Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), an Arcline Investment Management portfolio company, celebrated the grand opening of its newest Training and Service Center Campus in Chesapeake, Va. located at 733 Curtis Saunders Court on May 17th. The state-of-the-art, 45,000-square-foot facility is positioned to offer fully integrated service and technology solutions to the largest concentration of Navy, Military Sealift Command, and Coast Guard fleets in the US.

Local dignitaries joined FMD CEO George Whittier and other company executives for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, facility tour, and other activities to commemorate the occasion. Dignitaries included Brenda Roberts of Congresswoman Jen Kiggins's office (Virginia Second District); US Navy Vice Admiral Bill Houston, Commander of the Submarine Forces; Eric Matthies, incoming OPC Program Manager for the US Coast Guard; Jordan Watkins of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership; Ben White with the Chesapeake Economic Development Department; and multiple City of Chesapeake Councilmembers.

“Fairbanks Morse Defense has made it clear that they are going ‘all-in’ by making a significant investment in this training and service center in Chesapeake,” said Steven Wright, Director of Chesapeake Economic Development. “We’re ready to welcome and support the FMD service team and the numerous technicians who will benefit from advanced training on critical equipment and look forward to supporting FMD’s future growth in our community.”

The Training and Service Center campus will bring approximately 50 new jobs to Chesapeake. It will also serve as a hub for training current and future engineers that will contribute to the mission success of American maritime defense operations.

FMD’s Chesapeake Training and Service Center includes the following:

• 13,000 square feet of training center shop space, including four fully dressed workstations featuring four different FMD engines for students to pull apart and reassemble, in addition to dedicated training available on all FMD products.
• 20,000 square feet of service center space, providing local and responsive full-service capabilities that include equipment overhauls and repairs as well as unit exchange solutions for rapid turnaround.
• 6,000 square feet for training center offices, classrooms, break rooms and conference space.
• 6,000 square feet for service center offices, a tech library, a service center classroom, and break rooms.

The site can also be significantly expanded, allowing FMD and its family of brands to utilize additional space over time.

“Fairbanks Morse Defense continues to lean into the US Defense market by locating this training and service facility where Navy, Military Sealift Command, and Coast Guard forces can effectively access its capabilities and participate in hands-on development activities working shoulder to shoulder with their FMD industry partners, said George Whittier, FMD CEO. “We hope this facility will help fill the pipeline for the defense industrial base with a diverse and enthusiastic group of service technicians who possess the skills to perform jobs that are in demand today, as well as jobs that we’ll need in the future.”