One of the keys to the Fort Knox Bermuda Limited's operation is the facility it began operating out of six months ago at One Stocks Road, Southside.

The former US Navy's avionics building was built in 1990 by the US military at the former Naval Air Base and was one of the last buildings built there before the servicemen pulled out in 1995. It was used to house and repair sensitive electronic equipment for aircraft.

Besides the sheer size of the facility at 30,000-square-feet, it is also bomb resistant -- "weather catastrophes will not affect it,'' noted Chief Executive Officer Troy Symonds -- and is environmentally controlled through a state-of-the-art air conditioning system. A massive Caterpillar generator provides full power backup.

"It is ideal for housing computers,'' noted Mr. Symonds. "The building is so sizable that it can offer a number of companies the ability to back up data there and even relocate to it in case of failure,'' he said.

A grand opening is scheduled for a week tomorrow -- March 29. "We've got a lot of goodies in store for the official opening,'' noted Mr. Symonds.

Troy Symonds