Newly Formed Land Sea Air Manufacturing to Fill Former Knorr Brake Headquarters

As Knorr Brake Corporation celebrates the opening of its new 235,000-square-foot facility on Rt. 97, newly formed manufacturing company Land Sea Air is settling into its new home -- the former Knorr Brake headquarters on Baltimore Blvd. in Westminster. 

A former senior programs manager for General Dynamics has teamed with the owner of East Coast Machining Inc. to found Land Sea Air Manufacturing, a new corporation based in Westminster that fabricates components servicing the aircraft and aerospace industries, as well as defense contracting firms, according to a news release.

To accommodate projected growth, Land Sea Air recently spent $3.5 million on the 90,000-square-foot Knorr office, warehouse and manufacturing facility at 861 Baltimore Blvd.. 

“We expect to enlarge our workforce to more than 50 employees by year-end, as well as significantly improve and expand the engineering, manufacturing, assembly and information technology aspects of the operation and needed space to accommodate these plans,” said Paul J. Virtz, vice president for Land Sea Air.

“Conditions are ideal within our industry that presents tremendous opportunities for organizations that are nimble and can react quickly to changing customer requirements. We are working quickly to retrofit this building and expect to be fully operational in this new space by June,” he added.

Predecessor company East Coast Machining, previously owned by new Land Sea Air Manufacturing President Todd Paul, will be relocating from its 20-year location on Airport Drive, and a small machining facility on Locust Street will also be consolidated into the new building, according to a release.

The employee base of 16 workers operating in approximately 6,000 square feet of space is expected to more than triple to more than 50 highly-skilled machinists, sheet metal fabricators and welders, among other positions.

Walter Patton and Peter Dudley of NAI KLNB, hired to market the 1970-constructed building, indicated that they fielded numerous inquiries from companies to re-develop the structure.

“The acquisition by Land Sea Air retains the consistent use of the building as a manufacturing operation, preserves existing jobs and lays the foundation for the hiring of more than 30 new workers. It as a fantastic economic development story,” Patton said.

“This transaction was the definition of win-win for Carroll County and the State of Maryland on multiple levels,” Patton said in a statement. “Without a new owner, [the building] could have sat vacant for a number of years or been eventually demolished for a commercial re-use. Land Sea Air is taking advantage of the existing equipment and office layout for a near seamless transition that will keep this facility fully-functioning,” he added.

Virtz estimates that the average annual salary for the machinists, sheet metal fabricators and welders that the company intends to hire to be “extremely competitive for the Carroll County marketplace.”

Westminster resident Virtz plans to integrate his business into the community in other ways too.

“All of our employees will become integral and contributing members of the neighborhood but, in particular, we have hired three business interns this summer that will work closely with the local 4-H clubs," Virtz said. "The challenge is for them to turn $200 into more than $1000 for the club."

In addition, to create a consistent pipeline of skilled workers, the company is working to implement a continuing education and job training program, according to a news release. The company is exploring opportunities with Carroll Community College.     

“Actually, this is a win-win-win for Carroll County, because Land Sea Air has also been chosen to supply parts for Knorr Brake Corporation,” Patton said. “Sometimes, in this business, everything falls into place perfectly.”