Engineering company coming to North Idaho

Pullman, Washington-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is expanding its operations to Post Falls. The business will occupy an existing 240,000-square-foot space at 150 N. Beck Road.  

The company designs and manufactures digital protective relays, automation controllers and power system equipment that protect, monitor and control electric power infrastructure worldwide.  

"We're excited to get started in Post Falls," said Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories President Dave Whitehood. "The space will allow us to put in very special-purpose electronic manufacturing equipment, surface mount technology lines, a whole bunch of other stuff."  

SEL focuses on making electrical power safe, more reliable, and more economical, serving utilities and industrial sectors. 

"The utilities we'll serve in the area include Avista, Kootenai Electric and any large universities that use a large amount of electricity," Whitehood said. "Our devices will monitor and measure the power going in or out of their system. And if there's a problem, we isolate the affected part and send signals to redirect power to keep the lights on to as many people as possible."  

SEL manages more than just electrical power. 

"We don't care how the electrons get generated. It could be solar power, it could be wind, it could be hydro, it could be a gas turbine, it could be a nuclear plant," Whitehood said. "Our job is to safely and efficiently get it onto the grid and get it transmitted to where it can be used at a home or a factory or wherever it is." 

SEL was founded in 1982 by Edmund O. Schweitzer III. He was a professor at Washington State University who invented the first microprocessor-based digital protective relay, the SEL-21, which, according to the SEL website, ushered in a new era of power system protection and revolutionized the electric power industry. In 2019, Schweitzer was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his invention. 

"Forty-three years later, and we are still going strong," Whitehood said. "I started here 32 years ago as employee 124. We'll soon have over a thousand employees across the globe. There will be approximately 250 in Post Falls, 250 in Nampa and another 250 in Moscow after we bring that facility online near the end of the year."  

SEL has more than 170 products worldwide and is 100% employee-owned. 

"We are extremely proud of that," Whitehood said. "It lets SEL put our customers and employees first. It empowers employees to improve processes, make decisions, and take the company in new directions and to enjoy the rewards of their exceptional efforts." 

SEL's Post Falls facility is expected to go online in mid 2027. 

    This 240,000-square-foot structure will house Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories' new Post Falls facility.
  

Now the TidBits    

New and Upcoming 

• Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories is expanding its manufacturing operations to Post Falls.

• A Circle K Store is coming to the southeast corner of Highway 41 and Poleline in Post Falls.

• Idaho Primary Care and Wellness opened a new location at 1581 E. Edmonton Ave. in Post Falls. 

• Immersive Studio, CDA, a full-scale projection studio, opens at 216 Coeur d'Alene Ave. 

• Ross Dress for Less is coming to Ironwood Square in Coeur d'Alene. It will be located in the old Rite Aid space. 

• Crayon Box Child Care is now open at 245 W. Bosanko Ave. in Coeur d'Alene. 

• Government Way Antique Mall at 7352 N. Government Way in Dalton Gardens is now open. 

• Mor Furniture for Less, located in the Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden, is open. 

Ongoing Projects   

• Chipotle is building a restaurant on W. Neider Ave. in Coeur d'Alene

• A Goodwill store is being built at 750 W. Canfield Ave. in Coeur d'Alene.  

• Chase Bank is under development next to Verizon and Starbucks off Prairie Avenue and U.S. 95 in Hayden. 

• The Selkirk Center is building a new Health Care and mixed-use campus at Lancaster Road and Highway 41 in Rathdrum. 

• ATC Manufacturing Inc. in Post Falls is building a project to nearly double its 67,000-square-foot headquarters. 

• Super 1 Foods is building a new location at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue in Post Falls.      

• A new commercial building is planned for the Riverstone development at 1570 W. Tilford Lane and will bring at least one new dining option to the area. The 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building is expected to be completed in early fall.      

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Have a tip on local business happenings? Contact Bob at [email protected].