Strata Tech Industries

**Strata Tech Industries** is a multi-million dollar company that focuses on green, renewable energy. They were also in the plane building business in the 60s before focusing more on technology in the later decades. They are based in Erie Harbor, Washington.

## History

Strata Tech Industries was founded in 1954 by an unknown Williams man. Grant William I took over the company in 1963, when his father passed away. Strata rose in notoriety with Erie Harbor in 1968, especially as they began hiring more townspeople for factor work. They had different plants and branches to coordinate employees' work. One of these plants was called Plant Five and assigned with spraying sealant on planes. This sealant caused the employees to become sick. They sought medical attention. The Strata doctor dismissed their health concerns as being allergies from the dust on the planes. In 1976, they closed Plant Five and gave each of the employees a hefty severance check. The use of cadmium in the sealants, a heavy metal, later became linked to many health problems. They allegedly disposed of the barrels of toxic waste but failed to inform any of their previous employees about their potential exposure. Instead, they worked to cover up the incident.

## Series

### Season 2

In "*Dark Rooms*", Hilde, Donny, and Spoon investigate the poisoning of their local lake. The press release says it's green algae, but Hilde is reluctant to believe that because of all the secrecy surrounding the clean-up and eventual cover-up. They talk about who could be responsible for the poisoning. Donny recommends following the money as whoever paid the construction companies is the anonymous donor. Hilde finds one contractor who wasn’t paid by the town, but by Strata Tech Industries. Donny is surprised as his father works there as his new job. Hilde asks Donny if he can take them to his new office and Donny agrees.

Hilde, Donny, and Spoon bike to Strata Tech Industries. Hilde takes a photograph outside before they head inside. The security guard greets them and Hilde explains who they are and that they have questions regarding the Pinewood cleanup. Donny wants to see his father. A man recognizes Hilde and tells the guard he can handle it. He introduces himself as Grant Williams - he runs the whole place. He offers them a grand tour. He’s been meaning to reach out to The Magic Hour Chronicle since Strata is working on becoming the greenest company in the world, and he wants her to tell the town in a puff piece. Hilde refuses as they don’t do puff pieces, while Donny questions Williams’ statement claiming the paper is just Hilde’s.

Grant explains this is his family’s company, as he inherited it from his father and grandfather. They’ve been building planes for generations. He then shows the trio his secret hiding spot for snacks. While Spoon and Donny raid the snacks, Hilde talks to Grant about the anonymous donation to the Pinewood pond cleanup. The city wanted to pave over it instead of cleaning it up, something that the company tries to be supportive of the town. Hilde notices the key card on an employee’s jacket and asks if all employees have one. Grant explains that all of the employees have one to some degree. She tells him about the man she saw, so he offers to let her look at the employee ID photos. She’s confused as to why he’s answering her questions since most adults don’t do that. While everyone else might talk about the Fife piece, Grant found the smaller piece on the ethical treatment of animals in pet stores to be compelling. She thought no one read it but he did. He even donated $20,000 to the animal shelter. Donny and Spoon emerge with tons of snacks.

Hilde looks through all the photos but none of them match the man Hilde saw. He wants her to tell him if she ever sees the man again. He’s glad that her parents know about the man. He hopes she can solve all the mysteries in life, starting with this one.

When she goes home, she develops the film from her camera with help from her father Matt. She recognizes an emblem that was on the sidewalk in Strata as being the same one from the Woodruff mansion.

The next morning, Hilde is eating breakfast when Donny comes in having got her urgent messages. She explains that the emblem isn’t anything special as it’s on half the sidewalks in town. She’s not sure what it means, though. They look through photos on her computer and find one of Jessica with Emma from the night of the party. They see the guy that’s been following Hilde in the background of the photo. She realizes it’s all connected.

She and her friends explore the mansion again and find a dumbwaiter leading to a basement. The basement contains pieces of an old airplane that, judging by the markings, Hilde concludes must have crashed. Donny finds the black box from the airplane, a box that survives crashes and records all correspondents for investigators. Spoon tries to hurry them along as the mysterious man from upstairs could find them. They put Spoon in the dumbwaiter first, though Hilde and Donny ultimately have to hide from a mysterious man who ventures into the basement. He finds their backpacks and leaves with them.

Meanwhile, Ethan reveals to Izzy that his mom got her job back at Strata so the family is moving back to Erie Harbor. Elsewhere, Matt tries to reconnect Sylvester with his old friends, only to learn they have all died. One of the men was only 57 when he suddenly died.

In "*The Black Box*", the trio runs away from the mansion while clutching the black box. They ask Frank Briggs Jr. for help in finding out the message inside the box, and he reluctantly agrees to help them. Hilde and Donny delve into Sylvester's life in the hopes of finding a connection between him and their other mysteries, as she believes his dementia has been caused by the polluted water. They learn that Sylvester worked for Strata in 1968, and even volunteered as a firefighter alongside other Strata employees. Later, Frank's NTSB contact came through and, while the original magnetic tape was damaged, their lab was able to recover a decent audio track. Hilde thinks that’s great but their faces say otherwise. Matt reveals that it’s from Sam’s dad’s plane. It’s mostly static but there is something they all need to hear.

