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Furthering Odessa’s already booming job market, an Alabama armament manufacture has agreed to bring 107 positions to town over the next five years.

Even more, Falcon International will bring an entirely new type of industry to Odessa.

“It’s one of the first things we’ve had that’s a step totally away from what we’ve considered before for this community,” said Tom McMinn, president of the Odessa Development Corp. board, which approved a contract Tuesday with Falcon International of Huntsville, Ala.

“This actually puts us in the arena for armaments,” he said. “This will bring other businesses in with that.”

Gary Vest, economic development director of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, said the contract calls for Falcon to spend at least $600,000 in its first year of operation and to have nine employees and annual salaries of $360,000.

Board members Rick Carlton and Frank Deaderick raised concerns that if the company isn’t successful, the ODC wouldn’t be able to recoup its investment. But after the unanimous vote to approve the contract, Carlton said that’s a chance the ODC takes with every economic investment contract it approves.

Vest noted that this is considered a great diversification opportunity for Odessa and outgoing economic development director Neil McDonald said the jobs in the new company are “supposed to generate mult-ijobs” under the concept of the emerging technology fund.

The company is slated for 3210 N. FM 1936 in West Odessa and is scheduled to start production of lightweight, composite armament panels that will be constructed in Odessa and shipped to Birmingham, Ala., for installation in military helicopters, Vest said.

Vest said the armament will replace existing armament in the helicopters. He said Falcon has contracts with Westwind Technologies and the U.S. Army.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Vest said. “This will have a lot of applications in the oilfield and elsewhere.”

Falcon’s five-year contract with ODC calls for the company to continue to grow and add employees until it has a total of 107 employees within five years. Vest said, though, that company officials estimate by that time they’ll actually have 190 employees.

Tommy Baker, who talked with Falcon’s Ed Rose about coming to Odessa, said the contract with Falcon International has been in the works for about nine or 10 months.

He noted that Rose grew up in Odessa and wanted to bring his company back here.

“I think they do a lot of work with the military,” Baker said. “If they can get government contracts, that’ll be strong money.”

Information from Falcon International’s website states the company has been involved with intrusion detection and physical security. Another project involved international security for Lockheed Martin.

Recent facility security design applications were also provided for NASA’s Advanced Space Transportation Program, Orbital Space Plane, Nuclear Systems Office and Integrated Financial Management Program, the website said.

Falcon International Inc.

>> $1.7 million: ODC commitment.

>> $850,000: Already received from the Governor’s Emerg-ing Technology Fund.

>> $360,000: Payroll in first year.

>> 107 jobs: Company commitment.

>> 9: Total jobs in first year.

>> 5 years: Length of contract.