Company working to combat terrorism to locate in Ponca City

<br>PONCA CITY, Okla. (AP) _ A technology company that will work to help combat terrorism will begin operations in this north-central Oklahoma town. <br><br>Virginia Beach, Va.-based Applied Marine Technology

Thursday, August 28th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PONCA CITY, Okla. (AP) _ A technology company that will work to help combat terrorism will begin operations in this north-central Oklahoma town.

Virginia Beach, Va.-based Applied Marine Technology has signed an agreement with ConocoPhillips for space at the ConocoPhillips complex.

AMTI will put a Naval Data Repository operation at the complex, said AMTI executive director Paul Albers.

The project is part of the Combating Terrorism Data Base Remote Data Repository 2003 Initiative.

AMTI is a technical services company that provides government and the private sector with professional services including security evaluation and solutions; domestic preparedness assistance; systems engineering; program management and rapid prototyping of unique technical solutions.

Roy Fultz, AMTI Business Center manager, said the work force will be hired locally with three to five people hired initially with plans to eventually increase the work force to up to 50.

The average salary for AMTI is $72,000, Fultz said.

The Ponca City location was chosen because of its geographically central location in the United States, there is a jet capable airport and a large source of university-level scientists and engineers in the labor pool.

The space at ConocoPhillips was attractive because there was no construction required and excellent physical security is in place, which could easily be upgraded as desired.