Industry News

Aetna U.S. Healthcare, based in Hartford, Conn., is building a $36 million, 180,000-sf regional headquarters in Landover to house 880 employees it will relocate from its Linthicum and Falls Church offices. The Capitol region's customer service functions and medical management will be accommodated in the new facility which is scheduled for completion in summer 2000.

Summit Technologies plans to start construction in August 2000 on a $3 million, 97,000-sf service center complex in North Austin. Coordinator for the three-building project is Development 2000. Summit Technologies produces ophthalmic laser systems.

Intel Corp. hopes to locate a new campus in the city of Austin that may function as their largest US design center. The new site would accommodate up to 2,500 employees. Intel is based in Santa Clara, Calif.

Cisco Systems, inc. is considering a 600,000-sf expansion consisting of office and research space at two sites in Boxborough. Cisco is also planning a 650,000-sf office complex in Littleton, Mass. The combined space at the three sites would approach 1.2 million sf, and would be built over a period of several years.

Cisco, based in San Jose, Calif., manufactures Internet equipment.

Polaroid Corp. has awarded Houston-based Enron Energy Services a contract for all energy management services at its seven major facilities in the US. The 10-year, $200 million contract includes energy commodity requirements and infrastructure improvements, as well as all operation and maintenance at the company's three Masssachusetts manufacturing plants.