Aerojet Rocketdyne

Huntsville, Alabama, has long been known as the “Rocket City” because of the profusion of aerospace and defense companies based there.

When Aerojet Rocketdyne decided to move its defense projects headquarters from Sacramento to Huntsville, the rocket and missile manufacturer hired HPM to lead them in the pursuit of the industry’s best facilities and to assist in a challenging cross-country relocation. HPM led multiple stakeholders through the management of multiple projects for the expansion, which brought roughly 800 jobs to the city in two facilities.

The 136,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility was completed on time in December 2018. HPM served as the owner’s eyes and ears to keep leadership in California informed of progress so that they could coordinate the moving of their large equipment to Alabama. The facility produces, among other cutting-edge equipment, the AR1 advanced rocket engine and cases for solid rocket motors. The facility also supports 3D printing production work for various aerospace and defense projects and advanced rocket propulsion research and development activities.

Just a few miles down the road, HPM guided renovations of a 30-year–old office building to house Aerojet Rocketdyne’s defense division. The decades-old space required a gut renovation to accommodate the new employees and the highest of the high-tech business they support. One of HPM’s greatest impacts was coordinating with multiple stakeholders including the building’s owner and Aerojet Rocketdyne to manage landlord and tenant costs and align those with their respective budgets. Additionally, Aerojet Rocketdyne was up against a tight schedule as they had employees and their families relocating from California. HPM led the charge in pushing the schedule to completion to make sure their employees had a place to work when they arrived at their new home in Alabama.