According to a report Feb. 14 in MilitaryTimes, the Remington Outdoor Company is expected to announce a major expansion in Huntsville, Ala., as early as next week that would increase the company’s existing 2.1 million square feet of manufacturing space by about 25 percent.

Formerly known as Freedom Group, the Remington Outdoor Co. has been working for months to finalize a deal on the purchase of a 500,000-square foot facility. Television stations in Huntsville, located about an hour north of Birmingham and southeast of Chattanooga, reported Friday that city, county and state officials including Gov. Robert Bentley are expected to make an announcement Monday or early next week.

Several vacant buildings in Huntsville are rumored to be in the mix, one of those near Huntsville International Airport about 15 miles west of downtown. A second site is closer to the city. Huntsville is home to a varied skilled workforce, a Toyota engine manufacturing plant, four universities, numerous government contractors and Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army base that is home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

MilitaryTimes cited two unidentified sources that say “the expansion was undertaken to help the company meet unprecedented demand for its products. Space in the facility is not currently earmarked for any one of the company’s 18 individual brands, but to facilitate flexibility and growth of the Remington Outdoor Company.” The report said economic concessions have been made to Remington, and the facility will be multi-use with development, manufacturing and training for commercial, military and law enforcement.

Read the full report here in MilitaryTimes.

— Alan Clemons, Managing Editor