Defense firm expands in Huntington

Telephonics Corp. of Farmingdale has never been a household name on Long Island, as were some other defense contractors, like the ones that produced hot fighter jets.

But unlike the old aircraft builders, Telephonics is not only still here, but also growing steadily. It has just taken over a 100,000-square-foot building on Park Avenue in Huntington for its electronics systems division that designs air traffic-control systems and U.S. border-surveillance equipment. Telephonics has two other buildings in Huntington, also on Park.

"This is an expansion," said Don Pastor, the division's president. Pastor said about 200 people work at the newly acquired facility, and another 100 may be hired later this year and next year.

With about 1,400 employees, Telephonics is the Island's second-largest defense contractor, after Northrop Grumman Corp., which has 2,000 employees in Bethpage.

Air traffic-control systems and border-surveillance devices fuel the division's growth, Pastor said.

The division represents about 25 percent of revenues of Telephonics' parent, Jericho-based Griffon Corp., a $1.3 -billion company.

Telephonics was the only Griffon unit whose revenue rose last year. The building-products and plastics units saw declines.

Despite Telephonics' growth, Griffon has not been a favorite on Wall Street, mostly because of its connection to the slumping building industry.

For decades, Telephonics has designed and manufactured communications systems for military helicopters and commercial aircraft at its Farmingdale facility. It expects more such work in the future. Much of the military work is highly classified.

Telephonics is now bidding on a large air traffic-control program in Hong Kong and has similar projects in China. "We plan on growing more," Pastor said.