Tech company Garmin plans to hire 50, building in Yarmouth

Switzerland-based GPS technology company Garmin Ltd plans to restructure its Yarmouth offices to accommodate an expected 50% increase in its workforce over the next few years.

The Delorme Map Store in Yarmouth was acquired by Garmin in 2016. Whitney Hayward/Staff Photographer, file

In 2016, Garmin acquired Maine-based mapmaker Delorme. Employees in Yarmouth design and deliver software for Garmin’s satellite and communications equipment.

The company is converting the second floor of a three-story building on Delorme Drive from storage to offices, meeting rooms, an exercise room and other spaces.

Sarah Kramlich, head of the company’s site in Yarmouth, said Garmin needed to build it because it hopes to add 50 to 100 employees at the site. The Yarmouth facility hosts employees from other Garmin locations, offers an internship program and is working on projects with the Roux Institute in Portland. Garmin needs to use all of the second and third floors to accommodate these people, Kramlich said.

Garmin said relocation work will last until the end of the year, pending approval from the city’s Planning Board. The proposal is expected to be reviewed by the board on Feb. 8, and Kramlich said the only major issue would be the traffic impact since the building’s footprint will not change.

Attempts to reach planning officials were unsuccessful as the municipality was closed due to weather.

Kramlich said the hiring is ongoing and will likely take at least 2024 before 50 new employees are on board.

The building is still owned by Global Village, an organization founded by the Delorme family. And even during construction, the public can continue to visit the building’s lobby to see Eartha, the world’s largest rotating globe, Kramlich said.

Eartha is 41 feet in diameter, weighs 5,600 pounds and made its first spin in 1998 after two years of construction.

The Globe is currently open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This spring, Portland-based Fork Food Lab plans to open a space in the lobby to sell food to employees and visitors, and Eartha’s hours will reflect those hours. t0 is prepared by a food laboratory.

Kramlich in 2010 After the 2016 acquisition, when Garmin closed its Delorme map store and then following the pandemic, it was difficult to schedule public hours for Eartha, he said. But the aim is to ensure that the public can see the world as many workers are in the building.

In the US, Garmin is headquartered just outside of Kansas City. The company provides navigation and communications equipment for fitness and outdoor recreation, as well as marine, aviation and automotive applications. Garmin continues to publish popular hard copy navigation guides under the DeLorme brand, such as the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer.

The company has approximately 19,000 employees in 34 countries and reports revenue of approximately $5 billion and gross profit of $2.89 billion by 2021.

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