Drone Delivers Shovel to Groundbreaking

ERMA – As the groundbreaking for Cape May County’s Tech Village was about to take place May 15, Freeholder Will Morey noticed the group was short a shovel, so he called for another.
Suddenly, a drone carrying a special, golden shovel appeared on the horizon and gently delivered the implement to the site. With that, the importance of the soon-to-be-constructed “village” was brought into focus.
“Today we are ushering in economic innovation and development for Cape May County and the region,” Morey said. “We are reimagining our economy to include technology, not just tourism. We are offering our young people a more diverse career choice, so they can go to college, get a degree and come back home to live and work.”
The event showcased the first of three buildings planned as part of an economic development project that will take place at the Cape May County Airport in Erma.
The property will house a $6.2 million, 20,000-square foot innovation hub to encourage the evolution of emerging tech businesses that will provide sustainable, year-round jobs to residents in the region.
According to Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton, the initial building is already 50% leased by D-Tech International, Inc., and Cellular Tracking Technologies, Inc., which will occupy 5,000-square feet of the building.
“I always believed the airport property was not being used to its full potential,” said Thornton. “The freeholder board spent some money here to upgrade roads and parking lots, improve infrastructure and encourage economic development. The UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry. We need to get some of that business here.”
D-Tech International, Inc., was launched in 2002 by Managing Director Marvin Crisp.
D-Tech International Ltd is a privately owned company and is one of the leading suppliers of technology products and services for public spaces in the United Kingdom and in the U.S. and Canada, mostly in the library sector and recently in radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies for tracking, managing, protecting and forecasting demand.
Crisp said that when they first located in Cape May County, many parts were imported or manufactured outside the country.
“Now we manufacture everything here in Cape May County or purchase it from a local source,” Crisp explained.
Michael Lanzone, chief executive officer of Cellular Tracking Technologies, said Cape May County makes sense for a company that develops tracking devices for wildlife applications.
“This area is internationally renowned for the bird migration. It was a natural location for us. When we came here, we had five employees. We now have 18 employees and work with 30 local contractors,” Lanzone said.
Casey Halverson, chief operating officer (COO) of Cellular Tracking Technologies, said the number of companies that will be drawn to the Cape May County area will create a big impact.
“The companies that will come here will create well-paying jobs, year-round employment, and workers who will go out to eat, buy goods and services and put money back into the community,” Halverson said.
Morey said the continued partnership with the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) would produce continuing dividends.
“Today is just a start. We are now in position to welcome more companies like these,” Morey added.
To contact Carl Price, email cprice@cmcherald.com.