Raytheon's Bill Foley talks about big move to sold-out Chamber crowd

Richardson’s access to transportation and a skilled technical workforce have been a factor for many companies relocating their operations. The most recent company to make headlines by relocating to Richardson is Raytheon.

Raytheon will move its Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS) unit from Garland, Texas to a new state-of-the-art office complex to be built at the CityLine mixed-use development in Richardson. Approximately 1,700 employees will occupy the 489,000-square-foot, 3-building campus. Raytheon has about 8,000 employees in North Texas.

Bill Foley, Director of Operations for Raytheon, spoke to a sold-out crowd at the Richardson Chamber of Commerce Growth & Mobility luncheon May 14. He told the crowd of mostly business development professionals that Raytheon selected Richardson and CityLine because the new location supports a young, technical workforce.

Foley indicated that the Richardson campus will become an engineering hub for Raytheon in DFW. The ISS operation is growing with its focus on cyber security. Headquarters for ISS, one of four main business units, will remain in Dulles, Virginia.

Raytheon surveyed its Garland employees and discovered that the center point of all the employees’ homes was only a couple blocks east of CityLine in Richardson. The look and feel of the new campus will be in line with the culture of the Defense and Aerospace industry, says Foley.

In addition to workforce, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Bush Turnpike Station was a key factor in selecting a new home.

Raytheon plans to begin occupying the new facility by late 2015 or early 2016 as construction is completed. The building is planned to be LEED Silver Certified.

Growth & Mobility is a bi-monthly Richardson Chamber of Commerce luncheon that features speakers pertaining to new business and transportation updates in Richardson. The lunch is held at the Chamber and is open to members only.