HUNTSVILLE — Parsons, a company with a longtime presence in Huntsville, opened its new facility in Cummings Research Park with a ribbon cutting and open tour of the building Sept. 14.

From its first project in Huntsville in the 1950s to its expansion this year, Parsons has been working closely with local clients in federal and military-related projects concerning engineering, defense, intelligence, missiles and space. Parsons already as 500 employees in Huntsville, and the new facility is expected to employ about 50 more.

“It is hard to believe we just broke ground here in October,” said Mike Dewitz, executive vice president and manager of engineering and technical services at Parsons. “ … Our team prioritizes the mission and our customers above themselves. Without their commitment to the safety and security of our nation, the great state of Alabama and the Huntsville community, this building would not be possible.”

Parsons’ new facility, according to Dewitz, is designed to support the company’s technology development and production of prototypes. He said it is expected to create more than $50 million in revenue.

“This facility will greatly enhance our contributions towards ensuring mission success for our current and future customers, and most importantly, the warfighter,” Dewitz said. “We are extremely proud to continue bringing new capabilities to bear in support of our troops.”

United States Rep. Mo Brooks (AL05) praised Parsons for their work in strengthening national security and helping keep military personnel safe on their missions. One way Parsons does this is through producing laser devices that are mounted on military vehicles. These help warfighter achieve their tasks with minimal loss of life.

“We very much appreciate it from a national perspective that Parsons is able to do so much to help expand our military capability,” Brooks said. “In Congress, I want you to know that things are going very, very well on national security issues. We hope that this will be just the first of the expansions for Parsons in [Cummings] Research Park and elsewhere in the Tennessee Valley.”

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison Mayor Paul Finley were also in attendance at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Battle called Parsons’ new facility an asset and “the kind of facility that adds to the tool belt” across the Tennessee Valley.

“I want to say thank you to Parsons … but also thank you to those 500 employees who are the ones that make it happen day after day after day,” Battle said. “We’re looking forward to great things—500 (employees) today, 1,000 tomorrow.”

Finley echoed Battle’s praises and added that there is a sense of pride in the work that Parsons does in aiding the military and national security.

“It’s the pride in what we’re going to do for the warfighter, for safety, for making their overall journey better,” Finley said. “ … We’re trying to make it easier for them to get to work and do the things that they need to do, and it’s our responsibility.”

According to their website, Parsons was founded in 1944 and focuses on infrastructure, defense, security and construction. The company is headquartered in Pasadena, California, and has offices around the globe. In Alabama, Parsons has an office in Mobile in addition to Huntsville.

Parsons is located at 401 Diamond Drive in Huntsville.