Kyle Collins, senior vice president, development, Colonial Properties Trust; Bruce Anderson, Alabama Development Office, north Alabama regional office; Mayor Loretta Spencer; Philip Teel, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's mission systems sector; country musician Lee Greenwood; Irma Tuder, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County board of directors; and Dan Montgomery, Northrop Grumman Corporate lead executive for Huntsville.
	Lee Greenwood sings the National Anthem at the groundbreaking for Northrop Grumman’s second building of four in Cummings Research Park.

The new four-story,110,000-square-foot facility will be the second of four planned Northrop Grumman buildings in CRP. There will be 340 employees working in the new facility when completed — both spillover employees already in Huntsville and employees new to the area.

Dan Montgomery, corporate lead executive for Northrop Grumman in Huntsville, opened the event by welcoming everyone in attendance to the new site. The J.O. Johnson High School Color Guard presented the flags of Alabama and the United States as Greenwood sang a moving rendition of the National Anthem.

Montgomery said, “Northrop Grumman is doing real well in Huntsville. We currently have 1,200 employees in Huntsville and with the building of this new facility we hope to consolidate our operations into one campus.”

Northrop Grumman recently won a project that will be completed in Huntsville. Officials with the company indicated this contract will increase the capabilities of the Huntsville branch offices.

According to Montgomery, the new facility will have offices, labs and areas for research and development. He also said that two more buildings would be constructed in the next few years in CRP.

“I can’t say enough positive things about the loyalty we have to Huntsville and our customers,” Montgomery added.

Phillip Teel, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president/president of Northrop Grumman’s mission systems sector, echoed Montgomery’s warm words about Huntsville and what the community means to Northrop Grumman.

“The people we have here work on some of the most important things our country does,” Teel said.

“As we look at our future, Huntsville is a big part of our vision,” he added.

Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer also addressed the audience. “The workforce you hire has contributed to our positive reputation. Reputation means so much,” she said.

In addition to Mayor Spencer, several elected officials were present. Elected officials included Madison Mayor Sandy Kirkindall, Representative Howard Sanderford, Dr. Mary Jane Caylor and representatives from the Alabama Congressional delegation.

The Alabama Development Office’s Bruce Anderson represented the state of Alabama at the groundbreaking. “I can’t express enough how proud Alabama is with Northrop Grumman’s developments in Huntsville. The state of Alabama is proud to call Northrop Grumman an ‘Alabama company’,” he said.

Irma Tuder, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, board of directors formally congratulated the company on its new site and thanked them for their contribution to the Huntsville community.

“When you hear the name ‘Northrop Grumman,’ you immediately associate it with excellence. Our business community is greatly enriched by their continued growth. The economic impact that Northrop Grumman has had on the Huntsville/Madison County community and the state of Alabama simply cannot be overstated. On a personal level, I have enjoyed working closely with Dan Montgomery and am proud to serve on the Chamber Board with Dan. He and his team have done a fantastic job here,” Tuder said.

Before Lee Greenwood sang his classic patriotic hit “God Bless the U.S.A.,” he spoke about the importance of supporting the military and thanked Northrop Grumman for all their work “keeping the county safe.” “If you are guilty by association then throw me in jail with these guys. I sleep good at night thanks to Northrop Grumman and the work that they do,” Greenwood said.