6/10/19 Northrop Grumman signs new Albuquerque lease - Albuquerque Business First

Northrop Grumman signs new ABQ lease, eyes land for future facility

Expanding engineering and defense giant Northrop Grumman has signed a new Albuquerque lease, and is prepping plans for another facility.

Tech Fellow Andrew Kwas told Business First Northrop is eyeing plots of land on Gibson Boulevard near Kirtland Air Force Base for a new building. The company had originally planned to start building in around a year, but recently moved the timeline for the facility back to two years, he said.

Until then, the company will house some of its growing workforce in a newly leased space at 8220 San Pedro Drive NE, Kwas confirmed. CBRE brokers Tom Jenkins, Marguerite Haverly and Jason Lott represented the property. Dan Newman and Debbie Dupes, also CBRE realtors, represented Northrop Grumman.

CBRE and Northrop Grumman officials declined to disclose further lease details, including square footage.

Albuquerque builder Skarsgard Construction is performing the buildout, and has subcontracted electrical work to the Duke City-based Silverado Enterprises. Northrop is paying Skarsgard around $200,000 for the buildout, Owner Jason Skarsgard said.

The development signals forward motion on Northrop's plans for a major Albuquerque expansion, including the creation of 150 engineering jobs over the next three years. The hiring round would bring its employee count in town to 300.

Kwas said Northrop has been slowly hiring to meet the company's expansion goals. In scouting for talent nationwide, Northrop has had little difficulties in filling open positions, he said. Others have told Business First being among the first to approach fresh graduates from New Mexico institutions is key for finding in-state talent.

Northrop's local expansion stemmed from a string of large contract wins and its $7.8 billion acquisition of defense contractor Orbital ATK, now operating as Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. About half the additional hires will work for the subsidiary, Business First reported.

Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia, serves the aerospace and defense, information technology and electronics industries. The company is on the tail end of a similarly sized expansion in Mesa, Arizona, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.