Former factory in Stonington to become offices

Stonington - The owner and property manager for the former Hubbell manufacturing facility on Lords Hill Road announced Monday that the 70,000-square-foot building will soon be converted into offices and high-tech research and development space.

Quiambog LLC, a division of the Shermen Group of New York City, said the work will take place now that it has signed two long-term leases for 20,000 square feet of the available space.

One of the tenants will be the Oliver Group of Pawcatuck, which is currently located on Greenhaven Road and employs more than 35 people.

The company has announced that it will make the Hubbell site its corporate headquarters while continuing to use its locations on Greenhaven Road and in London, England.

The company's Web site states the move to the new corporate headquarters "was necessitated by the continuous increase in projects and the company's interest in providing even greater scale and capacity for clients."

The company has said it will use more than 11,500 square feet of the retooled manufacturing space. It plans to occupy the west wing of the facility and more than triple the capacity of its existing data center to allow for continued growth.

First Selectman Ed Haberek said Monday that the town worked hard to keep the data storage and retrieval firm in town.

Hubbell Inc., which manufactures and sells electrical components and data management systems will maintain engineering and development operations at the building and employ approximately 35 people. Hubbell ceased manufacturing at the plant about a decade ago and has used it for administrative, research and development and engineering work. Hubbell sold the building and land to Quiambog LLC for $2,750,000 in 2008.

Meanwhile, Haberek has been working with a Canadian company that is interested in space in the building, which sits on a 32-acre of land overlooking Fishers Island Sound. He plans to meet with the company again next week.

The leasing was handled by Francis Jenkins, principal of the Shermen Group, and Daniel Barber of Northeast Property Group, which manages the property.