REI’s mission is to make the best products
Research Electronics International (REI) held the official ribbon cutting on its 36,000-square-foot addition this weekend. The company, founded in 1983 with a small staff in Putnam County, has since become a leading manufacturer of electronic test equipment for security applications.
“Macintosh and Dell’s computers didn’t exist yet, nor did the 3.5-inch floppy disk, cellular phones or the internet (aka World Wide Web). But espionage and information security was nothing new and (Bruce) Barsumian had a talent for making products to protect against eavesdropping,” according to a release by the company.
More than 40 years later, REI (now a subsidiary of HEICO Corporation) is a world leader in the design and manufacture of Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) equipment serving government agencies, law enforcement, corporate and private security operations.
Powerful components in technology advancement and the future of counter-surveillance are a couple of the many things dreamed, workshopped, created and assembled by REI.
This expansion, the company’s second since 2002, was planned to support growth in engineering, production, and training center options of future growth.
“So much technology has changed since 1983, when Bruce Barsumian, a young, self-taught inventor, launched REI. Ronald Reagan was in his first term as U.S. President,” according to REI.
Barsumian spoke in 2023 when REI celebrated its 40th year in business.
“I never imagined REI would become an industry leader…at first, we just wanted to make the best products we could,” he said.
REI’s mission is simple: Make the best products. Expansion is “driven by new product development, growing markets and increased staffing,” according to the company.
“The REI Training Center has also seen a rise in attendance, prompting the need for additional project rooms and offices,” according to a release.
Attendees toured the facility soon after the event.
“This morning, we celebrated the groundbreaking of Research Electronics International’s 36,000-square-foot expansion,” according to the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. “Congratulations to the entire REI team on this exciting new chapter!”
For more information about REI, visit reiusa.net or follow along on LinkedIn.
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