Waterloo dronemaker announces major expansion as market grows

Michigan State Police officers bring the Aeryon SkyRanger in for a landing on Jan. 15, 2015 at the State Police training track in Dimondale, Mich. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / Dale G. Young)

As the market for drones grows, so too does the amount of space needed by Waterloo Region’s biggest manufacturer of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Aeryon Labs announced Thursday that it had opened a new, 30,000-square-foot office on Kumpf Drive in Waterloo – just down the street from its existing 40,000-square-foot facility.

“We remain committed to Waterloo Region as our primary base of operations,” company president Dave Kroetsch said in a press release.

“The world-class talent pool and proximity to other leading technology organizations is highly desirable, and we are confident in our ability to continue to hire and retain top engineering talent.”

Last fall, Aeryon secured $60 million in funding from Summit Partners, a global growth equity firm.

One hundred and twenty-five people are employed by Aeryon, the company said, while its drones are sold to customers in 35 countries – primarily for professional uses, rather than recreational ones.