March 29, 2025
5 Things to Know: March 29
The IES makes its presence felt in Atlanta. Plus, here’s what to know as Acuity’s earnings call approaches.
Here's a roundup of some of the week's happenings curated to help lighting people stay informed.
1. Atlanta Lighting People Hobnob with IES Leadership
It was a Thursday night at the Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern in Atlanta, and the city’s lighting community found itself at the center of something bigger. The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), in town for its Regional Membership Council and Board meetings, wasn’t just content with closed-door discussions. Instead, they did what Colleen Harper, the society’s CEO and Executive Director, says they always strive for: they embedded themselves in the local lighting scene to connect with members.
The IES Atlanta Section played host to a gathering of national leadership, staff, and volunteers — a mix of familiar faces and a few notable returns. Among them was Cheryl English, the now-retired Acuity executive and past IES president, whose presence highlighted the lasting ties between the society and its longtime leaders.
Above L to R: IES Vice President, Jared Smith; IES Immediate Past President, Billy Tubb; IES President, Wilson Dau; IES CEO & Executive Director, Colleen Harper; IES Past President, Cheryl English; Regular 'ol IES member and guy who snuck into the photo, Al Uszynski.
Society President, Wilson Dau, reflecting on the night, pointed out that this isn’t a one-off effort. Last fall, during IES meetings in Vancouver, they wove themselves into the local lighting scene there too, attending the section’s annual Vision Awards. It’s a pattern: wherever the IES convenes, they make it a point to connect with section members.
For Atlanta’s lighting people, the event offered something rare — a chance to engage directly with the leadership and decision-makers shaping the society’s future. And in a field where connections matter as much as technical expertise, that’s not a small thing.
2 . Acuity Inc. Q2 Earnings: 3 Key Factors to Watch
Acuity Inc. (formerly Acuity Brands) will report its fiscal Q2 earnings on Thursday, April 3, with several shifts, internal and external, shaping expectations.
- Analyst Revisions – Tim Wojs of Robert W. Baird & Co. lowered his price target for Acuity from $340 to $310, maintaining a Neutral rating. Joseph O’Dea of Wells Fargo Securities cut his target from $336 to $290, also keeping an Equal Weight rating. Both revisions seem to be a reaction to macro pressures and recent share price movement — Acuity is down 10% in 2025 but only after reaching an all-time high in January. These adjustments reflect recalibration, not retreat, as analysts maintain stable outlooks on fundamentals. With Acuity stock hovering around $262, both revised numbers indicate significant upside.
- New Reporting Impact: AIS Makes Its Debut – This quarter marks the first time Acuity will report results from its rebranded Acuity Intelligent Spaces (AIS) division, formerly ISG, which now includes QSC. That $1.2 billion acquisition could immediately reshape the company’s business mix. While Intelligent Spaces previously accounted for just 6%–8% of total revenue, it may now represent 15%–20%, as it pulls QSC numbers into quarterly earnings for the first time.
- Tariff Uncertainty – New U.S. tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada are set to take effect April 2, just one day before the earnings call. With seven factories in Mexico, Acuity faces potential cost pressures and sourcing challenges that could ripple into Q3 and beyond. Industry observers will be tuned into CEO Neil Ashe's commentary on the topic of tariff impacts.
Between analyst recalibrations, structural shifts in revenue composition, and geopolitical headwinds, Acuity’s April 3 earnings call won’t just reflect the past quarter—it may set the tone for its next chapter.
3. ULT Shutdown: Two Years Later
Two years after abruptly shutting down Universal Lighting Technologies (ULT) and Douglas Lighting Controls—leaving hundreds of employees blindsided and sparking wrongful termination lawsuits—Atar Capital is being celebrated as 2025’s “Private Equity Firm of the Year” at The M&A Advisor’s Turnaround Awards.
The honor, handed out at M&A Advisor's 2025 Distressed Investing Summit in West Palm Beach, recognizes Atar’s ability to “create value in challenging situations.” It’s the same firm that, in March 2023, pulled funding from Universal Douglas with little warning, initiated a fast-tracked wind-down, and erased all mention of the companies from its website.
To lighting people still grappling with the aftershocks of the ULT shutdown, the optics are hard to ignore. While Atar’s leadership speaks of “operational excellence” and “sustainable growth,” court filings tell a messier story — one involving liquidity crises, $8 million in debt, and a two-month lead-up to closure that employees weren’t told about. As Senior VP Ammar Misto accepted the award and discussed best practices for “value creation,” former employees continued to allege their sudden terminations were not only unjust but financially damaging.
4. New Product Recall Lawsuit
A new lawsuit has been filed against Good Earth Lighting, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, marking another legal challenge tied to the company's massive 2024 recall of rechargeable lights. The case, brought by North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company on behalf of policyholder Gwen R. Beasley, alleges property damage caused by the defective lights. The filing follows a separate class action lawsuit in Illinois, which accuses Good Earth of failing to adequately compensate consumers affected by the recall of more than 1.2 million units due to fire hazards.
The North Carolina lawsuit adds to mounting legal pressure on Good Earth Lighting, which has faced criticism over its handling of the recall. The company, which acknowledged overheating issues with the lithium-ion batteries in its lights, has been accused of providing insufficient refunds and replacement policies that left many consumers without recourse. While the Illinois case focuses on consumer fraud and warranty violations, the North Carolina filing highlights the broader financial and safety risks posed by the defective products.
5. Oregon Legislators Vote to Delay Fluorescent Ban for Schools
The Oregon House of Representatives has approved a bill that would give school districts an extended exemption from the state’s fluorescent lamp ban, citing financial and logistical concerns. House Bill 2307, backed by a group of Republican lawmakers, would allow schools to continue purchasing certain fluorescent lamps until 2030, despite an existing law intended to phase out mercury-containing lighting. The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration.
School officials have made their frustrations clear. "We simply don’t have the funds to swap out every single fixture overnight," one administrator stated in legislative testimony. Another warned that forcing a rapid transition to LEDs could "push already strained budgets to the breaking point." Supporters of the delay argue that while LEDs are the future, schools need time to adapt without diverting resources from core education priorities. Critics, however, question whether delaying the inevitable will ultimately cost taxpayers more in the long run.
