Construction is progressing on the new 4040 Chris Drive multi-tenant facility, and to celebrate the placement of the final beam, Freedom Real Estate and Capital, Invariant Corporation, and Torch Technologies hosted a Steel Topping Out ceremony on Friday, November 20, 2020 at 11:00 AM. In building construction, topping out is a builders’ rite traditionally held when the last beam is placed atop a structure during its construction. Due to COVID restrictions, this event was held privately.

The event began with a welcome from Huntsville Madison County Chamber CEO Chip Cherry and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. Next, we heard from property developer Freedom Real Estate & Capital CEO, Bill Roark, as well as from representatives of the tenants of the new facility, Invariant Corporation Director of Advanced Technology, John Montgomery, and Torch Technologies Senior Director, Brady Porter. Turner Construction’s Project Executive Brandon Tucker provided ceremony history, and Turner raised the final beam atop the structure.

“Congratulations to our design and construction partners for keeping the project on schedule and moving forward safely during COVID,” said Freedom Real Estate & Capital’s Director of Capital Projects, Lee Holland. The design is led by Arcspace Studio and construction is led by Turner Construction Company. The project has achieved 25,000 work hours to date with no lost time accidents or injuries.    

The 4040 Chris Drive Development is a multi-tenant building that will house up to 92,000 square feet and will feature a mix of office, research and development labs, light manufacturing, assembly, and integration space along with a high bay. The new mixed-use facility in South Huntsville has a completion date of early summer 2021.

Of the tens of thousands of companies that have applied to the Inc. 5000, 0.02% have made the list 14 times.

Inc. magazine today revealed that Torch Technologies, a 100% employee-owned technology services and solutions company headquartered in Huntsville, is No. 4313 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.

Torch is the only company in Alabama -and one of less than ten companies nationwide- that has made the list 14 or more years. Since its 2002 founding in Huntsville, Alabama, Torch has maintained consistent growth, expanding to include seven regional technical offices, and providing on-site field support at customer locations worldwide.

“We are proud that Torch has again been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and we are delighted to be among the 0.02 percent who have made the list 14 years,” said Torch President and CEO John Watson. “During these unprecedented times, we are especially thankful for Torch’s continued success and for our employee-owners’ diligence and commitment to our company, to our customers, and to the Warfighter.”

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years. 

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000

Freedom Real Estate & Capital (Freedom), Torch Technologies (Torch) and Invariant Corporation (Invariant) have announced they are breaking ground on a new mixed-use facility in South Huntsville, with a targeted completion date in the summer of 2021. The groundbreaking ceremony, cancelled due to COVID-19, was set to take place at the end of April. This new development follows the 2019 completion of Torch’s Technology Integration and Prototyping Center.

Freedom, a real estate investment company, will develop the new facility at 4040 Chris Drive, and has leased the first two spaces to Torch and Invariant, with opportunity for an additional tenant. The multi-tenant building will house up to 92,000 square feet and will feature a mix of office, research and development labs, light manufacturing, assembly and integration space along with a high bay.

Torch, a 100% employee-owned services and solutions defense contractor founded in 2002 in Huntsville, has shown its continued commitment to the redevelopment of and investment in South Huntsville through the rapid growth of its Huntsville headquarters. Torch’s campus consisted of two buildings in 2015, and just five years later Torch is breaking ground on its sixth building. “We are proud to work alongside the city and state in our continued efforts to improve the standard of living in our South Huntsville community” said John Watson, President and CEO of Torch.

Invariant, an engineering services and software development company founded in 2001 in Huntsville, is expanding into the facility to support its continued growth. “We are excited to grow and expand into this new facility that will provide our employees the resources needed to ensure quality services and products are delivered to our customers, and we are proud to be a part of Huntsville’s continuing success” stated David Anderson, President of Invariant.

The project is part of a continued effort to redevelop South Huntsville. The city of Huntsville has been working to reclaim, modernize and upgrade the area along South Memorial Parkway to encourage investment and redevelopment in the area, and is seeing tremendous progress with many announcements of new projects, including Hays Farm. “Torch has been a catalyst for South Huntsville’s revitalization since the very beginning,” said Bekah Schmidt, CEO of South Huntsville Business Main Association. “The new facility at 4040 Chris Drive is a mixed-use facility with a state-of-the-art laboratory and premier manufacturing space. We look forward to seeing this project completed next year and appreciate Torch’s continued investment in South Huntsville!”

Bill Roark, co-founder of Torch Technologies and CEO of Freedom Real Estate & Capital, added “We are proud to be able to contribute to economic development and growth in South Huntsville. This community is our home, and we look forward to watching it grow and thrive for years to come.”

Torch Technologies (Torch) virtually celebrated the ribbon cutting of its newest building, the Technology Integration and Prototyping Center. The ribbon cutting was scheduled to be held on March 13, 2020 at Torch’s new lab and solutions facility but was canceled due to COVID-19.

