THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 21, 1996 TAG: 9605210445
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 29 lines
Eastern Computers Inc. has broken ground for a new manufacturing and engineering facility in the Lynnhaven area that, when opened in October, will increase the company's Hampton Roads work force by more than 50 people.
ECI President Richard T. Cheng said the new 40,000-square-foot facility will make several different telecommunications switches and other electronic devices for government and commercial customers.
He said some manufacturing and lab operations from other ECI facilities in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Lorton will be transferred to the new site at International Parkway and Reliance Drive.
Cheng estimated that between 110 and 120 people will work at the facility in October, including more than 50 new hires.
That will increase the Beach-based ECI's Hampton Roads employment to more than 200.
ECI designs, tests, builds, integrates and, in some cases, operates computer and telecommunications systems for its clients.
Cheng said the company, which a few years ago was almost exclusively a government contractor, now derives about 40 percent of its revenues from commercial customers.
The company has satellite operations in 31 states and in Heidelberg, Germany. Cheng estimated that ECI will post revenues of about $40 million in 1996. by CNB