Spectrum Lighting was started in 1992 with a partnership between Jeff Fein and Chris Roemlein. High school friends they connected after college with the goal of starting a business and living in a great part of the world. After going through a list of possible businesses, they decided low voltage landscape lighting would be a unique business. At the time there was little competition and most outdoor fixtures were line voltage. Utilizing low voltage outdoor par 36, DC base and halogen lamps and employing a local machine shop the partners built a line of understated functional outdoor luminaires.
Our Story
From our start in 1992, with low voltage landscape lighting, to now, with spec grade architectural lighting, it’s been a unique and rewarding business journey.
At Spectrum, we have always charted our own course, with deep lighting knowledge to share and an appetite for discovering new possibilities.
The original company was named Alta Industries and the name and logo shared another belief in that life should be “big” fun. The partners shared a joy in skiing, climbing, mountain biking, scuba diving, windsurfing and sailing in Newport Rhode Island. We called it fun hogging after one of our heroes Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia. Their first sailboat was named Fun Hog.
During the mid-late 1990s the United States saw many industries shut down factories and move to China and then in the 2000’s to Mexico. It was during this time that many companies auctioned or sold off equipment that was specialized in the manufacture of metal components. The company was able to integrate equipment from local silver and hollowware companies like Reed and Barton, Gorham and others that shut factories.
One of the prides of the company is maintaining a strength in metalworking; protecting age old techniques like metal spinning while embracing new technologies like laser cutting and CNC machinery. It is the mix of tradition and technology that make Spectrum special.
In 1996 the company changed names to Spectrum Lighting and entered the architectural lighting market with downlights and decorative luminaires. The logo was changed to a free form wave to symbolize having fun while you work. The company developed new products and kept true to form adding people, buildings and equipment in the pursuit of having a sustainable private business, designing and producing all fixtures in house.
Today Spectrum has a 250,000 sq. ft. factory located on 5 acres in Fall River, MA and employs 250 people. We take pride in manufacturing locally and providing a high quality work life for all our employees.