TIPC, the newest facility of Torch’s growing campus, consists of a 45,000 square foot, two-story research and development building with an attached 5,000 square foot high bay facility. The TIPC facility incorporates offices, labs, engineering design tools, collaborative work areas, meeting spaces, and a high bay and complete machining and fabrication capability.

“It was nearly two years ago that we celebrated the groundbreaking of Torch’s Technology Integration and Prototyping Center (affectionally referred to as the TIPC). At that time, we were 750 employee-owners and $348M in revenue,” said Torch President and CEO John Watson. “Since then, we have grown to approximately 1100 employee-owners and half a billion dollars in annual sales. A key contributor to this growth has been the investment we made into the TIPC.” 

The new facility has greatly expanded Torch’s capacity to deliver cost-effective design and prototyping solutions for their customers. With the addition of the newest facility, Torch’s Huntsville campus now comprises four buildings, and will break ground on a fifth building in April.

Torch, established on October 2, 2002 in Huntsville, Alabama, was founded by Bill Roark and Don Holder. In its first year, Torch had seven employees and one location. Now, with more than 1100 employee-owners in 17 locations in twelve states, one territory, and one foreign country, Torch is lighting the pathway of freedom.

For more information about the Technology Integration and Prototyping Center.

Entrepreneur360 List

“We are proud to have again been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine for our distinctive approach to innovation, growth, leadership, and culture,” says Torch President and CEO John Watson. “Our continued success as a 100% employee-owned company is thanks to our invaluable employee-owners. We are privileged to be part of a growing group of extraordinary people who are innovative and bright, and who make Torch a great place to work.”

“Every entrepreneur knows that a healthy business isn’t just about growth. It’s about being well-rounded—growing your culture and your systems as strongly as you grow your revenue,” says Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine. “That’s why we’re excited to celebrate these companies with our fifth annual Entrepreneur360 ranking. The companies that make the list have pushed boundaries with their innovative ideas, fostered strong company cultures, impacted their communities for the better, strengthened their brand, and grown impressively as a result.”

Honorees were identified based on the results from a comprehensive study of independently- owned companies, using a proprietary algorithm and other advanced analytics. The algorithm was built on a balanced scorecard designed to measure five metrics reflecting major pillars of entrepreneurship—innovation, growth, leadership, impact, and business valuation.

For additional details on the E360 List and the companies recognized, visit: entrepreneur.com/360

Torch President John Watson stated, “On behalf of our employee-owners, we are honored that the confidence placed in us by our DoD customers has resulted in Torch being recognized for the fifth year as one of the largest professional services prime contractors to the Federal Government.”

See the complete list at Washington Technology 2019 Top 100.

Entrepreneur360 List

“We are proud to have again been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine for our unique approach to innovation, growth, leadership, and culture,” says Torch President John Watson. “Our continued success as a 100% employee-owned company is thanks to our employee-owners. We are fortunate to be part of a growing group of exceptional people who are innovative and bright, and who make Torch a great place to work.”

“Our annual evaluation of vetted data offers a 360-degree analysis of top privately-held companies across a multitude of industries,” explains Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur Magazine. “They are deemed successful not only by revenue numbers, but by how well-rounded they are. The companies that make the list have pushed boundaries with their innovative ideas, fostered strong company cultures, impacted their communities for the better, and increased their brand awareness.”

Honorees were identified based on the results from a comprehensive study of independently- owned companies, using a proprietary algorithm and other advanced analytics. The algorithm was built on a balanced scorecard designed to measure five metrics reflecting major pillars of entrepreneurship—innovation, growth, leadership, impact, and business valuation.

For additional details on the E360 List and the companies recognized, visit: entrepreneur.com/360

Torch President John Watson stated, “On behalf of our employee-owners, we are honored by the continued confidence of our services and solutions DoD customers that has resulted in Torch being recognized for the fourth year as one of the largest professional services prime contractors to the Federal Government.”

See the complete list at Washington Technology 2018 Top 100.

The construction will include the construction of a new 35,000+ SF lab and solutions facility. Construction of this new building will allow Torch to undertake projects of greater complexity, “ranging from developing instruments that will completely change how warhead testing is accomplished to re-engineering products that protect our nation,” said Torch President John Watson.

The groundbreaking event took place at the lot on the corner of Chris Dr. and Vermont Rd. Next, a reception followed at The Freedom Center located at 4090 South Memorial Parkway. John Watson stated, “As a native Alabamian – born and raised in rural South Alabama, educated at Auburn in Central Alabama, and working a large portion of my career in North Alabama – I am sincerely thankful for the partnership that we have with the city and state, as we all work together to improve the standard of living in our community.”