About Us

Carlisle & Finch Co. was founded in 1893 by Robert S. Finch and Morten Carlisle in Cincinnati, Ohio. The business started as the repair shop for the Cincinnati branch of General Electric Co. In 1894, the owners decided to branch out and created the world’s first electric toy line. And in 1895, C&F designed the first open arc searchlight.

Full into production of searchlights and electric toy trains by this time, C&F also added motors to our product offerings. We began producing two-stroke engines and farming equipment.

As we moved into the 1920s, C&F began making dynamo generators. We were still at our location on Clifton Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio, where we employed 120 people. We also produced two-stroke, four-cylinder, and six-stroke cylinder engines at this time.

When the United States joined World War II, so did Carlisle and Finch. The government asked us to start producing searchlights to aid in the war effort, and C&F responded to the call with gusto. Here you can see our employees hard at work producing searchlights.

After World War II ended, C&F focused on marine lighting as its core product, but we also explored a range of new products and inventions like electric fans, radio headphones, electric clothing dryers, and other household items.

As the business grew, so did the Finch family. Morten Carlisle had sold his share of the business in 1926, after which the Finch family took sole ownership. During the 1950s, there were three generations of Finches working at C&F—Robert Finch (co-founder), his son Brent, and his grandson, Brent R.

During this time period, C&F became the leading experts in searchlights. We began creating searchlights that were not only smaller but they also more powerful. In 1976, we branched out our searchlight offerings and launched our yacht division.

During the 1970s, the fourth generation of Finches began working at the company. Garth and Kurt Finch, the great, great grandchildren of Robert S. Finch, joined the C&F team. By now, C&F was the number one searchlight company in the world.

At this point, Garth and Kurt Finch started to play a greater role in running the company. With their leadership came a lot of new ideas and new products, including the beam dancer.

As the 21st century rolled around, C&F was growing faster than ever. To keep up with the growth, the company expanded into a second production facility.

This last decade was filled with highs and lows. We said goodbye to one of the pioneers. Kurt and Garth’s father, Brent R. Finch, passed away. In memoriam, we named our new tug-boat inspired building after him. The 13,000-square-foot building includes a new engineering department, electronic, assembly area, product development lab, and our offices.