February 4, 2025
Swaney Lighting Acquired by Exposure in New England
Wicked big news: Swaney joins Exposure, Current moves to Illuminate
Boston-based lighting agent, Exposure Lighting has acquired the assets of Swaney Lighting Associates, a move that consolidates Swaney’s presence in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont under the Exposure umbrella. The newly merged entity will retain and utilize the Swaney Lighting brand in these three states while continuing as Exposure Lighting in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
The acquisition brings together two well-established firms in the region, forming what Exposure describes as the “leading full-line, architectural, and commercial specification-grade lighting and controls agency” in Northern New England. Key leadership from Swaney Lighting, including Shawn Swaney, Rick Lilly, Chris Pechalk, and Stephen Swaney, will remain in place. Approximately a dozen Swaney employees are joining Exposure, bolstering its capabilities in the market.
According to Richard Worthy, owner of ESS/Exposure, “Swaney has great brand recognition, a very strong team, and we believe that combining both our businesses under the Swaney brand will allow us to have 16 highly committed and qualified lighting industry personnel in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, making us significantly larger than the next closest competitor.”
Market Impact: Current Moves to Illuminate in Northern New England
While the Exposure-Swaney deal reshapes Northern New England’s lighting agency landscape, another significant shift is occurring with Current (formerly Hubbell Lighting). The manufacturer is transferring its representation in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont from Swaney Lighting to Illuminate, which already represented Current in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Upstate New York. This completes a full six-state partnership between Illuminate and Current in New England.
For years, Swaney Lighting represented Current in Northern New England, maintaining the relationship despite Current’s long-standing alignment with Illuminate in the southern part of the region. Industry speculation had long suggested that Illuminate, part of Yusen, might eventually acquire Swaney, but instead, Exposure took the lead in bringing Swaney under its umbrella.
Swaney’s Legacy and Strengths
Founded 34 years ago, Swaney Lighting built a loyal customer base, particularly in Maine, where it maintains a strong market presence. Shawn Swaney, known for his endearingly eccentric personality, has an influence that extends beyond what its smaller geographic footprint might suggest.
At one point about 20 years ago, the firm’s Hubbell Lighting sales in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont reportedly exceeded those of the counterpart Hubbell Lighting agent in Queens, New York, in a significantly larger and denser New York City market.
The agency’s personnel and line card made it an favorable acquisition target. Bringing Swaney Lighting’s team and portfolio of manufacturers — including ETC, USAI, and Beta Calco — under the Exposure umbrella enhances the latter’s competitive position.
Exposure’s Positioning in the Market
Exposure Lighting operates a large New England team without representation from any of the “Big 4” major lighting manufacturers: Acuity Brands, Cooper Lighting, Current, and Genlyte Solutions. Instead, the firm has built a business model around writing projects with brands such as LSI Industries and the Legrand lighting and controls portfolio, which includes Focal Point, Kenall, Pinnacle Architectural Lighting, OCL, Finelite and Wattstopper.
Exposure also benefits from its electrical division, ESS, which represents Legrand, Pass & Seymour, and other distributor-focused lines. This cross-industry presence provides strategic advantages that could potentially extend to the lighting side of the business.
The Challenges of Northern New England’s Lighting Market
The Northern New England market coverage presents unique logistical challenges. The three-state territory is roughly equivalent in market size to Oklahoma, but with a more fragmented geography.
Unlike Oklahoma, where the bulk of lighting business is concentrated in metro Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Northern New England requires coverage of a dispersed territory with numerous small population centers.
- Manchester, New Hampshire, the largest city in the region, has a population of only 116,000.
- Few other cities exceed 70,000 residents, making account coverage complex and resource-intensive.
- Reps must navigate winding, sometimes icy roads to serve communities such as Burlington, Vermont; Portland, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Rutland, Vermont.
This geographical complexity makes agency representation in the region particularly costly and inefficient, demanding strong customer relationships and operational agility.
New England’s Lighting Landscape
New England’s lighting market remains highly competitive, with major manufacturers structuring their representation in varied ways:
- Acuity Brands treats the region as three distinct territories:
- Boston Light Source (Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island)
- Lighting Affiliates (Connecticut and Western Mass.)
- Visible Light (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont)
- In late 2022, Cooper Lighting completed its New England consolidation under Reflex Lighting Group for the entire region.
- Current’s 2025 transition to Illuminate in Northern New England aligns with industry-wide trends of consolidation and streamlined representation.
- Apex Lighting was the first pure-play lighting rep to cast a 6-state New England footprint as it partnered with Philips/Genlyte, now Genlyte Solutions, across the region approximately 15 years ago.
The acquisition of Swaney Lighting by Exposure Lighting marks a significant restructuring of Northern New England’s lighting agency landscape. The move strengthens Exposure’s position in the region while preserving the well-established Swaney Lighting brand in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Meanwhile, Current’s transition to Illuminate completes another regional consolidation, further shaping the competitive environment in New England.