Electronic Theatre Controls in Middleton has broken ground on its latest expansion, which will allow for the addition of another 250 employees across several departments.
ETC, a manufacturer of lighting technology for entertainment and architectural markets, will add a multistory, 75,000-square-foot addition. ETC moved into its current building in 2004 and expanded in 2007, adding 78,000 square feet to the original 250,000-square-foot facility. By 2013 ETC had again outgrown its building and purchased a 355,000-square-foot building in Mazomanie, 16 miles west of Middleton, to provide more manufacturing capacity.
While the last two building expansions added manufacturing space, this addition adds offices, lounge space, and meeting rooms for research and development. The inside of the addition will be uniquely constructed from salvaged shipping containers stacked on multiple levels.
“We’ve been playing around with shipping container office designs for a few years, and it’s great that we’ll have a way to use them on such a large scale,” notes CEO Fred Foster.
Foster also notes the recycled design will give employees the individual room they need to work, and provide creative space that encourages collaboration and open communication through a wider range of departments.
ETC currently staffs 850 employees in Dane County, and another 200 employees in nine additional offices around the world.
