March 23, 2026
Nova Flex Acquired By Environmental Lights
Move enhances access to specifiers, agents and repeatable commercial projects
Environmental Lights has acquired Nova Flex, adding a specification-oriented linear lighting brand to its growing portfolio. At first glance, it reads like a straightforward expansion. Look closer, and it’s a meeting of two companies fluent in the same technology, but speaking to entirely different audiences.
Environmental Lights, founded in 2006 and based in San Diego, has built its reputation in the project trenches. The company thrives in retail displays, entertainment environments, and exhibit lighting, where customization and speed matter as much as performance. Its go-to-market strategy leans heavily on direct relationships and e-commerce, often engaging early in the design and engineering process. For many Lighting People, it’s the partner you call when the brief is still fluid and the installation is anything but standard.
Nova Flex, by contrast, operates with a different rhythm. The Minnesota-based company is well established in the specification-grade linear lighting world, working closely with agents, specifiers, and national accounts. Its products are designed for repeatable, architectural applications, and its reputation centers on responsiveness and ease of collaboration. Both companies play heavily in linear LED—tape, neon, and flexible systems—but have built their businesses through different channels.
The Deal
The acquisition closed in February 2026, and terms were not disclosed. Nova Flex will continue operating as an independent brand, with its leadership team — including David Kidd — remaining in place and retaining an ownership stake. Merrimack Group served as M&A advisor to Nova Flex. The company now joins Environmental Lights’ portfolio alongside City Theatrical, acquired in 2023.
On paper, the overlap is obvious. Both companies sell LED strip, neon flex, and linear systems into a market that has become increasingly crowded. But in practice, they occupy different ecosystems.
“Environmental Lights is an excellent strategic and cultural partner for Nova Flex,” said David Kidd, President of Nova Flex. “My goal has always been to build a great lighting company, and this partnership will deliver expanded product breadth for customers while deepening our organization and its technical capabilities, without changing the high levels of service and responsiveness provided to our agents, specifiers, national accounts, and distributors.”
A Platform Taking Shape
This is the second notable move for Environmental Lights in recent years, following its acquisition of City Theatrical, known for entertainment lighting controls and accessories. Taken together, the pieces suggest the early formation of a multi-brand platform spanning entertainment and specification-grade lighting.
The decision to keep brands operating independently points toward a house-of-brands strategy, rather than forced integration — a model that often resonates with professionals wary of diluted identities.
With Nova Flex in the fold, Environmental Lights is positioning itself to move more fluidly across both — without forcing either side to change its language.
