Draper Opens New Engineering and Operations Campus in Utah to Accelerate Innovations in R&D and National Security

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Draper announced today the opening of a new engineering and operations campus in Utah to serve its aerospace and defense customers and enhance its support of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Hill Air Force Base and other Department of Defense customers in the surrounding area.

Located in metro Clearfield, Utah, the campus will serve as a nexus for Draper’s support for missions and business in the U.S. aerospace, defense and national security sectors. Draper is a decades-long industry partner of the U.S. Air Force, including the Minuteman III and Sentinel programs.

“We are proud of our continued growth across the nation and establishing campuses in proximity to customers, centers of innovation and tomorrow’s workforce,” said Draper CEO and President Dr. Jerry M. Wohletz. “Our new campus in Utah is intentional as it provides a critical location for the defense, technology and innovation community. With our new campus, we are even better positioned to serve our nation’s strategic nuclear deterrence programs.”

The Utah campus marks an important milestone as the company builds on its ongoing expansion of customer capabilities and partnerships in the region. Draper has provided engineering services and technology development to the U.S. Air Force since 1957.

Frank Serna, Draper’s Vice President and General Manager of Air Force and Missile Defense Strategic Systems, said, “The opening of our new campus in Utah brings proven performance, a highly skilled team of experts and a continued commitment to ensuring weapon system operational readiness for the U.S. Air Force. Utah’s talented and diverse workforce will be a valuable contributor as Draper grows in Utah.”

The campus is located at 1366 South Legend Hills Drive, Suite 180, Clearfield, Utah 84015. The company has appointed Paul Hendrickson, Associate Director for Air Force Strategic Systems, to lead the Utah campus. Hendrickson is based in Utah and will report to Serna.

A Utah native, Hendrickson was raised near Hill AFB and later stationed at the base while on active duty in the Air Force. He said, “Draper’s new campus enhances our support of the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and Hill AFB, as well as our partnerships across Utah’s innovation ecosystem of universities, state and local governments, and among our Deep Tech Frontier industry partners. Our commitment to Utah is strong and growing with today’s announcement.”

The new campus opening marks the twelfth location for Draper. The company’s campuses include Cambridge, Mass.; Cape Canaveral, Fla.; Houston, Tex.; Huntsville, Ala.; Lowell, Mass.; Odon, Ind.; Pittsfield, Mass.; Reston, Va.; Clearfield, Utah; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Titusville, Fla., and Washington, D.C.

Draper selected Clearfield, Utah, for the location of its twelfth campus. The Massachusetts company has provided engineering services and technology development to the U.S. Air Force since 1957. Credit: Draper
Draper selected Clearfield, Utah, for the location of its twelfth campus. The Massachusetts company has provided engineering services and technology development to the U.S. Air Force since 1957. Credit: Draper