--- title: Warm thank you from all of us - et cetera description: On behalf of everyone ETC, I’d like to express our sincere gratitude for the outpouring of love and sympathy over the loss of our beloved leader, Fred Foster. The Foster family is also an intimate part of ETC and they too are grateful for your support in this difficult time. image: https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/NorthAddition_770x425-750x425.jpg --- - [ETCCONNECT](https://etcconnect.com/) - [ABOUT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/about) - [AUTHORS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/blog-authors) - [CONTACT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/contact) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/electronic-theatre-controls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.youtube.com/user/ETCVideoLibrary) [![EtCetera_319x104](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EtCetera_319x104.png?width=319&height=104&name=EtCetera_319x104.png "EtCetera_319x104")](https://blog.etcconnect.com) [![ETC Blog](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EtCetera_319x104.png?width=319&height=104&name=EtCetera_319x104.png "ETC Blog")](https://blog.etcconnect.com) - [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) - [ETC CULTURE](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) - [GEAR](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/gear) - [LEARN](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/learn) - [ODDS & ENDS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/odds-ends) - [BRIGHT IDEAS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/bright-ideas) Search ## [![blog-header](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-header.png?width=476&height=155&name=blog-header.png "blog-header")](https://www.etcconnect.com) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/electronic-theatre-controls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.youtube.com/user/ETCVideoLibrary) [✕](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2019/02/warm-thank-you-from-all-of-us#gwen-offcanvas-primary) - [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) - [ETC CULTURE](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) - [GEAR](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/gear) - [LEARN](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/learn) - [ODDS & ENDS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/odds-ends) - [BRIGHT IDEAS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/bright-ideas) # Warm thank you from all of us ![David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Images/lincecum.png?width=34&height=34&name=lincecum.png)By [David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/david-lincecum) 19 Feb 2019 ![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/NorthAddition_770x425-750x425.jpg)   On behalf of everyone at ETC, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the outpouring of love and sympathy over the loss of our beloved leader Fred Foster. The Foster family is also an intimate part of ETC and they too are grateful for your support in this difficult time. Your stories of Fred are heartwarming, poignant, and funny – all at the same time. Please keep them coming! Fred was not an ordinary CEO by any measure. His greatest concern was for the well-being of the ETC family. With that as his center, he focused on building community. He possessed a unique understanding of how space affects community and how community affects productivity. Right from the beginning of ETC he was focused on how the work environment was arranged, lighted, and designed. He cut windows and skylights where there was darkness, and designed sunshades where the light was harsh. He brought art to every surface with a keen sense of shape and his CNC router. His artistic sensitivity is present in scenic surfaces, polished floors, shining crystals, art gardens, and vast expanses of glass. His use of design and light to create community at ETC has been a stunning success. Fred surrounded himself with the best people he could find and then allowed them to do the same. Over time, he saw how productive and special ETC had become and he took little credit, preferring to give it all to the people of ETC. After his cancer diagnosis in 2015, he convinced his co-owners to give 1/3 of the company to the employees, feeling that this action rewarded the personal equity that employees were investing in the company. Fred’s desire was to keep ETC independent so that decisions can be based on the good of the community and the customers. We are grateful to be his partners in this mission. Our company is grounded in Fred’s principle focus of community; ETC employees and ETC customers. We pledge to continue this work in the way Fred taught us: By making ETC the best place to work, creating great new products, exceeding customer expectations, having fun, and making money. Fred’s spirit breathes in the light at ETC and flows to you through the tools and the people of our community. Thanks for being part of his great vision. A memorial service has been planned to celebrate the life of Fred Foster. Monday, March 18th at 4:00 pm in Madison, WI Please visit [etcconnect.com/memorial-service](https://www.etcconnect.com/memorial-service) for more information and to RSVP. The event will be streamed live on YouTube for anyone not able to join us in person.  