STL History - Sacramento Theatrical Lighting

History

Often people are surprised when they hear how far back Sacramento Theatrical Lighting, traditionally known as STL, Ltd. reaches in Sacramento’s history of outstanding theatrical, charitable and association event productions.

We owe our longevity to loyal customers and a determination to be a leader in the entertainment and hospitality industries.

“Take Care of the Customer” was the foremost principle of Sacramento Theatrical Lighting when Francis W. Cox founded his business in 1947. Francis had come to California in 1938, toward the end of the Great Depression to build a better life for his young family.

Eventually, Francis found work as a janitor at Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium, and later, he joined the stagehands union, taking calls for vaudeville acts and entertainers at other historic Sacramento venues such as the Alhambra Theater and the Hippodrome, formerly known as The Empress.

Francis began his lighting business by driving the round trip to San Francisco suppliers in a 1941 Chevy one ton flatbed truck and hauling the precious rental equipment back to Sacramento for his producer clients. As demand grew, along with his mileage expense, Francis soon built his own first spotlight in his garage, and with the industrious energy we’re still famous for, Sacramento Theatrical Lighting was born.

We still treasure that first spotlight...though we don’t have too many calls for Kerosene fueled lighting fixtures!

Today, with leadership from Francis’s son, John Cox, our team of lighting designers, event and exposition specialists, and customer support professionals draws on years of experience with a wide range of products and the keen knowledge of dozens of venues in which we work.

Like so many of our customers who’ve built their operation by serving the growing needs of their communities, we’ve continued to grow by providing you with the largest theatrical and exposition inventory based in Northern California. The traditions of service, commitment and value that have brought us this far are the foundation for our business relationships – yesterday, today and tomorrow.