They hear air traffic control and then Hank’s voice. Hank tells them to stand by and says “that’s gotta be it”. He’s turning around to get a closer look. He can’t believe that Richie was right. Matt is shocked as Hank Gillis knew Richie. Matt wonders if it’s because Richie loved planes but they all did. He plays the recording again. Hank is getting photos but something goes wrong as the engine’s stalling. The control center warns that his plane is getting too low. Hank knows something is wrong but notes that it’s too late. He asks the control center to tell his kids he loves them. Bridget stops the audio. Hilde wonders what Hank was looking for when it crashed. Frank can’t do the math needed to figure out the location of the plane when it crashed. Matt knows that pilots need to file a flight plan. Hilde replays the audio in her mind and remembers that Hank wanted pictures. Richie must have told Sam’s dad to look for something. Hilde decides to find the flight plan.

The next day, Hilde, Spoon, and Donny investigate the plane by looking through the archives. Donny finds that Hank Gillis made the flight three times - his intended flight plans are listed as air traffic control needs to know who is in the air at all times. Hank Gillis filed on September 28th, October 5th, and October 12th of 1987 to the Saratoga Mountains. Hilde realizes Hank knew what he was looking for but the flight plan is missing. Donny blurts out that there’s another copy on the plane. Hilde wants to go back but her friends are dead set against the idea.

Hilde and Matt go to Trip in the hope she’ll investigate the plane, but she’s more interested in why Hilde was in the basement in the first place. He reveals that it might be Hank Gillis’s plane. Trip asks Hilde if she’s sure she saw that so Trip and Rutherford head to the manor.

This time, the plane parts are completely gone and a pool table is in its place. The man that’s been following her enters and she points him out to her father. He’s Karl Kurz, head of security at the mansion. Hilde begins to confront him but Matt stops her. Trip apologizes for bothering him and Rutherford states he wants a word with her outside. Hilde tries to stop Trip but she isn’t interested.

Hilde, with the help of Sylvester, determines where Hank was headed when his plane crashed. They track his route using longitude and latitude, discovering there’s a small island where Hank stopped. Matt wonders what could possibly be out there, and Hilde knows they have to find out.

In "*What's Out There*", Matt, Frank, Hilde, Donny, and Spoon head to the island to see what they can find. They discovered a water-covered barrier surrounding the island, though the rain must have covered it. The men make the kids stay on the beach while they investigate the woods to ensure it's safe. As they search, Frank remarks there aren't any signs telling people to stay out so they aren't breaking any laws. The kids decide to explore the island using a drone Donny brought along. However, the drone suddenly stops working when it gets in proximity of a bunker. Donny believes it's a geofence used to ensure drones can't get imaging of a building or event. They are forced to go searching for the drone. Meanwhile, Matt and Frank discover a long metal infrastructure in the ground.

Hilde and her friends come across a bunker wired with cameras. They debate whether or not to enter the bunker, as the storm is approaching and they should go back to the boat. However, when the thunder hits, they hurry inside leaving the drone behind. She moves away some curtains to look in the room, ultimately turning the power on while her friends wait outside. She tells them to come in and when they do, the room is some sort of lab. Things look untouched, like someone just up and left one day. The majority of the room is animal skeletons and animal research. The room snaps with electricity, making Hilde wonder if they should leave. Spoon spots the surveillance monitors and the man on them.

After getting into a fight with Donny and Spoon, Hilde is left to her own devices as she tries to find her way back to the boat. She encounters Frank Briggs Sr. who is also looking to the disappearance of the plane. They realize they are standing at the crash site, surrounded by broken plane parts. Matt, Frank, and the two kids find the duo. They hear a low-flying helicopter overhead and quickly seek cover. Matt and Hilde find a waste dump of empty barrels from toxins. She wonders if the barrels are what Hank saw. This could be why the birds are dying as they could reach the water. She doesn’t think it explains the fish. He looks at the water and notices that it flows directly into the lake surrounding the island. The pollution is heading straight to their drinking water. The toxins are oozing out of containers. Hilde needs a sample so Matt goes to get one. They hear the helicopters and hide so no one spots them. The plane stays low to the ground.

## Employees

### Current

* Grant Williams - President
* Michael Davis
* Karl Kurz - Fixer
* Security Guard
* HR Assistant

### Former

* Grant Williams I - former president
* Plant Five - Sealing District
	+ Sylvester Lisko (1968-1976)
	+ Alan Falana
	+ Three other men
* Hank Gillis - Test Pilot (Unknown-1976)
* Arthur Conway - Air Traffic Control Operator (Unknown-1976)
* Gina DeLuca - Assistant to Grant Williams (2020)

## Wott Management

*Main article: Wott Management*
Wott management is a subsidiary company of Strata Tech Industries. It serves as a shell company for the larger corporation. It purchases land and farms from the residents of Erie Harbor.