Markey, leadership transitioned to Matt Guilfoyle (President, Principal) and Raylyn Gore (Vice President, Principal), with continuity maintained across the 50+ person organization.
Pacific Lighting Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pacific Lighting Systems
- Legal name
- Pacific Lighting Systems
- Website
- https://plswa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pacific Lighting Systems is a Pacific Northwest manufacturer representative firm for commercial lighting and controls brands, operating through West and East Washington offices and serving contractors, distributors, and specification buyers with sales, design, and SimplSubmtl documentation services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pacific Lighting Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Lighting Manufacturing Representation
- NAICS
- Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132)
- SIC
- Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial & Commercial Luminaires (High-bay, Low-bay, Troffers, Downlights) (IMAGAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)
Keywords
Where Pacific Lighting Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kent
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pacific Lighting Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Manufacturer Representative Commissions: PLS operates as a manufacturer representative firm earning commissions from the lighting and controls manufacturers they represent. They provide sales, technical support, quotations, and project management services to contractors, distributors, and specification buyers in the Pacific Northwest.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Pacific Lighting Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pacific Lighting Systems (PLS) is a manufacturer representative firm for commercial lighting fixtures and controls in the Pacific Northwest. The company represents multiple world-class lighting and controls manufacturers, providing sales, technical support, quotations, design assistance, estimating, and project management services to contractors, distributors, and specification buyers across two territorial divisions (Western and Eastern Washington).
Product overview
Pacific Lighting Systems (PLS) operates as a manufacturer representative network for lighting fixtures and controls in the Pacific Northwest, offering a unified portfolio centered around their SimplSubmtl (Simplified Submittal) platform. This core product revolutionizes lighting control documentation by consolidating shop drawings, sequence of operations tables, network maps, and wiring diagrams into streamlined, accessible formats. PLS complements their technology platform with comprehensive services including design assistance, technical expertise, estimating, project management, and field service programming—serving as a trusted resource across both Western (Kent, WA) and Eastern (Spokane Valley, WA) territories for channel partners, contractors, and specifiers seeking lighting and control solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SimplSubmtl (Simplified Submittal) Controls Platform Revolutionary lighting control shop drawing platform that consolidates technical documentation including RFIs, exclusions, project control notes, QR codes, switch schedules, and fixture information onto single, easily navigable pages, making lighting controls accessible to users of any technical background.
- Design Assistance Services Expert design support for lighting and control systems, helping clients find the right product for unique applications, provided to contractors, distributors, and specifiers in the Pacific Northwest.
- Technical Expertise Services Technical consulting services for lighting control systems including installation guidance and troubleshooting support for channel partners across PLS territories.
- Estimating Services Project cost estimation for lighting and control systems, including job costing and pricing negotiations with manufacturers on behalf of contractors and distributors.
- Project Management Services Comprehensive project coordination from quotation through project completion, including pricing issue resolution and coordination with manufacturers for commercial lighting and controls projects.
- Programming and Startup Services Field service for programming and startup of lighting control systems, including remote support, diagnostics, and training for contractors and end-users.
Companies that use Pacific Lighting Systems
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pacific Lighting Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Pacific Lighting Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NuuracorePLS represents Nuura lighting products in their territories. Nuura is a Scandinavian lighting brand featuring hand-blown glass fixtures designed by artists like Sofie Refer, including the Anoli 13 chandelier collection.
- Louis PoulsencorePLS represents Louis Poulsen, a renowned Danish lighting manufacturer known for architectural lighting fixtures including the Flindt Bollard product line.
- Great Plains Foundation / Solar MamasminorThe Markey family and PLS support the Solar Mamas initiative through donations. The Prudential Lighting Agency network funded 368 homes under the Dylan Michael Ellis Memorial Solar Lighting Project in Botswana, Africa. The program trains Solar Mamas to install solar home lighting systems in rural communities.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Pacific Lighting Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Signify: Global lighting leader (formerly Philips Lighting) offering Philips, Color Kinetics, and Interact controls. Signify is a major represented-manufacturer counterpart for rep firms like PLS and competes with multi-brand rep strategies through direct and consolidator channels.
