April 11, 2025
Chicago Lightworks Deal Sets Changes In Motion
CLW expands into Indiana, acquires Techlite, and temporarily takes on Michigan
In today’s lighting landscape, lighting agent territory lines are more fluid than ever. Agencies still build brands, relationships, and specifications over decades within their home markets — but in fragmented local markets, the fastest path to agency growth often comes through geographic expansion. The recent moves involving Chicago Lightworks, Techlite Corporation, and Signify’s Genlyte Solutions are a clear reminder: in this business, the map doesn’t always stay fixed. And sometimes it gets redrawn in ways few saw coming.
Chicago Lightworks (CLW), a respected independent agency based in suburban Chicago, has expanded beyond its traditional Northern Illinois footprint, acquiring Techlite Corporation of Fishers, Indiana, and establishing a new sister company — Indiana Lightworks — that will represent Signify’s Genlyte Solutions across most of Indiana effective April 15.
At the same time, Chicago Lightworks is temporarily stepping in to represent Genlyte Solutions in Michigan — an unusual interim role triggered by a sudden change in that market involving Wizard Lighting.
THE MOVING PARTS
- Chicago Lightworks has acquired Techlite Corporation to form Indiana Lightworks — a new agency now representing Genlyte Solutions across most of Indiana.
- Techlite's existing team — along with its architectural lines — seem to be transitioning into Indiana Lightworks
- Professional Lighting Services (PLS) parts ways with Genlyte Solutions and is left without a large anchor factory at the moment
- Chicago Lightworks has also been named interim Genlyte Solutions representative for the state of Michigan — stepping in after Wizard Lighting’s recent exit.
- After resigning from Genlyte Solutions on March 31, Wizard Lighting was not afforded a typical 30- or 90-day transition period to wind down and transition its Genlyte business
Steady Growth, Strategic Expansion
For Julie Blankenheim, Mike Nykaza and Erin Murphy, Principals of Chicago Lightworks, the Indiana move reflects a growth strategy years in the making. Nykaza took the lead on this Indiana expansion.
We recently caught up with Blankenheim who shared, “We have been working on our growth strategy for some time and the opportunity to expand to Indiana was a move we could not pass up."
Indiana Lightworks will pair Chicago Lightworks' operational strengths with Techlite’s local relationships and specification expertise. Techlite has represented architectural lighting brands like B-K Lighting, ERCO, and Specialty Lighting Industries for over 20 years — alongside familiar general lighting brands in earlier eras 20+ years ago, including Juno Lighting and GE Lighting Systems.
Blankenheim brings her own depth of industry experience to the table. Before founding Chicago Lightworks in 2017, she worked in lighting design and later led the factory-direct specification sales team for Philips/Lightolier in Elk Grove Village, Illinois — just prior to the Philips Lighting spinoff to Signify. That combination of design pedigree and factory sales management shapes her agency’s approach.
“We will be building a team at Indiana Lightworks; however, there is already a strong group of people and leaders in place that we are confident will be creative and strategic to execute growth,” Blankenheim said.
She added that while some Chicago Lightworks relationships may carry over, “Chicago and Indiana have different needs and our customers’ needs will be our number one priority when forming our line card.”
PLS Left Without Anchor Line
For Professional Lighting Services (PLS), the Indiana realignment means losing Genlyte Solutions — a significant change for an agency that is now left with 82 independent manufacturers. The new line card may provide some flexibility in specification writing — but now operates without a large anchor manufacturer for general lighting-driven projects.
It’s a familiar scenario for PLS, which years ago was replaced as Genlyte’s rep in Kentucky by Lightspec.
Michigan: An Unusual Interim Arrangement
Perhaps the most surprising development comes north of the Indiana border.
With Wizard Lighting exiting its Genlyte Solutions representation to take on Current Lighting’s HLI and GLI brands beginning June 1, Signify found itself without a long-term Michigan agency. And unlike many rep transitions that include a 30- or 90-day wind-down period, Wizard’s resignation has turned into an immediate end of relationship.
That’s not typical.
Rep contracts often build in transition windows to allow time for quotes, orders, and project continuity. In this case, there was no sunset period — Wizard is out, and Chicago Lightworks is in — for the time being.
While uncommon, the move suggests a possible falling out with Wizard or signals that Genlyte may already have a long-term replacement plan. As noted in Inside Lighting’s recent coverage — including tongue-in-cheek “1:20 DraftKings odds” published March 31 — Michigan Lighting Systems (MLS), recently terminated by Current Lighting, appears to be the frontrunner to represent Genlyte once its contractual obligations with Current are fulfilled.
For now, Chicago Lightworks is managing Genlyte Solutions orders and quotes in Michigan — a short-term solution in a market suddenly in motion.
An Agency Growing On Its Own Terms
Chicago Lightworks' move into Indiana mirrors a broader trend playing out across several Genlyte Solutions territories — from the Southeast U.S. to the Pacific Northwest to the Ohio Valley. As Genlyte's agent footprint gets geographically broader, its list of agency partners is getting shorter. The result is deeper, more strategic relationships between manufacturer and rep — a shift away from the highly fragmented agent territory maps of the past.
It’s a model built on trust, scale, and alignment — and Chicago Lightworks now finds itself part of that evolving playbook.
As Blankenheim put it: “We plan on using our core strengths and values that have been extremely grounded and successful in Chicago to grow our team in Indiana. We are ambitious and optimistic for the future.”
