NOA Air Screw Howden to Move to Corona

NOA Air Screw Howden Inc. plans to move from Anaheim to Corona this November to less expensive quarters.

The manufacturer of fans and cooling equipment now leases four buildings in Anaheim, totaling about 40,000 square feet. Its new 48,000-square-foot leased facility is located in the Corona Commerce Center, off Highway 91 near Serfas Club Drive, and the company plans to spend more than $700,000 for additional improvements.

Barry Loomis, vice president of NOA, said that the company’s search for a new location included a “very exhaustive effort in Orange County.” However, “it was less expensive for us to move to Corona,” said Loomis. The facility--part of a 82,000-square-foot-building--offers room for future expansion, and the Corona area has more affordable housing for company employees, Loomis said.

The company’s 85 employees will remain with the firm, and about half of them already live in the Corona-Riverside area and are happy with the transfer, said Loomis. Those living in Orange County at least will have an easier commute to Corona than Riversiders have to Orange County, added Loomis.

NOA was founded in 1969, and in 1981 was acquired by the publicly held Howden Group PLC of Scotland. Loomis said that NOA had sales of about $10 million last year, and that company officials hope to double that figure in the next four to five years. He said that 90% of its business is from military contracts, typically building cooling and refrigeration equipment for tanks and helicopters.