Business Council of Alabama member Torch Technologies Inc. in Huntsville on Friday announced a major construction project.
The groundbreaking event at the site of the new facility included speakers Governor Kay Ivey, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.
The project consists of constructing a new 35,000-plus square feet lab and solutions facility to allow Torch to undertake projects of greater complexity, “ranging from developing instruments that will completely change how warhead testing is accomplished to re-engineering products that protect our nation,” Torch President John Watson said.
“As a native Alabamian – born and raised in rural South Alabama, educated at Auburn in Central Alabama, and working a large portion of my career in North Alabama – I am sincerely thankful for the partnership that we have with the city and state, as we all work together to improve the standard of living in our community,” Watson said.
Torch’s sister company, Freedom Real Estate & Capital, LLC, recently acquired the land located on the corner of Chris Drive and Vermont Road, Torch said. The company partnered with Freedom Real Estate & Capital to develop the property and Torch will serve as the anchor tenant of the new facility. Project development partners include Matheny Goldmon Architecture and Turner Construction.
Last year Torch celebrated its 15th anniversary and earlier this year John Watson, a BCA board of directors member, was presented the Still Ambassadorial Award.
Presenting the award were BCA Chairman Perry Hand, chairman of Volkert Inc. in Mobile, BCA President and CEO William J. Canary, and Birmingham attorney and BCA board member Stephen W. Still, for whom the award is named. Still is chairman of the BCA’s Ambassador program, a ProgressPAC board member, and a shareholder of Maynard Cooper & Gale.
Torch Technologies Inc. founded in October 2002 is a 100 percent employee-owned small business dedicated to quality technical services, competitive costs, and ethical business practices.
This year Torch was recognized as the ESOP Company of the Year by the New South Chapter of The ESOP Association and was named a winner of the 2018 Best Places to Work in Huntsville award. Torch previously won in 2017, 2016, 2012, and 2008.
In 2017, Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine named Torch a Best Medium Workplace for the second consecutive year and also named Torch one of the country’s Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services for the second consecutive year in 2017.
Washington Technology listed Torch in its annual “Top 100” Government Contractors ranking for the third consecutive year in 2017, and Bloomberg Government listed Torch in its annual “Top 200” ranking in 2017. Torch was also ranked in the Inc. 5000 list for the eleventh consecutive year in 2017. Additionally, in 2017, Torch was ranked No. 16 on the Entrepreneur 360 list.
In 2016, Torch was named one of America’s Best Small Companies by Forbes. In 2015, Torch won the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Business Ethics in the North Alabama Region for the 3rd time, also winning in 2009 and 2005.