A Rock Island-Based Company Engineered The Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball

A piece of the Quad Cities was in NYC on NYE!

We can always count on the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square as an annual oooo and ahhh's moment (likely enjoyed from the comfort of our homes). To kick off 2026, the event used the skills of a Rock Island-based company to make the iconic sparkly countdown happen.

IMEG helped engineer the ball, which featured nearly twice the number of lights, 3 sizes of Waterford crystal panels, and a "more powerful" motor to help with it's descent.

According to IMEG, the specific work they did on the ball was providing ventilation and telecom engineering, which includes a power design for the upgraded winch motor, lighting distribution on the ball, and computer-integrated control systems.

The newly-enhanced ball will be on display at a year-round dedicated viewing deck in New York City.

This year's ball is known as the 'Constellation Ball' and is the largest-ever ball used in Times Square, weighing in at 12,000 pounds and measuring 12.5 ft in diameter. According to Times Square, the 3 sizes of crystals used on it are meant to represent infinite joy, infinite light, and infinite beginnings. You may notice the shape of the crystals abandons the triangular-shaped ones seen on the NYE ball since 1999.

IMEG, to your surprise I'm sure, are not behind the NYE "confetti engineers" posted around Times Square. After the ball hits it's parapet and the new year's numbers are lit up, 1.5 tons of confetti (yes really) are poured into Times Square.