March 6, 2025
Touché Lighting Control Files for Bankruptcy
Lighting agents, suppliers and distributors left unpaid as Touché liquidates
First, the unpaid invoices. Then, the layoffs. By the time Touché Lighting Control filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Monday, its fate was already sealed. The Indiana-based manufacturer had been teetering for months, with mounting debts and no viable path forward. Unlike a Chapter 11 restructuring, which might have given Touché a second chance, Chapter 7 means liquidation. The assets will be sold, the doors will close for good, and unsecured creditors will be left hoping for pennies on the dollar.
According to court records, the company lists $2.58 million in liabilities against just $228,000 in assets, leaving little hope for unsecured creditors. Among those left unpaid are financial firms, lighting agents and suppliers — many of whom had already begun bracing for losses after unpaid invoices piled up earlier this year.
Unwired Payments
The bankruptcy filing includes a list of lighting-related creditors ranging from lighting sales agencies, components providers and distributors. Some were owed tens of thousands of dollars in commissions, while others had supplied materials or products with no payment in return.
Boston-area rep SK & Associates has been especially unlucky with controls lines in recent years, losing Encelium to the Wattstopper acquisition in 2022, being a creditor to Douglas Lighting Controls' bankruptcy in 2023, and now losing Touché to liquidation.
| Creditor | Amount Owed |
|---|---|
| Lightscapes Automation, Warwick, NY | $79,224 |
| Clarus Lighting and Controls, Madison Heights, MI | $39,041 |
| SK & Associates, Canton, MA | $34,391 |
| Legacy Lighting, Austin, TX | $19,009 |
| Commercial Lighting Sales, Elkridge, MD | $13,332 |
| Professional Lighting Services, Indianapolis, IN | $10,860 |
| LightSource LLC, Raleigh, NC | $10,394 |
| LGU Lighting and Controls, Austin, TX | $10,305 |
| Peterson Scharck & Associates, Houston, TX | $9,348 |
| DSI Southwest, Dallas, TX | $5,502 |
| Bell & McCoy Lighting and Controls, Houston, TX | $5,359 |
| Sensorworx, Wallingford, CT | $3,795 |
| Pro-Tech Lighting and Controls, Troy, MI | $2,712 |
| KSS*, Austin, TX | $2,245 |
| Curits Stout Inc, Little Rock, AR | $2,000 |
| Digi Key Corp, Thief River Falls, MN | $1,420 |
| Ripple Associates, Altamonte Springs, FL | $1,171 |
| 2M Lighting and Controls, San Antonio, TX | $941 |
| Graybar, Chicago, IL | $533 |
| JJM Associates Inc, Richmond, VA | Not disclosed |
*KSS is listed with an Texas address, but we believe it refers to California-based lighting agent, Kirk Sommer Sales
Beyond these industry creditors, the largest secured claims are held by Lake City Bank ($1.48 million) and the U.S. Small Business Administration ($479,000). Among the other creditors is Touché’s own president, Michael Picco, listed as being owed more than $14,000.
A Collapse Many Months in the Making
Ernest Hemingway once described bankruptcy as unfolding in two phases: Gradually, then suddenly. Touché’s unraveling followed a similar trajectory. The company had warned sales agents as early as September 2024 that it faced serious financial difficulties. By January 24, it had laid off nearly all employees with little notice, shipping out product orders even as its internal operations ground to a halt.
At the time, sources indicated that Touché had been searching for a buyer. The bankruptcy filing suggests those efforts failed—or never fully materialized.
Unanswered Questions for Customers and Reps
While the legal process unfolds, a more immediate concern lingers: What happens to customers who purchased Touché products or prepaid for services? The company had reportedly collected at least $47,000 in prepaid commissioning fees, including for two church projects now left in limbo. Some distributors had also reportedly paid for extended warranties — warranties that now seem unlikely to be honored.
For sales agencies, the filing is another blow in an already difficult market. Many are owed unpaid commissions, with one New York firm, Lightscapes Automation, reporting losses of approximately $80,000.
With Touché now in liquidation, attention will turn to the sale of its assets. The company’s wired lighting control technology could still hold value to a buyer, but given the financial state of the business, creditors shouldn't expect much.
For now, what’s certain is this: Touché’s collapse is final, but its former customers, reps, and creditors will be untangling the aftermath for some time.
