Schweitzer additions expected to add 850 employees

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) Friday announced plans to construct two new buildings, adding more than 200,000 additional square feet of space. One building will be devoted to production and the other to research and development.

The additions at the company will allow for SEL to hire 850 additional employees, SEL President Edmund O. Schweitzer III stated in a new release.

“The best way for us to predict the future is to invent it and build it,” he said. “I'm delighted that we're doing both right here in Pullman.”

The construction will start in June this year and be completed by June 2017. SEL CEO Luis D'Acosta said this announcement comes following expansions at other SEL locations.

“This exciting news comes on the heels of recent SEL expansions in Charlotte, Boise, Brazil, Mexico and Saudi Arabia,” he said. “Our growth enables us to serve our customers around the world with local support while also continuing to design and manufacture in the United States. It is an exciting time for our company.”

According to the news release, the expansion in Pullman will be a significant addition.

“The new buildings will grow our footprint here to almost one million square feet,” SEL Director of Property Management Jana Schultheis said in a statement. “That's about 23 acres under roof right here in Pullman.”