Musco Lighting
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Lighting solutions |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Founder | Myron Gordin (co-founder) |
| Headquarters | Oskaloosa , United States |
Area served | Worldwide (North America, Europe, Central America, Middle East, Australia) |
| Products | Sports lighting, transportation infrastructure lighting, automated sports broadcasting lighting, modular sports venue components |
Musco Lighting, often referred to simply as Musco, is a privately owned firm that focuses on the design and production of lighting solutions for sports, transportation infrastructure, automated sports broadcasting, and modular sports venue components. The company’s headquarters are located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, while its manufacturing facilities are situated in Muscatine, Iowa, Incheon in South Korea, and Shanghai, China. Musco maintains offices throughout North America, Europe, Central America, the Middle East, and Australia.
1980s
During the 1980s, Musco improved its SportsCluster system and introduced a mobile lighting product tailored for sports applications. The initial testing of this mobile lighting solution took place in 1980 at Kinnick Stadium of the University of Iowa. By 1982, executives from ABC Sports reached out to Musco to supply mobile lighting for a game at Notre Dame Stadium featuring the University of Notre Dame versus the University of Michigan, marking a pivotal advancement in the company’s market presence.
Musco’s mobile lighting innovation, known as the Musco Light, found widespread use across various venues, events, and film productions such as All the Right Moves. Later in that decade, the company introduced the SportsCluster2 system alongside glare mitigation technologies like Level-8 and Total Light Control. Additionally, Musco began to vertically integrate by producing poles and pre-cast concrete foundations internally.
Throughout this era, Musco’s lighting solutions illuminated notable occasions including the 1983 Super Bowl, the 1984 Olympic Games, and the rededication ceremony of the Statue of Liberty—underscoring its expanding international footprint and leadership in sports lighting innovation.
1990s
In 1992, Musco installed its Light-Structure System at Howard J. Lamade Stadium for the Little League World Series, initiating a collaborative relationship with Little League Baseball and Softball centered on enhancing player safety.
The year 1991 saw Musco receiving a commission from NASCAR to develop lighting for its inaugural night race at Charlotte Motor Speedway scheduled for 1992. To refine this system, Musco constructed a detailed 50:1 scale model of the track while co-founder Myron Gordin participated in Richard Petty’s NASCAR driving school to better comprehend visibility requirements. This effort resulted in the Mirtran system, which incorporated secondary ground-level mirrors to direct illumination onto the racing surface and earned an IES Illumination Award for Outdoor Lighting Design.
Throughout the 1990s, Mirtran technology was deployed at leading NASCAR circuits such as Richmond Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Daytona International Speedway. This decade also marked Musco’s initial international expansion with an installation at England’s Wolverhampton Racecourse, officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
In response to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Musco mobilized its mobile lighting units to aid emergency response operations.
2000s
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Musco dispatched mobile lighting vehicles to support rescue and recovery efforts at both the World Trade Center and Pentagon locations. In 2006, the company adapted its Mirtran technology to illuminate the façade of the Washington Monument. By 2008, Musco was advancing LED lighting innovations for sports arenas and large-scale outdoor venues, including donating a custom LED system for illuminating the White House exterior. Toward the close of this decade, Mirtran lighting installations were completed at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.
2010s
In 2010, Musco collaborated with the National Park Service to provide lighting solutions for the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. That same year, the company designed an LED illumination system for the East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Starting in 2013, Musco implemented LED sports lighting at prominent venues such as Arizona State University’s Wells Fargo Arena, Georgia’s LakePoint Sporting Community, Houston’s NRG Stadium and Minute Maid Park, San Diego’s Petco Park, Twickenham Stadium, and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
By 2017, Musco’s TLC for LED technology was operational across numerous Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA, and NHL arenas. The firm also partnered with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to create the Mini-Pitch System, aimed at increasing youth soccer opportunities in underserved areas. Further installations included Notre Dame Stadium, L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Wimbledon Centre Court, AO Arena Manchester, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, along with various collegiate and community sports facilities.
Musco broadened its reach into major airports and seaport terminals globally by installing LED lighting systems at Vancouver International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, and DP World Jebel Ali Port Terminals 1 and 2. These projects underscore Musco’s role as a leading provider of expansive LED lighting solutions across diverse industries worldwide.
2020s
In 2021, Musco outfitted a new stadium in Dyersville, Iowa, near the iconic field from the film Field of Dreams, with its TLC for LED and ShowLight systems. On August 12 of that year, Major League Baseball hosted the MLB at Field of Dreams game at this location.
The following year, in 2022, Musco implemented a tailored TLC for LED system at Manchester United FC’s home venue, Old Trafford.
By 2024, Musco further extended its international footprint by installing a TLC for LED system at Red Bull Arena, the home stadium of the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.