Lutron Changes NY to ELA + Synergy

In a note to customers in the New York area this week, Lutron confirmed summertime rumors that it made a change in representation.

A letter from Brendan Van Campen and Chris Brown stated:

“Lutron is pleased to announce that effective September 1, 2025, ELA + Synergy will be appointed to represent Lutron Electronics in the New York City, Long Island, and Northern New Jersey marketplaces for the Electrical Distribution, Lighting Showroom, Commercial Integrator, and Window System Provider sales channels.

ELA + Synergy has successfully represented Lutron for more than fifteen years in the Southern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware markets. Their wealth of talent and Lutron experience, coupled with the strength of their existing New York and Long Island organization, will deliver tremendous value and growth to our customers.

Lutron will continue to maintain local commercial sales leadership, business development teams, and a direct specification team in the marketplace to support ELA + Synergy and our customers. We look forward to working with ELA + Synergy as they expand their teams and operations to support your Lutron business.

Stay tuned for future communications relating to the ELA + Synergy team that will support your Lutron business. In the meantime, please update your contacts with the following Lutron and ELA + Synergy resources.”

Lutron had a long-term relationship with Thea & Schoen in the New York area.

ELA + Synergy shared an industry announcement about its appointment:

“ELA + Synergy has been appointed to represent Lutron Electronics in the New York City, Long Island, and Northern New Jersey markets across the Electrical Distribution, Lighting Showroom, Commercial Integrator, and Commercial Window Systems sales channels, effective September 1, 2025.

This expansion builds on a partnership between Lutron and ELA + Synergy that began in Philadelphia in 2010, with ELA + Synergy representing Lutron in Southern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware for more than 15 years. Over that time, the relationship has helped shape the company’s operations and “raised the bar for what we deliver,” said Larry Rodger, President at ELA + Synergy.

A cornerstone of that success has been ELA + Synergy’s ability to bridge its specification and supply teams – surrounding entire projects and supporting customers from the earliest design conversations through construction and into post-occupancy support. “Many on our team spent parts of their careers at Lutron, giving us a shared perspective and a deep respect for how they work. That alignment has allowed us to deliver a seamless, end-to-end experience for our clients,” Rodger added. “Now, we look forward to building on that momentum in one of the most dynamic markets in the world.”

To ensure a seamless transition, ELA + Synergy is expanding its team’s resources, collecting strategic feedback, and formalizing service commitments. These include defined quote response times, prompt order acknowledgments, and additional sales and field service support – all designed to keep projects moving without interruption.

Lutron’s direct specification team in New York will continue to lead specifications. ELA + Synergy will work alongside them to support projects and the channel, augmenting and reinforcing the expertise available to the market.”

Observations About the Change

• Thea Enterprises (formerly Thea & Schoen), a 95-year agency that became an ESOP in 2020, that covers the New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC markets, has had the Lutron line for over thirty years, however, only in the New York market. Synergy Electrical Sales had the line in Philadelphia. Synergy entered the New York market by acquiring Pyramid Lighting Group and strengthened it New York relationships with the merger with ELA, resulting in ELA + Synergy. Throughout this time Synergy had also expanded the supply side of the business with new relationships with IDEAL Industries, Panduit, and others. Last summer it expanded its Encore relationship with the Prysmian product offering. Notably, the company also represents Panduit and other supply manufacturers in New York.
• Marquee lines such as Lutron rarely change representation and, when they do, it is after much discussion between the factory and the agent due to a myriad of factors. We doubt “competition” was a driver given that the lighting division of lighting divisions typically carry competitive lines. Inevitably, based upon experience, this comes down to looking forward … the vision, the resources, the “energy,” of the agency and the expected relationship.
• In probably the largest market for lighting controls in the US, Lutron was seeking “more.”
• It is notably that Lutron mentioned the various sales channels. New York is a unique market, and Lutron has a direct specification group, which still exists and will work collaboratively with ELA + Synergy. Further, while many may think Lutron is solely for projects, the notice emphasizes, and places first, electrical wholesale. This is affectionately known as “the wall box business.” ELA + Synergy will continue calling on electrical distributors and showrooms, helping Lutron build this business. Further, ELA + Synergy expects that this will also support its other “supply” lines. Larry Rodgers, President of ELA + Synergy commented that the company is committed to being “balanced” and a full-service resource to the electrical distribution channel. The company’s Philadelphia operation is currently well-balanced and is a desired long-term model to serve distribution throughout its footprint where a number of distributors have locations throughout the market Sonepar / Cooper Electric, Rexel, USESI, Turtle, Colonial Electric, Graybar, American Power Electric Supply, and others.
• The expanded relationship with ELA + Synergy, enabling one agency from Philadelphia through New York and Long Island, will also further support ELA + Synergy’s other lighting lines, most notably Signify.
• In my conversation with Larry, he noted that the lighting business complements the supply business as involvement in lighting projects provides earlier insight into marketplace activity and helps the supply side. There have been numerous instances where ELA + Synergy is able to specify, or at least influence, supply product decisions in the design stage, and secure procurement, earlier.
• He also commented that the firm has embraced the tenets of NEMRA’s Rep of the Future model and the 5 Pillars (to get a copy of the original report, contact Sue Todd, and updated version will be released shortly.) He ascribes credit to it helping him develop his vision for the agency.
  • In speaking with Lutron, it was evident that many of the attributes that they are seeking from their manufacturer representatives are embodied in the findings from NEMRA’s Manufacturer of the Future Report (again, available from Sue Todd at NEMRA) which looks at the manufacturer as the rep’s “customer” to identify what will be many manufacturers’ expectations of reps.

And vision is what Lutron is seeking and committing to. In a conversation with Lutron, one of the words used was “vision.”

At the same time, everyone I have spoken with recently, and over the past few months as this has been rumored, has commented that Thea is a quality firm. The company continues to represent many quality manufacturers well including Atkore, Hubbell, Cantex, Keystone and about 60 independent architecturally oriented lighting lines.

When you are in the Big Apple, the phrase “go big or go home” infers embracing change and capturing opportunities. While there is risk in any change, sometimes there is more risk in no change. Lutron made a change to another known partner who is positioned for today, and tomorrow.