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Ohio Investor Seeks Seat on TransTechnology Board

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An Ohio investor who said he hopes to fill a vacancy on the board of Sherman Oaks-based TransTechnology Corp. has increased his stake in the company to 5.4%, or 276,100 common shares.

Michael J. Berthelot of Hudson, Ohio, bought 13,500 TransTechnology shares from Sept. 20 to Nov. 30 for $5.25 to $7.25 each, for a total of $79,660, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. TransTechnology is a diversified industrial and military products concern.

Hudson said he believes that the stock will gain in value because the company recently sold two poorly performing divisions, Space Ordnance Systems, or SOS, in the Santa Clarita Valley and Sidereal based in Portland, Ore.

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SOS is a manufacturer of devices containing solid propellants and explosives. Three of its officers were convicted in 1986 of illegally dumping toxic chemicals after health and law enforcement officials discovered tainted soil and water at its two plants in 1984.

TransTechnology sold SOS in March. Berthelot said he believes that the costs of cleaning up the plant, as well as other one-time costs last year, caused the TransTechnology stock to be undervalued.

Berthelot, a certified accountant, said he wants a seat on the company’s board because “my background might provide some assistance.” He declined to comment about whether he plans to seek changes in the company’s operations.

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