Eaton Corp., the owner of industrial lighting manufacturer Crouse-Hinds, has quietly purchased Ephesus Lighting Inc., a young but growing Syracuse company that makes LED lighting for sports stadiums.

No formal announcement of the acquisition has been made by either company, but Eaton Chairman and CEO Alexander Cutler reported it matter-of-factly deep inside the company's third-quarter earnings report Friday morning.

"We were pleased to acquire Ephesus Lighting in late October," said Cutler. "Ephesus is a leader in LED lighting for stadiums and other high lumen outdoor and industrial applications. Its sales over the last twelve months were $22 million."

Cutler provided no more information about the acquisition. But the Edison Report, a blog that follows the North American lighting industry, said it learned from "an insider" that Ephesus will remain in Syracuse and will operate under Eaton's Outdoor and Architectural Group.

Ephesus President Mike Lorenz did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Eaton spokeswoman Ann Marie Halal said the acquisition occurred very recently and that she had no more information to report on it at this time.

Ephesus was founded in 2010 by electrical engineer Joe Casper and his wife, Amy. As of January, it employed approximately 22 people at its offices in Onondaga Tower on East Jefferson Street in downtown Syracuse.

The company designs and markets LED lighting for sports stadiums and arenas. It contracts with Ogdensburg-based Ansen Corp. for its manufacturing.

Ephesus is best known for lighting Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks Feb. 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. It was the first Super Bowl to be illuminated with LED lights.

Ephesus says its lights are 75 percent more energy efficient than the metal halide lights found at most stadiums and provide much fuller illumination, casting fewer shadows. They also have the advantage of being able to be instantly turned on and off because, unlike metal halide lights, they require no warming up.

Eaton's Crouse-Hinds business unit operates a large manufacturing plant at Wolf and 7th North streets. It makes lighting products for harsh and hazardous environments.

 

syracuse.com

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