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tc4hD4aB78](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tc4hD4aB78) - - - 0 [#ETC](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc) [#FEATURED](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/featured) [#TOWN SQUARE](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/town-square) [#Fred Foster](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/fred-foster) [#ESOP](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/esop) ### Exploring the Network: OSC Connections [Previous article](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2019/02/exploring-the-network-osc-part-ii) ### Can Emergency luminaires be cord-and-plug connected? [Next article](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2019/02/emergency-luminaires) [David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/david-lincecum) ![David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Images/lincecum.png?width=180&height=180&name=lincecum.png) David studied theatre and lighting design extensively, but later realized that he really loves the hardware! He started at ETC in 1994 and worked as a sales manager in Los Angeles until 2003 when he moved to Wisconsin to join marketing. In his spare time he has studied yoga extensively, practicing it each day and also teaching classes along the way. He enjoys wilderness canoeing and camping and spending time in the north woods of Wisconsin. #### You may also like [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/HighEnd-750x500.jpg)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2017/04/high-end-systems-and-etc-behind-the-acquisition) [High End](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/high-end) ### [High End Systems and ETC – Behind the acquisition](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2017/04/high-end-systems-and-etc-behind-the-acquisition) By [David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/david-lincecum) 6-Apr-2017 On Friday, March 31st, ETC completed its purchase of High End Systems from Barco, Inc. We are delighted to welcome High End into the ETC family. High End brings a solid position in their market, an... [Read More](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2017/04/high-end-systems-and-etc-behind-the-acquisition) [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Tom-Pincu-750x500.png)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2021/10/tom-pincu) [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) ### [Tom Pincu – a mentor in lighting and life](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2021/10/tom-pincu) By [David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/david-lincecum) 5-Oct-2021 A great salesperson, the late Stan Schwartz of Rosco, once said, “Nothing happens until someone sells something.” Some of the most innovative inventions failed because there was nobody to sell them! [Read More](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2021/10/tom-pincu) [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Balloon-Drop-after-Bush-speaks-Rep-Natl-Conv-1988-New-Orleans-750x500.jpg)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2017/02/employee-spotlight-david-lincecum) [Lighting fixtures](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/lighting-fixtures) ### [Employee Spotlight – David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2017/02/employee-spotlight-david-lincecum) By [David Lincecum](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/david-lincecum) 21-Feb-2017 It was July 1988. I had completed a design gig at a Shakespeare festival and returned to New Orleans to look for a month’s worth of work before starting year two of grad school at Tulane University. [Read More](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2017/02/employee-spotlight-david-lincecum) - [ETCCONNECT](https://etcconnect.com/) - [About](https://blog.etcconnect.com/about) - [Authors](https://blog.etcconnect.com/blog-authors) - [Links](https://blog.etcconnect.com/links) - [Contact us](https://blog.etcconnect.com/contact) [Privacy Policy & Legal Notices](https://www.etcconnect.com/Privacy-Policy-Terms-of-Use-and-Acceptable-Use.aspx) [CA Transparency Act & Transparency in Coverage](https://www.etcconnect.com/About/California-Supply-Chain-Transparency-Act.aspx) [Do Not Share My Personal Info](https://www.etcconnect.com/Do-Not-Share-My-Personal-Info/) [CA Privacy Rights](https://www.etcconnect.com/CA-Privacy-Rights/) ![ETC blog](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/ETC-logo_footer-wh.png)   ![ETC 50 anniversary](https://www.etcconnect.com/uploadedimages/Main_Site/Images/50yr_160x80.png "ETC 50 anniversary") [![ETC social networks](https://www.etcconnect.com/uploadedFiles/Main_Site/Images/social_Footer.png "ETC social networks")](https://www.etcconnect.com/Get-connected.aspx) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Lincecum", "url" : "https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/david-lincecum" }, "dateModified" : "2022-11-29T17:28:24.159Z", "datePublished" : "2019-02-19T06:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Warm thank you from all of us - et cetera", "image" : [ "https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/NorthAddition_770x425-750x425.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.etcconnect.com/2019/02/warm-thank-you-from-all-of-us", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Logos%20-%20Icons%20-%20Design%20Elements/ETC_4c.png" }, "name" : "ETC" } } ```