About Us

Our Mission

With an enduring heritage of excellence since 1977, our mission is to provide superior products and outstanding service to our customers across the United States and beyond. Brownlee luminaires are assembled, tested and packaged at our headquarters in Orlando, Florida. We look forward to keeping jobs in America to provide for your lighting needs well into the future.


Our Story

Brownlee Goes To Washington

In 1976, Thomas M. Brownlee attended a business reception in the “East Room" at the White House where the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, lectured on the Energy Crisis and its potentially devastating effects on the American economy.

The attendees were given instructions to return home and start implementing energy conservation techniques across their respective trade organizations. The group was invited back to the White House seven weeks later to reconvene and report their progress, and in this short period, Mr. Brownlee had written 2,500 Chambers across the country and organized Orlando’s first Metropolitan Energy Conservation Task Force…after giving his report, President Ford shook his hand and said with a smile:

"Mr. Brownlee, you should be in the energy conservation business yourself!"

Gerald R Ford 38th U.S. President
Brownlee Goes To Washington

Brownlee Energy Management Company

Mr. Brownlee took this advice to heart and did just that…he parted ways with the Chamber at the end of his term in 1977 and formed an energy service company with his wife, Olive Brownlee. They named it Brownlee Energy Management Company (BEMCO).

Two bedrooms and a garage in the Brownlee home were utilized for office and storage space as BEMCO began selling 34-watt GE Watt Miser lamps, 3M energy-saving window films, silicone roofing systems and Honeywell products.

Business started to take off when BEMCO started assembling fluorescent retrofit units to replace inefficient, incandescent lamps. As knowledge and demand for services grew, BEMCO expanded their energy consulting services to the hospitality industry, which quickly proved to be a sweet spot as Mr. Brownlee was able to secure major contracts with hotel and motel conglomerates across the state.

As technology advanced, BEMCO’s business model quickly followed. With the majority of sales stemming from lighting retrofit projects, the company rebranded itself into Brownlee Lighting and focused solely on the assembly of energy efficient lighting products, with an emphasis on quality and affordability.

Brownlee Energy Management Company

From the Garage to the Warehouse

After a large order for an apartment complex in Pennsylvania required the dining room of their home for storage, Olive Brownlee said: “Out!”

The company rented warehouse space for a number of years as business continued to expand, but they eventually decided to invest in real estate of their own. In 1995, the company broke ground on a parcel located in the Orlando West Commercial & Industrial Park and construction of Brownlee’s very own manufacturing facility was born – complete with offices, assembly lines, plenty of storage, a paint department and more.

From the Garage to the Warehouse

Since 1977

Brownlee Lighting’s growth continued into the 2000’s as they persistently expanded their overall product offering. In 2012, the company expanded once again, this time adding on to their existing facility. The addition brought a state of the art powder coating facility, more storage, quicker ship times and more space to grow.

Brownlee Lighting has come a long ways since opening its doors in 1977, with an extensive line of specification grade LED products serving a variety of markets in North America. Both of Brownlee Lighting’s original founders are now deceased. Mr. Brownlee, who was enjoying semi-retirement, passed away on August 7th, 2014. The company continues to grow under the leadership of their children, grandchildren and an emerging team of lighting professionals who have been crucial to the company’s success since the start.

Warehouse Expansion

Committed To Our Customers

Remember that a warranty is only as strong as the company standing behind it…we've been standing strong since 1977 and promise to provide a level of customer service that you have never seen before. We want you to trust our products, but most importantly, we want you to trust us as a company and as a loyal partner. We always welcome your feedback, both good and bad, so please never hesitate to let us know if we can be doing something better…constructive criticism means the world to us.

"We look forward to keeping jobs in America to provide for your lighting needs well into the future. We sincerely thank you for your business."

Curtis M Brownlee President

Careers

Brownlee Lighting is looking for extraordinary people to join our team. We'd love to hear from you!

Deliver your resume to us by mail or email attachment to:

Brownlee Lighting
c/o Human Resources
4600 Dardanelle Drive
Orlando, FL 32808
Email: jobs@brownlee.com

Brownlee Lighting is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All positions are open to qualified men and women regardless of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability. This policy includes, not only the hiring of employees, but any future job placement decisions as well.

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Contact Us

Brownlee Lighting

4600 Dardanelle Drive
Orlando, FL 32808-3832
P: 407.297.3677 or 800.318.6768
F: 407.297.3705 or 800.662.6768

Business Hours (EST)

Monday - Thursday
8am - 5pm
Friday
8am - 4pm
Weekends
Closed