Hunter Jones
CFD Research President and CEO Sameer Singhal first saw Bud Cramer Drive in 2019. Back then, it was just an empty street, a road to nowhere.
“It is amazing to see. When I first came out here, the road wasn’t even finished. It was just dirt and trees,” Singhal said. “I never could have dreamed of this when I met with Senator Steve Livingston in 2019 but we are really excited about how fast we have grown out here and about the really amazing work our people are doing to secure our national defense.”
Though there has been much to praise regarding where CFD Research stands today, the personal favorite of Singhal is the big CFD Research sign people see when they first turn in, joking that he wishes the ribbon cutting could have been done under it, if only they could figure out how to place the cameras around the large ditch.
Now, five years, Singhal and CFD are celebrating another landmark achievement, this time an expansion 19,000 square feet.
“This is a significant milestone for Jackson County and North Alabama. CFD Research’s growth strengthens our region’s economy and reinforces its role as a leader in the advanced technology department,” U.S. Congressman Dale Strong said.
A press conference detailing not just this expansion, but the past five years as a whole was held in the newest high-bay, still fresh off construction before any equipment could be stored inside and take up the spacious area.
The expansion will house more than 28 additional offices, a larger conference room space, the second high-bay and additional classified meeting and storage areas.
“The expansion represents our continued investment in the future of CFD Research,” CFD President and CEO Sameer Singhal said. “The additional space will allow us to advance our engineering and testing capabilities, serve our customers more effectively and continue our growth trajectory in alignment with the goals of our employee-owners.”
In there, CFD Research works with defense contracts, developing all sorts of engineering tools to improve the nation’s defense, with Senior Director of the Test and Evaluation Division Adam Elliot in particular noting their work in emerging hypersonic technology. Much of the work done in CFD is also being done by Jackson County residents.
“I think that is one of the unique things about this area. The east part of Jackson County is a little bit of an untapped resource. All of the expansion that is happening in Athens, Limestone and west of Huntsville so we are able to hire people out of Northeast Alabama Community College. We are actually able to hire people who live here every day and are tired of driving to Huntsville to the (Redstone Arsenal),” Singhal said. “We are excited to have this kind of high-end engineering defense contract work right here in Jackson County.”
