USITT is saddened to announce the death of Fred Foster, 61, co-founder and CEO of ETC. Foster was a visionary, an innovator, and a role model. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Institute in 2004.
One of Foster’s greatest qualities was his ability to bring people together and rally them around a goal or a vision. Whether it was a new product technology, a tradeshow booth design, or an employee meeting space, he was always creating, always making, and always giving. His ideas were big, and his heart bigger.
Foster is credited with countless industry contributions ranging from product innovations to student mentorship programs. He has been recognized repeatedly for his philanthropy from a number of organizations.
Foster announced his cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2015 and went through extensive treatment to prolong his life.
Both of his children, daughter Kate Foster and son James Foster, as well as his wife, Susan Foster, are employed at ETC.
The entire USITT community sends its deepest condolences to the Foster family as well as to his corporate family at ETC.
ETC has gratefully provided a remembrance of Fred, which can be found here.
