Systems & Manufacturing Facility Finally Gets Its Time to SHINE

From a pandemic to a merger and to ongoing supply issues delaying updated signage, SHINE’s facility in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, had never officially been thrown a party. But that changed Wednesday when state and local officials, area SHINE investors and employees got together for a ribbon-cutting event.

“We are really excited to be here in Fitchburg celebrating,” said Jess Giffey, general manager of SHINE’s Systems and Manufacturing division. “We’re celebrating a ribbon-cutting, but we’re really celebrating the fact that we’re building the team and growing a great place to work.” Among those who attended were: representatives from the offices of U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, Fitchburg mayor Aaron Richardson, and several Fitchburg city council members.

SHINE currently employs more than 400 people, and roughly one-third of them work out of our facilities in Fitchburg.

“They built the machine here that holds the world record for steady state nuclear fusion,” SHINE founder and CEO Greg Piefer said. “As we look at what we want to be able to do over time, to become a fusion energy company, this is where we’re getting the practice reps. We’re building the hardware that’s ultimately going to be required to produce clean, abundant energy.”

The systems that have been and continue to be built for the upcoming production of molybdenum-99 in Janesville? They’re designed, built and tested in Fitchburg. Critical research and development when it comes to recycling nuclear waste and scaling up to unlock the ability to generate commercially viable fusion power? Much of that all starts in Fitchburg, too.

More on Fitchburg

We continue to forge partnerships within the Fitchburg community. We’re currently involved in sponsoring events like Bike the ’Burg and the upcoming Berbee Derby on Thanksgiving. And we look forward to continuing our great relationship with Fitchburg and the surrounding area.

“(The Uptown neighborhood) is the fastest-growing part of Fitchburg, and SHINE is a really big part of that,” Richardson said. “We’re expecting to see a lot more development out here in this area. And having SHINE here is really something that is attracting other people."

“They are already involved in the community, and seeing that is just really heartwarming to me.”