Willis Acquisition Enterprise, LLC

A minority-owned company specializing in services for drones is moving to Tech Town.

Willis Acquisition Enterprise LLC, founded in 2016 in Springfield, is moving into a 300-square-foot incubator space in the Entrepreneur's Center at 714 E. Monument Ave. near downtown Dayton. The company offers aerial video services, as well as a number of "turnkey" tools for drone imaging including mapping, modeling, site surveying, and stockpile monitoring.

The company targets its services to insurance companies for a variety of businesses, and it could hire on additional people in the coming year, said Stephen Willis, its founder and sole current employee. Other industries from construction to surveying and engineering have embraced the use of unmanned craft for imaging, with several of the largest names in the Dayton area setting up unmanned systems units of their own.

“We are excited to serve in the Dayton area and its business need.” Willis said. “What better place for new aviation technology business than the birthplace of aviation technology than Dayton.”

The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce will have a ribbon cutting and open house for the business on June 30 where Willis will demonstrate its products.

"It's always good to see a new addition to Tech Town," said Steve Nutt, senior vice president at CityWide Development Corp., which manages Tech Town.