What Experience Brands USA does

Experience Brands USA is a privately held architectural lighting conglomerate headquartered at 427 Hyatt Street in Gaffney, South Carolina, operating as the US sales, distribution, and customer-experience arm for a portfolio of seven established lighting brands: Hess, Griven, and Vulkan for exterior applications, and Lamp, Nordeon Lighting Solutions, Schmitz, and Wila for interior applications. The company manufactures, sources, and supplies specification-grade LED luminaires including bollards, floodlights, in-ground fixtures, linear trunking systems, modular light columns, recessed luminaires, decorative pendants, gobo projectors, effects luminaires, and complementary site furnishings — with proprietary technologies such as the ClickFast tool-free reconfiguration system, Dynamic Wall Wash multi-row LED optics, the LEVO C modular LED column, and RGBW/DMX-controlled color-changing systems.

The business is organized around project specification: architects, lighting designers, and municipal authorities select products from the catalog, quotes are generated through an internal Quotes Manager and Commercial Engineering function, and revenue is realized via a network of more than 75 independent lighting representative agencies covering every US state plus separate networks in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Pricing is quote-based, non-public, and tied to project specifications; revenue is therefore project-driven rather than subscription- or transaction-driven. Supporting services include a Specification Registration platform introduced in November 2023 to manage cross-brand commission allocation, a Product Compliance desk covering Buy American, TAA, and BABAA requirements, a centralized Downloads portal, and the O'Toole Outdoor Gallery Experience, which functions as a hands-on specification showroom.

The company is led by CEO Chris Stockton and reports 19 employees in the United States. Ownership history indicates the entity was previously known as Pantheon Lighting, which is referenced as the operating/imprint entity behind the Experience Brands USA websites. No public ticker, venture capital, or private equity investors are disclosed, and no funding rounds, M&A, or restructuring events are documented in the available data — though the seven sub-brands are characterized as wholly owned acquired brands retained under the Experience Brands umbrella, implying a multi-brand acquisition strategy in the company's history.

Name

Experience Brands USA

Legal name

Experience Brands USA

Website

https://experiencebrandsusa.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Experience Brands USA is a Gaffney, South Carolina-based lighting conglomerate that distributes specification-grade LED luminaires from seven architectural brands (Hess, Griven, Vulkan, Lamp, Nordeon, Schmitz, Wila) through 75+ rep agencies across the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, serving architects, municipalities, and commercial developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Lighting

NAICS

Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (3351)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Area Lighting (Street, Roadway, Parking, Flood, Sports/Architectural exterior) (IMAGAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial & Commercial Luminaires (High-bay, Low-bay, Troffers, Downlights) (IMAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Architectural lighting solutions
• Specification-grade luminaires
• LED lighting manufacturing
• Exterior interior lighting
• Customized lighting design

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaffney

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Luminaire and Lighting Product Sales: Revenue generated from manufacturing and selling specification-grade luminaires across multiple brands (Hess, Griven, Nordeon, Lamp, Wila, Schmitz). Products include exterior lighting (bollards, floodlights, in-grade luminaires, area lighting) and interior lighting (linear systems, decorative fixtures, recessed luminaires). Customized lighting solutions and project-specific configurations contribute to revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Experience Brands USA manufactures and distributes specification-grade architectural luminaires and customized lighting solutions through a multi-brand portfolio of exterior lighting brands (Hess, Griven, Vulkan) and interior lighting brands (Lamp, Nordeon, Schmitz, Wila). Products span bollards, floodlights, in-grade luminaires, linear trunking systems, modular light columns, decorative pendants, recessed fixtures, and gobo projectors. The company serves architects, lighting designers, municipalities, and commercial developers across the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean through a network of 75+ independent lighting representative agencies.

