AEC selected Rochester over several other competing sites because the city agreed to support the expansion with land-acquisition assistance and to help with the permitting process and coordination of expansion activities.
AEC located in Rochester in 1988 and expanded to the Granite State Business Park in 2000 and again in 2007, increasing its employment to 173 workers and total square footage to 129,000 in the process.
This latest expansion would involve the relocation and/or hiring of 30 employees this year and, ultimately, 200 new jobs during the next several years.
Expansion of the Rochester operations will include the relocation of three product lines and associated product development activities from AEC’s parent corporation’s Mansfield, Mass., facility. In the interim, AEC has leased 84,000 square feet in the Granite State Business Park next door to its facility. The company will immediately increase capacity and continue planning for the future new construction at the campus.
The possibility of relocating and attracting more than 200 high-tech, high-skilled employees was a critical component of the site location process, the company said.
“The ability to attract a qualified work force is very important to this expansion,” says Brian Coffenberry, general manager and vice president of AEC. “Rochester offers the quality of life, education and training opportunities we need to employ the best and continue to grow our business.”
AEC expects payroll in Rochester to more than double to more than $25 million, including benefits, during the next seven years.
The city of Rochester is supporting the expansion by agreeing to purchase two lots at the business park for $1 each, giving AEC the ability to invest the funds that would have been spent on a land purchase into a high-quality site design, the site-preparation work and the facility itself.
The city will also provide technical assistance and coordination in the permitting and approval process, both at the local and state levels.
The New Hampshire Division of Economic Development is also aiding the expansion by making several resources available to AEC, including work force training through the New Hampshire Job Training Fund and assistance via the Research & Development Tax Credit program.
“The city has been instrumental and indispensible to this project,” Coffenberry says. “Having professional city staff available during the decision-making phase has been critical to selecting Rochester. We are confident that the city is behind us and will continue to be a valuable partner as we grow.”
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