What Warm Welcome does

Warm Welcome is a Spokane, Washington-based B2B manufacturer of low-voltage heated step treads for commercial vehicles, operating as a brand of Lighthouse International, Ltd. since 1991. The company sells through two core product lines — Step Tread Heaters for Mass Transit (city buses, airport shuttles, passenger trains) and Step Tread Heaters for School Buses — and extends into industrial applications including off-shore oil platforms in the North Sea. Customers include major city transit systems, school districts across the U.S. and Canada, and industrial operators in cold-weather environments.

The core technology is a thin-profile, foil-covered resistive heating element installed between the vehicle's factory step tread and the floor. Each tread operates at 60–75 watts, requires no GFI protection, contains no moving parts, and melts snow and ice without chemicals. The pre-wired design supports both OEM factory installation and after-market retrofit onto existing fleets. Quantified outcomes cited by the company include 60–75 watts per step and no GFI requirement; pricing and unit volumes are not publicly disclosed.

Revenue is generated entirely through one-time hardware sales on a quote-based, multi-year contract model. Distribution combines three motions: direct enterprise field sales to transit authorities, school districts, and fleet operators (via toll-free phone and contact form); OEM-embedded sales through transit and school bus manufacturers that install the heaters at the factory; and an after-market retrofit channel for existing fleets. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with CEO and Founder Bill Dyer as the named leader. There are no external funding rounds, no M&A activity, no active social media presence, and no public pricing or revenue disclosures.

Name

Warm Welcome

Legal name

Lighthouse International, Ltd.

Website

https://warm-welcome.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Warm Welcome is a Spokane, Washington-based manufacturer of low-voltage heated step treads for commercial vehicles, serving mass transit operators and school bus fleets across North America since 1991 via OEM and direct sales channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Vehicle Heating Equipment

NAICS

Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Vehicle Cooling, HVAC & Thermal Management Manufacturing (IMACABAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bus HVAC & Thermal Systems Manufacturing (IMACADAL)

Keywords

• Heated step treads
• Commercial vehicle safety
• Low-voltage heating
• Transit vehicle equipment
• School bus heaters

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Heated Step Tread Hardware Sales: One-time hardware sales of low-voltage heated step treads for commercial vehicles including transit buses, school buses, airport shuttles, and passenger trains. Products are sold directly to fleet operators and through OEM manufacturer channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Warm Welcome manufactures and sells low-voltage heated step treads for commercial vehicles, including mass transit buses, school buses, airport shuttles, and passenger trains. Each heated step tread operates at 60-75 watts using foil-covered heat elements installed between factory step treads and vehicle floors, melting snow and ice without chemicals or moving parts. Products are sold direct to fleet operators and through OEM vehicle manufacturer channels, with after-market retrofit availability.

Product overview

Warm Welcome, a product line of Lighthouse International, Ltd., offers a unified portfolio of low-voltage heated step tread systems for commercial vehicles. The product line consists of two core variants: Step Tread Heaters for Mass Transit and Step Tread Heaters for School Buses. Both products share the same underlying technology—thin-profile, pre-wired heating elements installed between factory treads and vehicle floors—that melt snow and ice without chemicals, requiring no maintenance and operating at 60-75 watts per tread. The mass transit variant targets city buses, shuttles, trains, and airport vehicles, while the school bus variant is available through U.S. and Canadian school bus manufacturers. The company has delivered these products since 1991 and received a 'Best New Product' award in 1997.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Warm Welcome Step Tread Heaters for Mass Transit Low-voltage heated step treads designed for commercial mass transit vehicles including buses, trains, shuttles, and airport vehicles. Installs between factory step treads and vehicle floor, operating at 60-75 watts per tread with pre-wired installation.
• Warm Welcome Step Tread Heaters for School Buses Low-voltage heated step treads specifically designed for school buses to improve passenger safety during winter months by preventing snow and ice accumulation on steps. Available through all U.S. and Canadian school bus manufacturers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60-75 watts per step tread
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Calix: Provides electric engine and cabin heaters for vehicles, including EV-focused heating solutions. Comparable to Warm Welcome as a specialist in low-voltage/electric vehicle heating hardware sold primarily through OEM and retrofit channels.
• Hotstart: Manufactures industrial and engine heating solutions including coolant heaters and thermal management for diesel and gas equipment. Comparable to Warm Welcome in its focus on electric resistance heating technology for commercial/industrial engines and equipment, with shared OEM and retrofit distribution patterns.
• Frostex: Manufactures heated step treads and snow/ice melting systems for trucks, buses, and walkways. Most directly comparable to Warm Welcome in product form-factor (low-voltage heated step treads) and customer base (transit and commercial fleets).
• Zerostart: Manufacturer of engine and fluid heaters (block heaters, coolant heaters, battery warmers) for heavy-duty trucks, buses, and industrial equipment. Similar niche in electric heating hardware for cold-weather commercial vehicle reliability and safety.
• Hotstart (Kim Hotstart): Supplies engine and equipment heating solutions for locomotives, marine, and industrial vehicles. Overlaps with Warm Welcome in providing low-voltage electric heating for commercial/industrial vehicles and walkways operating in cold environments.
• Phillips & Temro Industries: Designs and manufactures cold-weather and climate-control solutions for commercial vehicles, including Idle Free systems, coolant heaters, and related thermal management. Overlaps directly with Warm Welcome in providing cold-weather safety and comfort hardware to transit, school bus, and heavy-duty fleet operators.
• Proheat: Supplies engine pre-heaters and cab heating systems for trucks, buses, and off-highway equipment. Targets the same commercial-vehicle cold-weather reliability and operator-comfort use cases as Warm Welcome's step treads.

Emerging players

• Ruffneck: Manufactures explosion-proof and industrial electric heaters for harsh environments including oil platforms and industrial facilities. Comparable to Warm Welcome's industrial/off-shore use case in industrial-grade electric heating technology.

Broad incumbents

• Eberspächer: Major Tier-1 supplier of vehicle heating and air-conditioning systems for buses, coaches, and commercial vehicles. Its bus HVAC and auxiliary heater lines directly compete with Warm Welcome for cold-weather thermal content on transit and school bus OEMs.
• Webasto: Global automotive supplier of heating, cooling, and roof systems for passenger and commercial vehicles. While much broader in scope, Webasto's commercial-vehicle heating portfolio (parking heaters, coolant heaters, auxiliary heaters) competes for the same OEM thermal-content wallet as Warm Welcome's step heaters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Warm Welcome