Poulsbo’s eAcceleration sets sights on Manette

Poulsbo-based eAcceleration has gotten the nod from the Bremerton School District recently to purchase the 55-year-old Manette School to expand its operations.

The company purchased the building for $850,000.

The 17-year-old company began as Ballard Synergy in Silicon Valley, Calif. It moved to Kitsap County 12 years ago and became Acceleration Software International.

Following the “dot.com implosion,” the company changed its name and focus according to a presentation company officials made at the meeting Sept. 16.

EAcceleration licensed an anti-virus scanner in 2001 and went on to sell Defender/Stop-Sign a year later. its headquarters has about 200 employees, according to a presentation made to the school board last week.

“Not only was it priced right, it was closer to the people who already work (in Poulsbo),” Walton said. It also gives the company more visibility when it comes to recruiting workers from the Puget Sound region, not just Kitsap County he said.

The Manette School Building would hold up to 200 employees, but just how long it will take the company to reach that point has not yet been determined said Mike Walton, eAcceleration’s director for business development. Initially 50-75 employees will be relocated to the former school.

They plan to renovate building the 30,000 square-foot building by installing a sprinkler system, new roof, heating and ventilation system and windows. They will also replace the network cabling and the landscaping. The location will be used for customer service, tech support and sales.

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