ATLANTA, Oct. 31, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forty years ago tomorrow, EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) opened its doors as a technology engineering company in Norcross, Georgia. Today, the Company culminated its month-long 40th anniversary observances in a special meeting with EMS Technologies staff. Anniversary festivities kicked off earlier this month with a groundbreaking ceremony for EMS's Defense and Space Systems' 30,000 square-foot building expansion.
"It is a great milestone for a great company. We will continue to grow and be relevant in the marketplace as the company that delivers mobility, visibility and real-time intelligence. Today marks the beginning of another 40 years of innovation and industry excellence," Paul Domorski, president and CEO, told employees in a meeting at the Company's headquarters.
EMS was founded on Nov. 1st, 1968 as Electromagnetic Sciences by Dr. John E. Pippin and eight employees. Pippin, who passed away in July 2007 at the age of 79, started EMS as a young entrepreneur striking out on his own, and it was his entrepreneurial spirit that gave the Company its breakthrough technology foundation.
EMS was spun off from Scientific-Atlanta (now a part of Cisco Systems), where Pippin was head of R&D. As part of the negotiations, Pippin secured an existing product line in microwave devices, which assured the Company much-needed stability and reduced the amount of investment capital that was required, since EMS received key test equipment from Scientific-Atlanta.
"That made all the difference in the world getting the Company going," recalls EMS Technical Fellow John Hoover, who was EMS's 10th employee, and today remains a senior member of EMS's Defense & Space Systems division's engineering staff. "I was proud of the Company's growth in the early years - we had very capable people - and we continue to have a strong base of technical staff today."
Among the first space components EMS built were microwave devices used in satellite payloads of weather satellites. "We also did a lot of work with the telephone company (AT&T) in the early days," Hoover says. In its earlier days, EMS pioneered the use of ferrite technology in space applications. As its technology base grew, EMS became an important supplier to the U.S. Defense Department, especially in space communications. A major milestone came in 1976 when EMS built the first electronically-steerable antenna flown in space for the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) satellite, precursor to both Milstar and Advanced EHF, which was built to ensure secure communication transmissions among U.S. military and country leaders.
Today's 40-year milestone is marked by a period of strong financial performance and expansion at EMS, including three straight quarters of revenue growth for 2008. In the past 16 months, EMS has acquired three satellite and wireless technology companies - DSpace Pty Ltd., now an operating unit of EMS SATCOM; Akerstroms Trux, Northern Europe's vehicle mount computing leader; and Sky Connect, the company's new Iridium-based tracking business. In 2007, EMS concluded with its best-ever financial results, and was honored as one of Forbes Magazine's 200 Best Small Companies.
About EMS Technologies, Inc.
EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) is a leading supplier of wireless connectivity solutions. With technology leadership positions in the aeronautical, defense and wireless logistics computing markets, EMS keeps people, systems and data connected, wherever they are -- on the ground, in the air, or in space. Headquartered in Atlanta, EMS employs 1,100 people worldwide in four business units: EMS SATCOM, LXE, EMS Defense & Space Systems and EMS Sky Connect. It has major manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, and Ottawa, Canada. For more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com.
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Editor's Note: Download high-res images depicting EMS Technologies' past and present at: www.ems-t.com/ems40.