History
In 1975, Bill Foster and his younger brother Fred founded ETC while students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bill was the first president of ETC. Fred is the current chief executive officer. During its first decade, ETC established itself as a manufacturer of microprocessor-based lighting control consoles.
By 1990, ETC had acquired Lighting Methods, Inc. (LMI), a Rochester, New York-based manufacturer of entertainment dimming systems. Soon, ETC became one of the largest fully integrated entertainment lighting control manufacturers in North America, with offices in Middleton, WI; Orlando, FL; Rochester, NY; and Hollywood, CA.
In 1995, the company grew again when ETC acquired the lighting control division of London-based distributor ARRI GB. Also that year, ETC opened an office in Hong Kong, extending its expansion into Asia. In 1997, ETC opened an office in Copenhagen, Denmark, to serve the Northern European market, and a year later opened an office in Rome, allowing greater access to Southern Europe.
ETC acquired Transtechnik Lichtsysteme, Holzkirchen, Germany, in 2002, widening ETC’s market share in Europe. Continuing its growth, ETC took an equity position in Avab France in 2003. In 2004, ETC acquired Dutch sine wave-dimming manufacturer IES as well as its industrial weighing and measuring division Penko Engineering BV, both located in Veenendaal, the Netherlands.
In March, 2005, all formerly separate operations of ETC in Europe joined under the common corporate banner of ETC. ETC’s headquarters, located in Middleton, WI (near the state capital Madison) serves as the hub of global administration and manufacturing.
In February 2009 ETC acquired the Selador product line, an innovative LED performance set of lighting fixtures based on X7 technology.
Read more about this topic: Electronic Theatre Controls
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