Force Communications Inc., a Plano, Texas-based maker of fiber-optic products and high-speed Internet modems, says it hopes to hire about 20 more employees this year at the assembly and distribution facility it opened in Spokane Valley last year.


That facility, located in the Spokane Business & Industrial Park, currently employs four people, but the company could begin hiring additional product assemblers there, says CEO Pat Rockford. Rockford is the companys only other employee and splits his time between Spokane Valley, Plano, and selling on the road.


Force Communications, which expects to have revenues this year of up to $6 million, was formed less than a year ago and immediately opened an operation in Spokane Valley, says Rockford.


It contracts with engineers in the Dallas area to do much of its design work and uses contract manufacturers to build its products.


Parts for its fiber-optic products are manufactured in Spokane Valley by Premier Manufacturing Inc., and its DSL modems are made for it by companies located elsewhere in the U.S, he says.


Its products, which include fiber-distribution panels, high-density fiber frames, outdoor cabinets, and the DSL modems, typically are sold to universities, small telephone companies, and other businesses, Rockford says. He says the company sells both directly and through distributors.


A lot of fiber-optic companies have been acquired and assimilated by larger companies, and they are often not as responsive to the needs of smaller companies, he says. The need for fiber optics is huge in the national small-business market, Rockford says.


He says the companys Spokane Valley assembly plant currently occupies about 4,000 square feet of floor space, but the company likely will need more space when it hires the additional 20 workers.


Spokane Valley was selected for our operation because it has a good blue-collar labor pool, the industrial park is convenient, and we have a good working relationship with Premier Manufacturing, he says.


Force Communications has provided fiber enclosures, fiber-optic cables, and other fiber-related components for Gonzaga Universitys $3 million communications infrastructure rebuild that started in October and is nearing completion now, says Wayne Powell, Gonzagas chief information officer.


Force Communications signed a contract within the past two weeks to provide DSL equipment to Phillips Communication & Equipment Co., of Charlottesville, Va., a big distributor of carrier-class equipment, says Rockford. They could soon become our biggest customer, he says.


Contact Rocky Wilson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at rockyw@spokanejournal.com.