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COMPANY 411
PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS
ETC CEO Fred Foster, “the one who talks.”
The company’s atrium features a 1940s-styled Town Square with theatre marquee and cafe.
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ETC marketing product manager Sarah Clausen with the company’s Eos console.
ployees to conceive a facility that would
serve the culture of ETC. The first phase
of the building — 250,000 square feet —
was completed in 2004. The headquarters’
dual purpose is to act as hub of the
company’s global operations and as an
homage to the art of lighting and entertainment
technology. The second phase,
completed this August, added another
78,000 square feet of manufacturing,
shipping and inventory space, plus more
parking to help keep up with the ever expanding
company.
“With this expansion, we’re extending
our original design principal to continue
to draw the ever-growing ETC community
together,” says Foster.
As fun as the Town Square is, it is only
one piece of the puzzle. The rest of the
ETC headquarters houses a large manufacturing
area plus the company’s offices
for administration, sales, tech support,
and R&D. It’s impressive to witness the
scope of the operation firsthand, and to
see how upbeat the employees seem to
be. They seem genuinely interested in
the jobs and are eager to tell you about
their latest projects and accomplishments.
And it’s not uncommon for Foster
himself to give you a tour — serving as
your personal guide through ETC’s console
museum, which is a long hallway
filled with every model of board ever
produced by ETC, most of which are still
working.
Hard Work, Vision and Fun 411
ETC has enjoyed a real measure of
success in its 33-plus years in business.
But success was not handed over on a sil-
ver platter; it was wrought by a talented
staff, with hard work, vision, and fun. And
the continued success of the company
could be put to the test when the patent
for the Source Four expires in a couple
of years. The company could be facing
the biggest challenge yet, and how it responds
could determine its future.
But ETC also has reason to be very
confident. “At a time when many indus-
tries have been threatened or challenged
by the economic downturn, ETC is enjoying
sustained growth,” says Foster, “and
that is allowing us to develop new technologies
and explore new markets.”
It seems that ETC has always been a
leader, and they’ve never been afraid to
seek out the new. They were one of the
first to jump into the ACN pool, and the
odds are in favor of their continued suc-
cess. If you ask Fred — the one who talks
— he’ll probably tell you so.
46 PLSN SEPTEMBER 2008