FLIR plans second headquarters in DC region

FLIR Systems said Wednesday it will open a second corporate headquarters office in Arlington, Virginia, to complement the current site in Wilsonville, Oregon, to be near federal government customers in the Washington, D.C. region.

This future 30,000-square foot facility will house 65 employees and top executives including the CEO, chief financial officer and chief human resources officer The office will be the main hub for FLIR’s government and defense business unit, plus be used as a conference center and gathering space to support its largest customer in the federal government.

“Having a greater presence in Washington, D.C. is critical to helping us grow our business, as it creates better proximity for FLIR to support key customers, investors, regulators, and the more than 4,000 FLIR team members around the world,” FLIR CEO Jim Cannon said in a release.

FLIR generated approximately 29 percent, or $515 million, of its overall revenue last year from government contracts.

Known for its thermal imaging technology, FLIR has made a trio of large acquisitions of unmanned vehicle companies in the last three years to position itself for anticipated growth in government spending there.

In February, FLIR acquired unmanned ground vehicle maker Endeavor Robotics for $382 million. That transaction followed the January acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicle company Aeryon Labs and the 2016 deal for Prox Dynamics, also a UAV maker but focused on much smaller drones.

FLIR will still be incorporated in Wilsonville and plans to kick off a renovation of its headquarters there during the second quarter of this year.