General Dynamics to leave Burlington

After years spent at their Lakeside Avenue plant in Burlington's South End, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has announced plans to relocate. In a statement released on Friday the 23, the company revealed that it will be moving its operations to IBM Road in Williston next year. The company is one of Burlington's largest private employers, with a roster of nearly 450 people.
According to General Dynamics, employees will remain at the existing Lakeside Avenue site until the new facility is reconstructed to the company's specifications. The new facility, owned and operated by IBM Corp., consists of 112,000 square feet of office space.
General Dynamics received nearly $522 million in business with the federal government during 2008. According to figures provided by Bill Mastersons from the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center, the company is Vermont's largest beneficiary of federal contracts.
General Dynamics Armament Technical Products creates products for every branch of the U.S Department of Defense, along with the Ministries of Defense of more than 30 allied nations. The company manufactures weapons systems for ground vehicles and ships, solider weapon systems, missile and space systems, rocket and tactical systems, and aircraft defense systems. The Burlington Facility serves as a technology center, not a weapons manufacturing operation.
The history of the Lakeside Avenue plant stretches back to 1948, when the plant was first used by General Electric as a manufacturing facility. In 1993 the plant was purchased by Martin Marietta, which eventually became Lockheed Martin and subsequently sold the plant to General Dynamics Armament Systems Inc. for $3.4 million in 1997.