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estled away in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia is one of many firms that have become an integral part of the burgeoning U.S. homeland security industry. /
   ITT Industries Night Vision is the leading supplier of night vision goggles to federal state and local law enforcement agencies. The company has been located in Roanoke since 1958 and has specialized in military contracts, but its scope has since broadened into homeland security applications, necessitating a major expansion in 2006 which added 250 jobs to the operation's 1,000- employee work force. /
   The US$51.8- million expansion, funded largely through federal, state and local grants, is aimed at boosting production to satisfy increasing global demand for night vision products. ITT Night Vision is also adding a new product that combines thermal imaging and image intensification technology. /
   "For more than 40 years, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the County of Roanoke have been our valued partners and have supported us through every stage of the defense business cycle," said Mike Hayman, ITT Night Vision's president and general manager, in announcing the project. "From the natural beauty and great quality of life, to the caliber of the area workforce, we find Roanoke, Virginia, to be an excellent location for industry." /