- Hubbell Lighting: Hubbell’s lighting brands (Spectra, Litecontrol, Columbia) compete in the same specification and commercial construction channels PLS serves, and Hubbell also uses independent rep networks similar to PLS for regional coverage.
- Lutron Electronics: Dominant lighting-controls manufacturer whose specification-grade products (Athena, Quantum, Vive) are central to commercial controls projects PLS services. Lutron sets the documentation standards SimplSubmtl is competing to simplify.
- Leviton: Major lighting-controls manufacturer whose product lines (Lumina RF, GreenMax, Sapphire) are a candidate for the same kind of controls specialization PLS emphasizes, and whose rep network structure mirrors PLS’s go-to-market model.
- Eaton (Cooper Lighting Solutions): Eaton’s Cooper Lighting business (Halo, Metalux, Greengate, WaveLinx controls) operates in the same commercial lighting and controls specification space PLS addresses, and similarly relies on regional rep firms for project coverage.
- Legrand (Wattstopper): Legrand’s Wattstopper and Finelite lines compete in the commercial lighting-controls and fixtures specification market PLS serves, and similarly rely on independent rep firms for regional project coverage.
- Acuity Brands: One of the largest North American lighting and lighting-controls manufacturers. Acuity’s brand portfolio (Lithonia, Gotham, nLight, Distech) is among the line categories PLS represents, making it a key supplier-side counterparty as well as a potential competitor if Acuity pushes direct rep coverage in the PNW.
- Current Lighting (formerly GE Current): Commercial and industrial lighting/controls manufacturer with a strong rep-driven channel and a controls portfolio (Daintree, NX) that overlaps the specification space where PLS differentiates via SimplSubmtl.
Regional players
- Billows Electric Supply: Mid-Atlantic electrical and lighting distributor serving a similar contractor and distributor customer base. While PLS is a rep rather than a distributor, both compete for influence over the same specification-to-procurement workflow in their respective regions.
Direct peers
- Prudential Lighting Agency: Long-standing lighting manufacturer’s representative agency with a similar multi-line, multi-territory rep model. PLS’s own data references the “Prudential Lighting Agency network’’ in connection with its Solar Mamas charitable initiative, indicating they operate within or adjacent to the same national rep network.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pacific Lighting Systems social profiles
Digital presencePacific Lighting Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pacific Lighting Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Pacific Lighting Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pacific Lighting Systems 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 Pacific Lighting Systems
What does Pacific Lighting Systems do?
Pacific Lighting Systems (PLS) is a manufacturer representative firm for commercial lighting fixtures and controls in the Pacific Northwest. The company represents multiple world-class lighting and controls manufacturers, providing sales, technical support, quotations, design assistance, estimating, and project management services to contractors, distributors, and specification buyers across two territorial divisions (Western and Eastern Washington).
Is Pacific Lighting Systems a public or private company?
Pacific Lighting Systems is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Pacific Lighting Systems founded?
Pacific Lighting Systems was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pacific Lighting Systems based?
Pacific Lighting Systems is headquartered in Kent, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pacific Lighting Systems make money?
One revenue line is on record: manufacturer Representative Commissions.
Who are Pacific Lighting Systems's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Signify, Hubbell Lighting, Lutron Electronics, Leviton, Eaton (Cooper Lighting Solutions), Legrand (Wattstopper), Acuity Brands and Current Lighting (formerly GE Current). Billows Electric Supply is listed as a regional player. Prudential Lighting Agency is listed as a direct peer.
Does Pacific Lighting Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pacific Lighting Systems.
What industry is Pacific Lighting Systems in?
Pacific Lighting Systems's product category is Commercial Lighting Manufacturing Representation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAIAA, Industrial & Commercial Luminaires (High-bay, Low-bay, Troffers, Downlights), with a secondary code of BPAHAKAJ, Lighting Design Services. Its NAICS code is 335132 and its SIC code is 3640.