Southern Indiana Business Report
WESTGATE@CRANE Technology Park, Odon – High Bridge Solutions marked the completion of its new 18,000-square facility at 1848 West County Line Road in Newberry with a ribbon cutting Friday, June 20.
This is the first location for the company at WestGate@Crane Technology Park and will support ongoing engineering and obsolescence management operations for radars and other military-based systems. The company also has a location in Hainesport, N.J.
“This new building in Newberry marks an exciting milestone for our company,” said Denton Clark, High Bridge Solutions’ program vice president. “It reflects both our growth and our continued commitment to serving our customers and supporting the local community.”
The new mixed-use facility has 14,000-square-feet of climate-controlled warehouse space and 4,000-square feet of office and conference space which will allow High Bridge Solutions to provide its customers logistics, engineering and program support. Four new jobs will be created in the near term at the new space, and there will be additional employment opportunities as operations expand.
High Bridge Solutions is a leading provider of customized kits that contain the required parts, supplies, tools for radar maintenance and restoration. The company has worked as a prime contractor with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division since 2017 and provides its engineering solutions to other agencies within the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard, Missile Defense Agency, and Defense Logistics Agency.
High Bridge was founded by Clark, John Schmidt and Larry Bigaj after they retired from their careers with Lockheed Martin. Bigaj said the first contract with Crane was followed by a second, larger contract for the Crane base. Bigaj said the continued work with NSWC Crane and the central location made adding the Indiana location a sound investment.
Conference room dedication
Schmidt, vice president of strategy and business development, recalled the start-up’s first meeting with Crane officials, which included Anthony “Hoss” Stacy, a US Navy veteran who ran Crane’s radar division.
“It was a great meeting, everyone was great,” Schmidt said. “We found out Hoss was the one who took a look at our presentation. He took a look at the price and said, ‘Sign them up.’”
Schmidt said that day was the beginning of a great professional and personal relationship with Stacy. Stacy passed away in 2021 at age 56. On Friday, High Bridge dedicated its conference room to Stacy. His wife Amber and son were in attendance for the dedication.
New investments around WestGate
High Bridge Solutions’s expansion adds to the growing list of defense-related companies announcing new investments in the WestGate@Crane area this year.
Helping facilitate those new investments is the Uplands Science and Technology Foundation (USTF), which is the nonprofit research foundation dedicated to supporting the long-term strategy and growth at WestGate@Crane Technology Park.
“High Bridge’s new facility reinforces WestGate@Crane’s role as a growing hub for defense innovation,” said Bryant Niehoff, CEO of USTF. “This investment strengthens our region’s radar sustainment capabilities and reflects the kind of momentum we’re working to accelerate both in the technology park and the broader Indiana Uplands region. We’re grateful to the Greene County Council and Redevelopment Commission, the WestGate@Crane Authority, and our many ecosystem partners for their leadership in making this possible.”
Greene County Council awarded a tax abatement to incentivize the construction and Greene County Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Director Brianne Jerrels worked with High Bridge Solutions to secure a location.
Jerrels shared her congratulations on the opening of the new facility, “We are so pleased that High Bridge is expanding in Greene County and look forward to their continued success.”