BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -Fortune 500 company Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) [NYSE: SAI] will officially open a new facility in the WestGate@Crane Technology Park this week. The facility will house approximately 200 new employees for SAIC’s Indiana operations, which has grown from 120 employees in 2001 to approximately 1000 employees in 2009.

SAIC is a global corporation and a leading contractor for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, with fiscal year 2008 revenues exceeding $8B annually and more than 45,000 employees, and a local workforce of more than 1,000 employees providing engineering and technical solution services for Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in southern Indiana.

“Crane and the WestGate Tech Park represent a strategic opportunity for the creation of high-impact jobs and regional growth,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, who oversees the Office of Defense Development. “I applaud SAIC for their continued commitment and new investment in support of Crane, the people of southern Indiana, and our nation’s defense.”

NSWC Crane is located on the U.S. Navy’s third largest physical base and contributes more than $2.0 million each day into the Indiana economy, employing approximately 2,600 scientists, engineers, and technical professionals, as well as a local contractor base of approximately 1,700 employees.

SAIC’s WestGate @ Crane location is home to the SAIC Warfare Systems and Integration Solutions Operation, supporting NSWC Crane customers in Special Missions, Strategic Missions, and Electronic Warfare/Information Operations. SAIC personnel provide innovative, leading edge technical solutions and NSA Crane Mission Support with engineering, software, logistics, technical, multimedia services for our Warfighters. The operation also works with other SAIC sites in Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“SAIC is proud to be an integral part of Team Crane and the southwestern Indiana community. SAIC is committed to Crane’s success,” said SAIC Defense Solutions Group President Deb Alderson.

The new 37,800 SF state-of-the-art facility includes a High-Power Laser and Optics Lab, over 4,000 SF of secure space dedicated to Electronic Warfare system development and test, a Rapid Prototyping & Development Lab, and an Environmental Lab.

“As the WestGate continues to come online with new buildings, research and development facilities, and high-tech secure warehouses, the technology park is ideally situated to attract major defense and related national operations into Indiana,” said WestGate Development Co. Managing Partner Dale Ankrom.

The SAIC project construction was provided by Rutherford Construction Services of Sheridan, Indiana.

Current tenants in the WestGate include defense contractors Technology Service Corporation (TSC), ML Enterprises, Stimulus Engineering, ITT, NAVMAR, EG&G and SAIC, as well as the headquarters operations of the Crane Federal Credit Union (which directly serves base employees and residents of the region). The WestGate expects to make several more announcements within the coming months as leases are finalized with additional companies.

Since the park’s inception, defense and technology companies have created approximately 275 jobs at the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park.

About WestGate@Crane Technology Park
Qualified as a state Certified Technology Park (CTP) by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park represents a natural marketplace for defense contractors currently providing technical support and research and development services to the base. SAIC, the nation’s 7th largest defense contractor, and EG&G, a subsidiary of the $2 billion URS corporation, in addition to ITT, Technology Service Corporation (TSC), Stimulus Engineering, ML Enterprises and NAVMAR, already maintain operations in the park. For more information, please visit WestGate@Crane.