Transforming an Existing Utility Control Room Design Without Starting Over: How Fountainhead Modernized BrightRidge’s Operations Center

Fountainhead Control Rooms delivered a complete utility control room design and modernization for BrightRidge in Johnson City, Tennessee. The project transformed the existing electric utility operations center without requiring construction of a new facility. Fountainhead provided control room space planning, ergonomic operator consoles, a freestanding curved video wall, AV integration, SmartGlass conference room separation, equipment racks, network infrastructure and supporting IT systems.

The Challenge: Modernizing an Existing Utility Control Room

BrightRidge needed to modernize its electric utility control room without disrupting the existing facility that operators depended on every day. While the organization had a clear vision for a more functional operations center, the project presented several challenges. Existing structural elements, including the building's fire suppression system and access points, could not be relocated or modified, requiring every design decision to work within the existing space.

 Rather than starting over, the goal was to create a modern control room that improved operator workflows, collaboration, and visualization while making the most of the facility already in place.

 Our Utility Control Room Design Approach

 Based in Norcross, Georgia, Fountainhead Control Rooms designs and installs complete control room environments, including custom-engineered consoles, control room furniture, AV systems, flooring, and lighting. Fountainhead partnered with BrightRidge to redesign the existing operations center through a complete turnkey approach. From the initial planning meetings through final installation, the project moved from concept to completion in just a few months.

One of the first design decisions was to remove an existing wall, opening the space into a larger control room with an adjacent conference room. The conference room was separated using SmartGlass, allowing teams to maintain a direct visual connection to the control room and video wall during meetings, training, and operational discussions while providing privacy whenever needed.

Because permanent building features could not be relocated, Fountainhead engineered a freestanding curved video wall structure that became the focal point of the room without relying on the existing walls. The custom structure housed the video wall, mounting system, acoustic treatment, cable management, and supporting framework, creating a clean installation while working around the building's physical limitations.

Operator workstations were redesigned around the way the utility operates every day. Ergonomically designed sit-stand consoles support the primary operators, while additional workstations provide space for supplemental operations during outages, switching events, training, and major system events.

As a turnkey project, Fountainhead coordinated every major component of the control room, including the video wall, AV integration, control room consoles and technical furniture, workstation displays, equipment racks, network infrastructure, and supporting IT systems. Every element was designed to function together as one integrated operational environment rather than a collection of individual systems. 

BrightRidge Utility Control Room Project Facts

• Project: BrightRidge Control Room Modernization

• Location: Johnson City, Tennessee

• Utility profile: Publicly owned electric utility serving 83,671 customers across Washington, Sullivan, Carter, and Greene counties, Tennessee; 10th-largest local power company in the Tennessee Valley Authority service area

• Also operates: BrightRidge Broadband, offering 10-Gig symmetrical fiber-to-the-premise service to more than 30,000 locations

• Scope: Full turnkey redesign of an existing control room, including a freestanding curved video wall, a SmartGlass-separated conference room, ergonomic sit-stand control room consoles, and supplemental workstations

Utility Control Room Modernization Results

The completed control room gives BrightRidge a modern operations environment while preserving the existing building and avoiding the cost and disruption of constructing a new facility. By working within the constraints of the space instead of against them, Fountainhead transformed an aging control room into a collaborative environment that better supports utility operations around the clock.

The expanded layout improves communication between operators while giving engineering, management, and operations staff a dedicated conference room that remains visually connected to the control room. During planning meetings, storm response, switching events, and other operational discussions, teams can collaborate while maintaining a direct view of the live video wall and the operators managing the electrical system.

Perhaps the greatest success of the project is that the building's limitations never dictated the final design. Through thoughtful planning, creative engineering, and a fully integrated turnkey approach, BrightRidge gained a control room designed around its operators instead of its existing walls. 

BrightRidge Electric Utility Operations Background

 BrightRidge is a public power utility serving Johnson City and the surrounding communities of East Tennessee. The utility operates and maintains the electric distribution system that powers homes, businesses, schools, healthcare facilities, and critical infrastructure throughout the region. Maintaining reliable electric service requires continuous monitoring of the distribution network and close coordination between system operators and field crews, particularly during outages, severe weather, and planned switching operations.

As utilities continue investing in grid modernization, advanced monitoring systems, and smarter distribution networks, the control room has become the operational hub where technology and people come together to keep the system running safely and reliably. Operators must quickly evaluate changing system conditions, coordinate restoration efforts, and make informed decisions that directly affect service reliability and public safety.

By transforming an existing control room into a fully integrated mission-critical environment, Fountainhead helped BrightRidge modernize its operations without the expense of constructing a new facility. The project demonstrates how thoughtful design, turnkey project delivery, and a focus on operator performance can overcome the challenges of an existing building while creating a control room ready to support the future of utility operations.