Growing Technology Company Takes Harbor in Port

A high-tech company hopes to grow in the coming years behind the walls of a well-known building in downtown Port Washington.

Red Fusion Studios moved into the attic space on the third floor of the former Lueptow’s Furniture Store building in April, but has been in Port Washington for a year and a half now.

"The neat thing with technology now is we can do what we do pretty much from anywhere in the world," said Harvey Briggs, director of amplification and alignment at Red Fusion Studios. The company, which originated in the Chicago area in 1997, develops new products for businesses all over the United States.

The company’s founder, Mike Pelland decided to open a branch in the Ozaukee County area and eventually settled on Port Washington, Briggs said.

"Initially, when we were looking to open an office here, we were looking at Grafton and a couple of the other towns, but came to downtown Port Washington — and just loved the vibe of it,” he said.

The Port Washington office came into existence because business officials found several talented designers and engineers in the area that they wanted to make part of their team. Now the Ozaukee County branch is a strong group of 10 employees that vary in talents, including designers and software engineers.

The company’s first location in Port Washington was the office space above the Dockside Deli. The space, which comfortably fit three people, felt cramped when the business grew. Their search for more room led to the available space in the building which used to hold the furniture store.

Originally, the building’s owner suggested they rent out the second floor that features plush carpeting and nice office lighting, but Briggs said the moment they saw the third floor attic area, they were sold on the space.

"We’re developing products that may generate $100 million worth of sales for a company, and, if that’s the case, they don’t want their competitors to know about it before hand," Briggs said. "So we want to be under the radar. We want a space that doesn’t say 'Oh we’re this huge thing.' We’re here doing what we do, like a top secret lab."

The third floor is more like a loft, rather than an attic with a high ceiling and hard wood floors. Large windows on the east side of the space have long since been bricked up, adding to its industrial feel.

Red Fusion Studios is the first company to occupy the space since the 1960s, when a seamstress business called it home. Sewing needles can still be found from time to time in between the hardwood floor boards.

Red Fusion Studios has done work for companies including Mercury Marine of Fond Du Lac and Seven Marine of Mequon. Briggs said the Port Washington location easily allows them to work with clients spanning from the Fox Valley to Milwaukee.

Being located in a small community like Port Washington, compared to a major tech-savvy city such as Milwaukee, hasn’t hurt Red Fusion Studio’s business. That’s because the company uses a variety of tools to keep in touch with their clients and employees at other branches.

"I would say we’re a very visual company when it comes to what we do," said Nick Blair, an industrial designer who’s been with the company for a year and a half. "So, typically a Word document is not going to cut it and we have to supplement it with visual information."

Employees use a variety of programs to keep their clients up-to-date with their work. One example is a program called WebEx, which allows businesses to log in and see what Red Fusion employees are working on in real time.

The best part of the space, according to the dream team of 10 employees, is that the wide open space discourages walls or a cubical setting.

"If I need anyone’s attention I’ll just yell. There are positives and negatives to that. I just think the scatter-brained tendency of the creative people we work with in that condition, thrive in it in many ways," said Ben Lloyd an Industrial Designer who has been with the company for seven months.

Besides the Port Washington location, Red Fusion Studios has locations in Chicago and Madison, but said the Port Washington office is its most unique space. It recently used the third floor office to hold a company meeting with its employees from the other branches.

Briggs said the company is making some electrical repairs to spruce up the space they're renting from the building's owner. Business officials had talked about the possibility of buying the building one day down the road, but the company is not quite ready to purchase property.

For now, Red Fusion Studios is focusing on growing their Ozaukee County outlet and hopes their actions of planting roots in a smaller community will inspire other businesses.

"Hopefully when people see an interesting high tech company in a community like this they’ll go 'Wait, maybe we can locate there too,'" Briggs said. "If a lot of people live in the area who commute downtown to Milwaukee to work for a company say, 'You know what, I don’t have to drive a half hour and battle traffic, I can work for an interesting company up here' more companies will decide to do that."