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Aerosonic May Relocate Fire-Affected Workers To Virginia

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By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 11, 2008

CLEARWATER - Aerosonic Corp. could temporarily relocate to Virginia some of the 40 employees whose work spaces were destroyed in a fire that started Friday night and destroyed one of the company's buildings in a Northside industrial park.

Aerosonic operations continued at the Clearwater facility that employs 180, but it remained uncertain what would become of the employees whose tasks were displaced by the fire at an assembly building.

The tasks there recently had been transferred from Aerosonic's Earlysville, Va., facility, where about 20 employees remain, executive vice president Mark Perkins said. Some Clearwater employees could be asked to relocate to Virginia, he said.

"We can't say yet what will happen," Perkins said.

The fire that 75 firefighters put out early Saturday consumed the 40,000 square-foot facility. Fire investigators continued their assessment of the cause that preliminarily was labeled "suspicious."

No damage estimates were available yet, Perkins said. The facility was insured, and Aerosonic is working with insurance adjusters, Perkins said.

Perkins declined to reveal what contracts might have been affected by the fire but said Aerosonic was working with its customers to resolve any issues that might arise.

Aerosonic's most recent quarterly report for the period ended May 2 showed a loss of $236,000, or 7 cents a share, on revenue of $6.7 million compared with earnings of $62,000, or 2 cents a share, on revenue of $6.8 million for the year-ago period.

The company regarded last year as a "difficult transition year" as Aerosonic consolidated manufacturing operations at Clearwater in a process that cost more time and money than anticipated, an annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission reported.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 and tjackovics@tampatrib.com.

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