Product overview

Experience Brands USA is a global conglomerate of medium-sized agile production and innovation facilities providing specification-grade luminaires and customized lighting solutions. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio architecture consisting of exterior lighting brands (Hess, Griven, Vulkan) and interior lighting brands (Lamp, Nordeon Lighting Solutions, Schmitz, Wila), all under the Experience Brands umbrella with shared infrastructure and a worldwide distribution network. The core offering is customized lighting solutions delivered through these seven sub-brands, supplemented by services including specification registration, product compliance (Buy American, TAA, BABAA), downloadable content, and the O'Toole Outdoor Gallery Experience for hands-on product exploration. Sample case products span a wide range including bollards (B-Side, Bishop, Sierra, Mosaic, Accadia Asy), floodlights (Capital 100/200, Shot Series, Jupiter), in-ground luminaires (Griven Gea, Ruby Recessed, Ledia Tiles), linear systems (Baldur, Fidenza, Genua, FIL 45, Strong Connect, Parade L4), decorative pendants (Rotonda, Stormbell, Stormbell 80), recessed wall luminaires (Urban 100, Puck XT), gobo projectors (Griven Gobo 80), effects luminaires (Eklipse, Moon RGBW), modular light columns (City Elements 180/230), vapor tight fixtures (Vaportight/NVT1), and wayfinding bollards (Portal Exit, Cento 500), plus custom solutions and global sales representation across the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hess: Exterior architectural lighting including facades, stadiums, convention centers, fairgrounds, and theme park lighting
• Griven
• Nordeon
• Lamp
• Schmitz
• Wila
• Vulkan
• EXP Global

Quantifiable outcome

• Products certified for LEED lighting zones 1-4 and Dark Sky compliant options available
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pantheon LightingcoreOthersAccording to the imprint page, Pantheon Lighting is referenced as the operating company that manages Experience Brands USA websites. The imprint states 'All information found on these Web sites... can be changed or updated without prior notice by Pantheon Lighting (in the following referred to as Company) or any legal successor to EXPERIENCE BRANDS USA.'
• HesscoreOthersHess is an exterior lighting brand under Experience Brands, renowned for architectural lighting including bollards, area lights, and decorative luminaires. Part of the brand portfolio alongside Griven, Vulkan (exterior) and Lamp, Nordeon, Schmitz, Wila (interior).
• GrivencoreOthersGriven is an exterior lighting brand specializing in floodlights and effects luminaires for architectural applications. Key products include Capital series floodlights, Ruby recessed in-grade luminaires, and Moon Wall RGBW color-changing fixtures.
• Nordeon Lighting SolutionscoreOthersNordeon is an interior lighting brand under Experience Brands, offering linear lighting systems including the Strong Connect modular system. Part of the interior lighting portfolio alongside Lamp, Schmitz, and Wila.
• LampcoreOthersLamp is an interior lighting brand specializing in linear luminaires, decorative fixtures, and outdoor floodlights. Products include FIL 45 linear system, Tüb 60 direct/indirect luminaire, and SHOT Series outdoor floodlights.
• WilacoreOthersWila is an interior lighting brand focused on recessed luminaires including the Puck XT system designed for integration into handrail profiles and metallic structures.
• SchmitzcoreOthersSchmitz is an interior lighting brand included in the Experience Brands portfolio for interior lighting applications, complementing Lamp, Nordeon, and Wila brands.
• VulkancoreOthersVulkan is an exterior lighting brand included in the Experience Brands portfolio alongside Hess and Griven, serving the outdoor/architectural lighting market.
• artec3 StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration partner for LAMP Stormbell 80 decorative luminaire shade offerings, contributing to the aesthetic design of interior lighting products.
• OiKo Design OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration partner for LAMP Stormbell 80 decorative luminaire shade offerings, providing creative design input for sustainable lighting solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC22B7uMpOxsQ99wv1Pdugnw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/experience-brands-usa
• Instagraminstagram.com/experiencebrandsusa
• Pinterestpinterest.com/ExperienceBrands/_saved
• TikToktiktok.com/@exp.brands

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries7 records

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 Experience Brands USA