By Jacki Moss

Special to the Tribune

Teledyne Electronic Manufacturing Services, a pillar of Lewisburg's business community for decades, has once again invested time, money, and a stake in the city's future by expanding. The company held the ribbon cutting for its Microelectronics Division last week, and opened the door to showcasing Marshall County as a major player in the high-tech arena.

Al Andry, president, Teledyne Reynolds Group, told the group of dignitaries that the new world-class operation is, "the only one of its type in this region that produces products of this type. It is totally unique in this aspect."

The microelectronics division of the company was moved, piece by piece, more than 2,030 miles from California to Lewisburg after the physical facility was completed. Carol Grogg, group controller, Teledyne Reynolds Group, said, "I want to thank the corporate team for having the vision and having the faith and foresight to move this operation across country. Then, to all the people who helped make this happen, and especially the boots-on-the-ground people who made this possible, we thank you."

Al Pichelli, executive vice president, Teledyne Technologies, explained the outlook for the company's investment in Lewisburg. "This new facility indicates our desire to be here. We have a warm spot in our heart for the microelectronics business. We intend to bring more employment to this area," he said.

"What a difference a year makes," Andry said. "Thank you to all who helped make this possible. It was a team effort." He added, "We're not done yet. We hope to be able to expand again and place more and more people here, and to employ more people in the future." Andry said that when they asked California facility employees to move to Lewisburg, there was not a lot of interest in doing so. "But," he continued, "when they came here and saw the beautiful area, and felt the warm welcome and hospitality of your community, and saw the schools, and the community spirit, several California employees decided to move here. That's a testament to your community."

There were 19 employees who moved here from California, said Grogg. "We expect to add 60 more employees locally in the future."

Shane Green, vice president and general manager, Teledyne EMS, Microelectronics, PCT, said, "We started in January creating the clean room and setting up for secure operations and lean flow. This is an overall investment of $5 million including the move and capital investment. This is a huge success story for Marshall County to bring this kind of technology to this area."

Green said that the new operations are not only up and running, but ahead of schedule. "We have already reached some milestones. We are definitely on track and, in fact, we are more than on track. We shipped our first product from this facility the end of April, two months ahead of schedule. And we know that we have a lot of attractive opportunities ahead of us."

Greg Lowe, director of economic development for the City of Lewisburg, said, "This facility and type of technology can changes the landscape and perception of southern Middle Tennessee from an economic development perspective. It shows that we can deliver the type of high-tech skills and employees needed for this type of operation. We will be working with our schools and community colleges and training centers to further develop a ready, skilled workforce for these types of businesses."