Mayor Tommy Battle discusses the importance of the Raytheon announcement at a special media briefing.

Artist rendering of Raytheon’s newly announced 70,000 square-foot manufacturing facility on Redstone Arsenal. (click photo to enlarge)

Raytheon will use the factory for final assembly and testing of Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) and Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). SM-3 production is expected to increase substantially in the next 10 years, and SM-6 production is expected to begin in 2010.

“Raytheon’s SM-3 is the centerpiece of the nation’s new missile defense strategy, and SM-6 will give the U.S. Navy a new, much-needed weapon system,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. “Combining SM-3 and SM-6 manufacturing into one facility will enable Raytheon to increase productivity and efficiency. The company will leverage state-of-the-art automation to enhance quality and safety and deliver lower-cost products to the Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy customers.”

The 70,000-square-foot production facility will be constructed in two phases; each phase will be tied to SM-3 and SM-6 production contracts. Groundbreaking is expected later this year. Continue »

Jerry Van Auken, president of Norris Cylinder, David Wathen, President and CEO of TriMas and Don Nalley, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce celebrate the acquisition of Taylor Wharton. (click photo to enlarge)

Norris Cylinder, part of the publicly traded TriMas Corporation, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-pressure and low-pressure gas cylinders for storage, transportation and dispensing of compressed industrial gases. Norris plans to move a product line from its California plant to Huntsville, which could lead to the company adding employees to take on new work, company officials say.

Jerry Van Auken, president of Norris Cylinder, said that he and his team are committed to the Huntsville plant and see many similarities between the Huntsville plant and its headquarters in Longview, Texas. Continue »

“With a recognizable footprint in the federal market, innovative solutions capabilities and a global network of technicians, the new office allows SGS to continue to meet the increased requirements for building automation, energy management, and integrated security solutions for CEHNC projects”, said Rick Gonder, Vice President of SGS’ Security and Infrastructure Practice.

As the need for Siemens’ products and services continue to grow, the company anticipates so too, will its physical presence in this geographic region. According to Harry Feuerstein, SGS’ President and CEO, “We are quite pleased to continue develop our Program Management Office in Huntsville, directly in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s efforts. The establishment of this new office clearly signifies our continued investment to provide more focused support and dedicated personnel to the Corps of Engineers; while ultimately helping to stimulate local job creation within the Huntsville area.”

Upon closing of the transaction, Intergraph will operate as a separate Hexagon division under the Intergraph name and branding. Intergraph will become Hexagon’s core software platform and will continue to provide differentiated and vertically-focused software solutions to its core industries. Intergraph software will also be integrated into Hexagon’s existing measurement and precision technology system markets to provide a visual presentation layer for the management, analysis and sharing of the vast amounts of critical data produced by these products.

“Intergraph remains deeply committed to our customers and markets in which we serve and are pleased to join the Hexagon Group. We believe the significant global resources and technologies of Hexagon will allow us to further invest in our customers, software solutions, people and future,” said R. Halsey Wise, Intergraph chairman, president and CEO. “This transaction is a tribute to the more than 4,000 Intergraph employees worldwide whose determination and dedication to our modern growth mission and to our customers have made our business and operational success possible.”

"The acquisition of Intergraph to become Hexagon’s core software platform provides excellent growth prospects and synergies within our portfolio of measurement technologies and is fundamental to our company’s growth strategy,” said Ola Rollén, CEO and president of Hexagon AB. “We believe Intergraph will significantly expand our addressable market opportunity, creating additional shareholder and customer value through the addition of a well-known and complementary software company.”

Don Nalley, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, presents Alicia Ryan, LSINC CEO, a commemorative plaque at the company’s ribbon cutting ceremony.

LSINC is a woman-owned small business that provides senior leaders with strategic leadership consulting and business intelligence through research and analysis, expert data fusion, synchronization of missions and strategies, and business development consulting.

Alicia Ryan, CEO of LSINC, said that Huntsville was the right place for her to start a business. She began LSINC because there were not many positions for consultants at the time. Continue »

Don Nalley, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors presents a plaque to Lamar Jackson, Bibliotheca president/CEO for North America. (click to enlarge.)

Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems specializes in developing, producing and marketing software and hardware for automation, inventory taking and control, and media security in libraries. Bibliotheca has installed almost 400 projects, positioning it as the European market leader and number two in the world.

RFID is short for radio frequency identification, an advanced technology that uses radio waves to identify and communicate data. RFID is gaining increasing significance in various industries as an alternative to the barcode. Especially in logistics, production and retailing, RFID facilitates the automation of processes and the movement of goods, thereby increasing productivity and security by substantial measure. Continue »

An artist’s rendering of UAHuntsville’s Center for System Studies. (click to enlarge.)

The new Center for System Studies will involve groundbreaking research into complex engineering systems, which include smart power grids, space launch vehicles, robotics, aviation systems and missile defense, to name a few. The center’s focus will involve understanding how complex systems interact and developing engineered solutions to system problems.

Plans call for the Center for System Studies to be a three-phrase project that will include research labs, training space, classrooms and a rooftop experiment area. Phase One of the project will be about 60,000 square feet. When fully completed, the center will occupy approximately 160,000 square feet. Continue »

Sheila Cummings, founder and CEO of Cummings Aerospace, cuts the ribbon to celebrate the opening of Cummings Aerospace’s new office in CRP. (Click photo to enlarge)

Cummings specializes in systems engineering, software engineering, test engineering and program management for the Department of Defense. In addition to its growth in Huntsville, the company has recently opened an office in Orlando.

