Aria International Incorporated (OTC: ARAH), a publicly-traded defense contractor and systems integration company is relocating its headquarters from Virginia into the UA Tech Park in Tucson. Aria will also be a member of the Border Security and Technology Commercialization Center (BSTCC) located at the UA Tech Park and will participate in the exciting future of the organization.
Aria is an emerging company providing customized surveillance and communications solutions to a global customer base. Aria provides strategic solutions through systems integration of surveillance and communications systems. Working closely with clients, the firm provides effective and efficient solutions that respond to a customer’s defense and security requirements. Aria will occupy 3,000 square feet of office space in Building 9040 at the UA Tech Park and employs 10 full time employees and 8 independent contractors.
“The UA Tech Park offers unique connections that provide a competitive advantage for the firm. We intend to develop university research partnerships, leverage existing international partners, as well as key industry and federal relationships. All of these relationships will contribute to our efforts as we continue to further develop public-private- partnerships for the implementation of border security solutions around the world,” said Aria CEO, Mike Crosby.
Bruce Wright, the Associate Vice President for University Research Parks added, “Aria is the type of company we hoped to recruit as a member of the BSTCC because of its collaborative nature and innovative solutions.”
Southern Arizona has an emerging border technology cluster of companies providing solutions to secure its border as well as to facilitate trade. The UA Tech Park is developing the Border Security and Technology Commercialization Center (BSTCC) to assist in the testing and evaluation of new technologies that can be employed along the border. Aria International is a company working to be a part of the solution, with a close alignment to the BSTCC.
The BSTCC will provide third party testing and evaluation of border security technology solutions; promote economic development for key border communities, and addresses problems of border related agencies. The Center will identify, evaluate, test, deploy and commercialize off the shelf and novel technologies.
The UA Tech Park advances the University of Arizona’s research mission and its efforts at technology development and technology commercialization. The UA Tech Park contributes $3.0 billion annually to Pima County’s economy. It is one of the region’s largest employment centers hosting approximately 40 businesses and organizations that employee 7,000 people. The UA Tech Park is also home to the Arizona Center for Innovation, a technology business incubator, and three educational institutions - UA South, Pima Community College, and Vail Academy and High School. The UA Tech Park has been nationally recognized as one of the premier university research parks in North America. For more information, visit www.uatechpark.org.