deciBel Research Opens New Headquarters in Huntsville

Beth Martin, vice chair for small business for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, joins Dr. Baseem Mahafza, president and founder of deciBel Research, and Mayor Tommy Battle (far right) in cutting the ribbon for the company’s new headquarters in Cummings Research Park. (Click photo to enlarge)

deciBel Research, a company specializing in research, development and advancements of sensor technologies, recently held a ribbon cutting for the company’s new 40,000 square foot headquarters in Cummings Research Park. The company’s continued expansion is in response to the growth on Redstone Arsenal because of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (2005) decisions to move 4,700 direct jobs to Huntsville.

deciBel’s primary customers include the Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM), Program Executive Office - Missiles and Space (PEO-MS), Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC), and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). deciBel is also providing key technical contributions to the NexRad Doppler Weather Radar program.

The company has grown from one employee with $36,000 in revenue in 2002 to more than 80 employees and about $15 million in revenue in 2009.

Beth Martin, vice chair of small business for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, said that companies such as deciBel contribute positively to Huntsville’s high-tech reputation.

“Being part of our business community you understand that we are considered a high tech community. But through my involvement with the Chamber, I can say that I now see why we are considered one of the high tech epicenters in the world. And it is because of companies such as deciBel. This is a company that literally defines the positive growth occurring in our local economy right now,” Martin said.

Dr. Bassem Mahafza, president and founder of deciBel, recalled his journey to America with a goal to “live the American dream.” According to Mahafza, Huntsville is the only place in the world he could imagine ever being successful.

“Over the years I have taken many steps toward realizing this dream in all facets of my life - personally and professionally. Today, this event marks a major milestone along this path. For I know, that there is nowhere else in the world I could have accomplished or done more for myself, for my family, for my community, or for my country, as much as I am able to do here in Huntsville, Alabama. That, my friends, is truly living the American dream.”

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle applauded the company and its founder.

“You are America. What you have done for Huntsville and the country makes me the proudest mayor in America,” Battle said. “We built Cummings Research Park for this to be a center for excellence in technology and for companies such as this that literally wrote text books for Radar technology.