A longtime Winona lighting manufacturer is expected to permanently close its facility and lay off approximately 86 employees by the end of the year.
Owner Acuity Brands Lighting has submitted a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice, alerting Minnesota’s State Rapid Response Team of the planned closure. Layoffs are expected on or about Nov. 30, 2026, or within 30 days of that date.
Winona Lighting began in the 1960s as a small architectural‑lighting manufacturer serving Upper Midwest commercial builders. Over the decades, it grew into a nationally recognized producer of decorative and architectural fixtures and became a major employer in the region. The business continued operating as Winona Lighting Inc. until Acuity Brands acquired it in 2011, integrating the Winona product lines into its broader commercial and industrial lighting portfolio. This company video shares how unique Winona Lighting employees believe it is in the industry.
Positions slated for elimination span assembly cell operators, CNC programmers, fabrication operators, manufacturing engineers, maintenance technicians, material handlers, paint operators and setup operators, quality engineers, production schedulers and multiple supervisory and coordination roles.
Acuity Brands, a publicly traded Atlanta‑based company, is one of the largest lighting and building‑management technology companies in North America and serves customers worldwide.
(Source here.)
