Cannon Manufacturer, Test Site are 'a Big Deal' in Elgin
NewsOK.com
Jennifer Palmer
August 26, 2008
ELGIN — The first business at Elgin's Fort Sill Industrial Park opened its doors Monday, bringing jobs and opportunity to this city with a population under 1,500 in southwest Oklahoma.
BAE Systems, a Maryland-based global defense company, will occupy a 10,000-square-foot building in the new industrial park. BAE Systems will focus on production of the Army's Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon vehicles and eventually provide about 100 jobs.
Elgin Mayor Larry Thoma said the new facility is a "big deal” for Elgin and has been in the making for about 10 years. "A lot of people put their heart and soul into this project,” he said.
BAE Systems also plans to build a 150,000-square-foot operations center to anchor the Fort Sill Industrial Park; completion is planned for 2009. Thoma said he hopes BAE's presence will draw other military-related companies to the area.