Sheila Cummings, the founder and CEO of Cummings Aerospace, said that recent contract wins and the hiring of key employees are reasons why the company has grown. She said that Cummings plans to continue growing its presence in Huntsville.

“Since our first month of business, it has been a whirlwind. We have been busy cultivating business partnerships with small and large businesses. We look forward to a bright future and being a part of the growth of Huntsville,” said Cummings.

Don Nalley, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, said that companies such as Cummings are the reasons why the community earns accolades from some of the most respected finance publications in the U.S. and the world.

“Cummings’ expansion and the need for this new office space in Research Park is truly representative of the kind of economic growth that has earned this community numerous accolades such as Forbes, which named us No. 8 in Best Places for Business and Careers,” Nalley said.

Boecore, a Colorado-based engineering company, recently celebrated the opening of its Huntsville office. (click photo to enlarge)

Since its inception in 2000, Boecore has grown to a workforce totaling more than 100 employees who support a variety of defense and commercial customers in several core technical disciplines including systems engineering, network engineering, information assurance, software development and maintenance. Boecore customers range from international defense and commercial companies to small- and medium-sized engineering firms.

Ron Poteat, secretary/treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, said that the Boecore’s growth in Huntsville is representative of the growth the Huntsville area is experiencing.

“Boecore’s expansion into the Huntsville area represents the kind of growth that has this community leading the state and illustrates why our local economy is leading the nation,” said Poteat.

Bob Woods, Boecore’s Vice President of the East Region, said that he expects the company to grow its presence in Huntsville.

CSC recently held a ribbon cutting for its new office in Cummings Research Park. (click photo to enlarge)

Randy Cash, Vice President and General Manager of CSC in Huntsville, said that the company has made several changes in Huntsville, and the new building is just one of many.

“We have made significant changes in Huntsville. We brought together industry leaders from across the country to provide new leadership and a new vision for our Huntsville team. We integrated our organization to provide multi-functional teams focused on each client’s unique requirements. And, we built this fantastic, new world-class facility that allows us to be closer to our customers and partners,” Cash said.

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Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle discusses the importance of Redstone Gateway, a 468-acre office and retail development located at Gate 9 of Redstone Arsenal. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Redstone Gateway is a 468-acre land parcel adjacent to Redstone Arsenal. The land is owned by the U.S. Government and is under a long-term master lease to the developers through the Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) program. Through this master lease, the joint venture will work closely with Redstone Arsenal to create a business park that will total approximately 4.6 million square feet of office and retail space when completed. In addition, the business park will include hotel amenities. Approximately 4.4 million square feet of Class A office space will be built in three phases, with three to six story buildings containing 80,000 to 165,000 square feet, of which 1.2 million square feet will be secured office space. Continue »

(Left to Right) Jeremiah Knight, vice chair of workforce for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County; Dennis Smith, vice president of integrated systems; U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith; Madison County Commissioner Dale Strong; Joe Valley, economic development director for the city of Huntsville. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Millennium is a small, employee-owned business specializing in space systems, weapon systems and advanced technologies. The company provides engineering services and unique hardware/software products to many Department of Defense and civilian agencies such as the Army, Missile Defense Agency (MDA), NASA, Navy, Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

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Frank Anderson, President of DAU, and James McCullough, Dean of DAU South, cut the ribbon for the schools new campus in Thornton Research Park.

DAU trains government employees ranging from new hires to high-level project managers in acquisition, technology and logistics.

Charlie Kettle, Chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, said that DAU plays a key role in the area’s workforce development.

“Having Defense Acquisition University in our community creates an even better trained, more highly qualified workforce to support the critical programs at Redstone. In addition, DAU’s presence is a very powerful workforce recruitment tool. It is nice for workforce candidates to know that if they move to this community they will have access to specific continuous learning and enhanced training programs that will increase their knowledge base as well as create additional career advancement opportunities,” Kettle said. Continue »

John Donnellon, president of Decisive Analytics, cuts the ribbon for the company’s new office in Cummings Research Park.

According to John Donnellon, president of Decisive Analytics, the company looks forward to growing its footprint in Huntsville.

“We look forward to continue establishing a relationship with the community here and watching the community with amazed eyes at the technology being developed here. This is a place where a company like ours needs to be. NASA, the Army and Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency are all bringing their people here because of the quality of the workforce. We look forward to growing here as well.”

Donnellon added that he looks forward to having another ribbon cutting to celebrate an even bigger office soon.

Tony Jones, vice president and senior site executive, the Boeing Company.

SES will receive U.S. Army Apache helicopters at the SES West Aviation and Integration Facility located in Huntsville, where the aircraft will be disassembled, inspected and repaired as necessary. The components and airframe will be shipped to Boeing in Mesa, Ariz. for integration into the newest model Apache helicopter, the AH64D Apache Block III. Continue »

Headquarters, Army Contracting Command provides global contracting support to combatant commanders, and Headquarters, Expeditionary Contracting Command plans and executes contracting support for Army service component commanders in support of Army and joint operations. Headquarters, Expeditionary Contracting Command also provides support for multi-national contracting requirements.

Both contracting commands will collocate with the U.S. Army Materiel Command and the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, which are also moving to Redstone Arsenal as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The collocation of these organizations will serve to improve the integration of contracting services within the continental United States, overseas installations and theater operations.