In addition, Purdue alumnus Edmund O. Schweitzer III, and his wife Beatriz Schweitzer will donate funds to support the pipeline of innovation at Purdue, with $1.5 million going to the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering or ECE to endow a professorship, and another $1.5 million to support the school’s power and energy systems research area.
The SEL corporate expansion, called SEL Purdue, will conduct electric power research and development in the new facility. The space is designed to hold up to 300 employees, the numbers and types of employees will increase as the company’s business needs evolve and grow.
“We are excited to establish a larger presence in the Midwest,” said Schweitzer, who is the founder of the 100 percent employee-owned Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. “The Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue Airport, is a convenient location for our business aviation needs and company's future expansion. This new facility will enable us to enhance the service we provide to our customers in the area, and we will benefit from the proximity to Purdue by both research and the talent pool the university provides. There is a high demand for power engineering, and this initiative will help us meet those demands.”
The SEL Purdue building will be built on 10 acres of a 20-acre plot on the northwest corner of US 231 and Newman Road, near the new Rolls-Royce facility in West Lafayette. Groundbreaking for SEL Purdue is expected to take place this summer. The site is designed to hold a second building depending on company growth and needs.
