New York Firm Consolidates In Ayer
Site will house more than 235 employees
Two divisions of the New York-based defense and telecom firm L-3 Communications may soon bring more than 200 jobs to the town of Ayer, forming the company's largest operation in New England.
L-3 hopes to consolidate Wolf Coach, an Auburn-based division of the company that manufactures specialized telecommunications vehicles for military, broadcast and law-enforcement use, and Concord's Essco, which makes high-tech antenna systems, at a 216,000-square-foot facility in Ayer previously occupied by Veryfine. The two divisions could begin manufacturing operations there by next summer.
Job Growth
The facility, which has been vacant since Veryfine was acquired by Kraft in 2004, is on Nemco Way, and is owned by Needham-based EIP Nemco Way LLC. The relocation will bring the companies' combined 235 employees to Ayer, and an estimated 30 new manufacturing and engineering jobs will be created as part of the move, said Thomas Casale, president of both companies and a graduate of WPI.
The consolidation would create L-3's largest New England operation. L-3 operates 99 business units worldwide, and employs more than 60,000.
Since both companies use similar manufacturing processes, it made sense to house them in a single facility to promote efficiency and accommodate for future growth, according to Casale.
Both company moves are necessitated by outside forces, Casale said. In the case of Wolf Coach, its Auburn quarters at 7 B Street are too cramped, and suitable expansion space is not readily available. Essco's landlord in Concord is re-purposing its facility, and the company's lease there will be terminated next August.
Owing to their need to relocate, the companies contacted the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, and were referred to Bonnie Biocchi, a regional director based in Devens. She said they have considered a number of sites in the past few months, including sites in Westborough and Northborough, but none so far have been as suitable, or available, as the Ayer site.
According to Biocchi, the companies will seek Tax Increment Financing from the town and will take advantage of special state tax breaks for manufacturers.
The board of selectmen was receptive to the project at a preliminary meeting held Oct. 30. Board of selectmen Chairman Gary Luca said he was "very excited about the whole thing." Selectman Connie Sullivan noted the town's past TIF-friendly attitude, and said he was confident a deal could be struck. The companies hope to put the project on the "fast track," and were expected to submit a detailed TIF proposal to the board of selectmen in the hopes of getting town approval before the end of the year.
After the board considers the proposal, it must go before a special town meeting for approval, and then back to the state for ultimate approval.
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