Company

About SEL

Making Electric Power Safer, More Reliable, and More Economical

SEL specializes in creating digital products and systems that protect, control, and automate power systems around the world. A 100 percent employee-owned company headquartered in Pullman, Washington, SEL has manufactured products in the United States since 1984 and serves customers worldwide.

Our Mission

We work to make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical.

Our Culture

Our culture of ownership ensures that our customers always come first.

Our Story

Innovation is at our core, from our very first relay to today’s solutions.

Our Leaders

Our leaders are driven by long-standing values and principles.

A Culture of Ownership

SEL is a 100 percent employee-owned company. Shared ownership is a key strategy for sustained growth, stability, and customer focus. Our employees are our shareholders, so there’s no short-term pressure to achieve quarterly results at the expense of what’s best for our customers or company in the long run.

At SEL, we take pride in doing what is right for our employees, customers, and communities all over the world.

We know our customers do not have to buy another one of our products. Therefore, it is our job to keep them coming back by providing the highest quality products and solutions, providing outstanding service, and never stopping at “good enough.” Part of this driving force comes from the values that define our company and the principles we live by every day.

Our Story

Innovation is at the heart of SEL. Inspired by his research as a doctoral candidate, SEL Founder Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, invented the first microprocessor-based digital protective relay in 1982: the SEL-21.

This product revolutionized the electric power industry by providing reliable transmission line protection with fault locating at a much lower cost than traditional electromechanical relays. Two years later—operating with seven employees from Dr. Schweitzer’s basement—SEL made its first sale to Otter Tail Power Company in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. SEL continues to exceed power systems industry benchmarks through innovative products, integrated solutions, and a world-class warranty and customer service.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

Founder: Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III

Headquarters: Pullman, Washington, USA

Offices: 100+ worldwide

Employees: 6,500+ worldwide

Product locations: 171 countries

Ownership: 100% employee owned (ESOP)

Mission: We make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical.

Our Leaders

Our leaders share a collective responsibility for quality, innovation, service, and doing right by our customers, employees, communities, and environment. The SEL executive leadership team is driven by the same values and principles of operation that Dr. Schweitzer instilled in the company when he founded it.

Edmund O. Schweitzer, III

President and Chairman of the Board

Dave Whitehead

Chief Executive Officer

Joey Nestegard

Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer

Greg Zweigle, PhD

Chief Technology Officer

Gerardo Urrea

Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Service

Dr. Ryan Bradetich

Senior Vice President of Research and Development

Leith Sorenson

Senior Vice President of Manufacturing

Nicholas Seeley

Senior Vice President of Engineering Services

SEL Locations

SEL devices are manufactured in our five U.S. manufacturing centers, and our products are integrated into panels in regional assembly factories. We also have field offices around the world so we can stay close to our customers.

  • North and South America

  • Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia

  1. Pullman, WA

    Headquarters and Electronic Device Manufacturing

  2. Lewiston, ID

    Electronic Device Manufacturing

  3. Moscow, ID

    Printed Circuit Board Factory

  4. Lake Zurich, IL

    Electronic Device Manufacturing

  5. West Lafayette, IN

    Electronic Device Manufacturing

  6. Charlotte, NC

    Regional Panel Assembly Factory

  7. San Luis Potosi, Mexico

    Regional Panel Assembly Factory

  8. Bogota, Colombia

    Regional Panel Assembly Factory

  9. Campinas, Brazil

    Regional Panel Assembly Factory

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Videos

SEL Manufacturing

SEL builds the highest quality products in the industry by continually investing in manufacturing with high-tech automation and process improvements.

SEL—30 Years of Innovation

SEL leaders provide an overview of the company’s innovations, from the introduction of the world’s first all-digital protective relay to the SEL ICON. We stand committed to innovation and customer service with our ten-year worldwide warranty.

How the SEL-21 Relay Revolutionized Electric Power

The SEL-21 was the first commercially available microprocessor-based protective relay. Invented by Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, this device has been foundational to major advancements in our modern power systems.