ESCA member and employee-owned company Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) has begun construction on a brand new research and development facility at their Pullman, Washington headquarters. Research and development are critical components to the electric power industry, especially when you are a worldwide leader in the sector.
The 97,000 square-foot building will feature concrete tilt-up exterior wall panels and steel framing. It is the first building designed and constructed with SEL’s own in-house property management team, created to manage the company’s dynamic growth. SEL has expanded its footprint by more than 200,000 square-feet in 2012. As employee-owners watch the company grow, their continued dedication and hard work remains vital to its success.
SEL Founder and President, Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, said that innovation is what drives the 100 percent employee-owned company’s success during a time when many companies are struggling to maintain and hire new employees. S ESOPs as a whole tend to be more resilient during economic downturns, according to a new study by Alex Brill, former advisor to the Simpson-Bowles bipartisan deficit reduction commission and former chief economist and policy director to the House Ways and Means Committee. The study shows that when national private industry employment was flat over the past decade, surveyed S ESOP companies grew jobs by an amazing 60 percent.
Congratulations to SEL for breaking ground on this new facility; we look forward to seeing your continued expansion in the months and years ahead.