Acuity Brands, Inc. is a lighting and building management firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations throughout North America and in Europe and Asia.

The company went public in 1928 as National Linen Service Corporation and continued to grow, eventually expanding to markets in the southwest and west coast.

However, the total number of business units ebbed and flowed throughout this period as Zaban acquired companies in a variety of other industries and divested as soon as they became unprofitable.

In part due to the weak economy that spurred NSI to spin off the new company in the first place, Acuity Brands struggled in its first few years.

[6] Balloun retired in September 2004 and was replaced by Vernon J. Nagel, who had joined the firm as executive vice president and chief financial officer in December 2001.

After 16 years as president and CEO, Nagel stepped aside into an executive chairman role, and Neil Ashe was named the new head of the company.

[12] They include recessed, surface, suspended, downlight, decorative, track and emergency indoor luminaires as well as outdoor lighting for street and roadway, parking, flood, landscape, site, area and underwater applications.

[13][14] The firm markets its products and services under a variety of brand names including Aculux, Eureka, Holophane, Juno, nLight, Pathway, and Distech.