Phoenix Lighting Has Earned Its Next Chapter: Rick Rosser on RIG-A-LITE and the Former Cree Lighting Lines

CEO Rick Rosser sees the combination of Phoenix Lighting, RIG-A-LITE and selected former Cree Lighting product lines as an opportunity to build a stronger American lighting manufacturer.

Rick Rosser, CEO of Phoenix Lighting, has a clear message for the industry: the company’s next chapter is about much more than bringing familiar products back to market.

The acquisition of RIG-A-LITE, followed by an agreement to license selected former Cree Lighting product lines, gives Phoenix a broader offering, additional manufacturing capabilities and an opportunity to introduce itself to customers who may not yet appreciate what it can do.

Rick believes the company is ready for that moment because of the work that preceded it.

“Phoenix has been tremendous and earned the right to grow,” he told me.

That phrase stayed with me. Acquisitions and licensing agreements can create opportunities, but the people inside a business must turn them into something customers can count on. Throughout our conversation, Rick returned to his team, its progress over the past four years and the possibilities now taking shape.

“We’ve been winning and growing,” he said.

For a company he described as something of a well-kept industry secret, Phoenix is preparing to become considerably more visible.

Building a Broader Phoenix

Phoenix fully acquired RIG-A-LITE in May. Rick sees that transaction as a major step in strengthening the company’s position in industrial, harsh-environment and hazardous-location lighting.

Rick explained, “The agreement with BetaLED provides Phoenix with an exclusive license covering selected former Cree Lighting product lines, intellectual property, and technology, along with the right to use associated manufacturing equipment.”

The combination expanded the range of applications the business could address and brought together experienced people from both organizations. Integrating those capabilities was already underway when the opportunity involving selected former Cree Lighting products emerged.

RIG-A-LITE is central to the strategy, and the licensed products add another dimension to a business already moving forward.

“With the combination of RIG-A-LITE,” he explained, “we were able to compete much more broadly across harsh and hazardous and classified-rated products.”

Phoenix is a portfolio company of JMC Capital Partners, whose support Rick credits as part of the company’s development. He and his core team have been with Phoenix for a little more than four years, a period he described with considerable pride.

The next step brings that operating experience together with products and capabilities that complement the company’s established strengths.

The name at the front of the business will remain Phoenix Lighting.

Familiar Products, a New Manufacturing Home

The agreement with BetaLED provides Phoenix with an exclusive license covering selected former Cree Lighting product lines, along with the right to use associated manufacturing equipment.

Rick was careful to distinguish that arrangement from an acquisition of Cree Lighting itself. Phoenix’s work is focused on the products and equipment covered by its agreement and on preparing to manufacture those products within its own operation.

That distinction is useful for customers trying to understand what comes next. This is a Phoenix offering being established through Phoenix’s manufacturing, ordering and distribution processes.

Rick brings relevant experience to that assignment. He previously served as global vice president of operations and supply chain at Cree Lighting, including during its transition to Ideal Industries. Other members of his team also have Cree experience.

That familiarity should be valuable as equipment moves and production processes take shape. The team understands the products’ history while approaching their future within a different operation.

“We love the products,” Rick said, “and the technology that that brings.”

The objective is to put those strengths to work alongside Phoenix and RIG-A-LITE’s capabilities.

Milwaukee and Houston

At the time of our conversation, Rick was speaking from RIG-A-LITE’s Houston facility, where production continued. The manufacturing equipment associated with the licensed product lines is headed to Phoenix’s Milwaukee operation.

Rick sees an advantage in the scale of that facility. Although smaller than the former Racine operation, it offers the flexibility and overhead structure he wants for this next stage.

“We’re more nimble, flexible,” he said. “We don’t have a massive overhead.”

Milwaukee’s proximity to Racine also helps. Rick estimated the two locations are approximately 45 to 50 minutes apart, keeping the new production home close to the region where the products were previously manufactured.

His team is targeting production in the first quarter of 2027. Getting there involves moving equipment, establishing manufacturing processes and determining the product configurations Phoenix will offer.

The company is also working through the UL approval process for manufacturing the products in its facility.

For customers, those steps will determine when interest can become an order and when an order can become a shipment. Rick’s emphasis was on getting that foundation in place.

Interest Is Already There

Phoenix is seeing what Rick described as “very significant interest” in the licensed products, including customers who want to place orders.

At the time of our interview, those orders were not yet in Phoenix’s system. The team was still establishing part numbers and determining what it could build. The future offering will not encompass everything previously available from Cree Lighting.

Rick expects familiar product-family names to carry forward. Part numbers may remain similar, but customers should expect changes as the products enter Phoenix’s ERP system.

The company also intends to explore opportunities to help customers whose product needs remain unresolved following the disruption at the former business. Those opportunities will require working through Phoenix’s own capabilities and order process.

There is reason for encouragement here. Customers are expressing interest before the production transition is complete, giving the team a clear indication that these products still matter in the marketplace.

A Commitment to Representatives and Distributors

Rick was equally clear about the importance of the sales channel.

Phoenix is evaluating the representative networks associated with Phoenix, RIG-A-LITE and the former Cree Lighting business to determine the best fit for its expanded offering. The company would welcome the opportunity to work with some former Cree agencies, but appointments will reflect the needs of the combined Phoenix business.

The goal is a coordinated approach that gives representatives a broader product portfolio and customers access to knowledgeable support.

“We really value our partnerships,” Rick said.

He does not plan to introduce a direct-to-contractor model, which was a staple of the Ruud Lighting business. Representatives and distributors will remain central to the company’s approach.

Phoenix also has substantial sales experience already inside the organization. Rick described talented people on both the Phoenix and RIG-A-LITE teams and expects the combined group to handle most of the broader offering, potentially supplemented by a small number of hires.

That gives the company a foundation of relationships and application knowledge as it prepares to reach more customers.

A Story Worth Telling

Near the end of our conversation, Rick acknowledged that Phoenix has not always done enough to explain its strengths to the market.

“We were like the best-kept secret,” he said, “and people just didn’t know who we are.”

He wants that to change. Phoenix has products and experience he believes deserve more attention, and its expanded capabilities give the company more to discuss with customers, agents and distributors.

What impressed me was the balance between his enthusiasm and his attention to the work ahead. He spoke confidently about growth while acknowledging the practical tasks still underway: equipment moves, product selection, certification, part numbers and channel decisions.

Those details are where this opportunity will become real.

Phoenix brings a long manufacturing history. RIG-A-LITE adds depth in demanding applications. The selected former Cree Lighting products contribute technology and designs that customers still want. Rick’s team now has the opportunity to bring those strengths together under one name.

When I asked what he wanted the industry to understand, he returned to the people doing that work.

“Very proud of what our teams have done,” he said. “Very proud of what we can bring to the market.”

Phoenix may have been a well-kept secret. Rick and his team are giving the industry good reasons to get to know it.

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