Paradigm shifts to new office as work expands

Paradigm Technologies Inc., an Arlington, Va.-based company that opened a local office in 2001, has moved into a new Huntsville operations office to accommodate its growth.

The management and technical services firm opened here with two employees and now has a staff of 51.

"We doubled (the number of Huntsville employees) just this year," said Furney Wood, vice president in charge of Paradigm's local operations and one of the original Huntsville employees. "I would project maybe 25 percent (growth) for 2007."

Wood attributed the office's growth this year to the expansion of its work with the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Labor.

"We're well-positioned to continue to support the missile defense community as it moves to Huntsville under MDA's re-engineering efforts and the BRAC moves," Wood said.

Four Paradigm employees relocated here this year from the Washington, D.C., area as part of MDA's pending move to Huntsville, Wood said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the new offices at 689 Discovery Drive in Cummings Research Park is planned for today at 3 p.m.

"We are incredibly proud of our rapid growth in Huntsville that drove the need to open this new office," said Rob Koch, president and CEO of Paradigm, in a news release. "We see Huntsville as a critical linchpin to our continued growth and success as a company providing support to the defense and aerospace communities."

Huntsville represents about one-quarter of the company's work force, Koch said. "But I see the day when our Huntsville operations will be more like half of our company." The company has 190 employees.

Paradigm's missile defense customers include the MDA and the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office in both Washington and Huntsville and the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense, Kinetic Energy Interceptor and Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Project Offices.