(Volansi Photo)

Long distance drone delivery service startup Volansi is expanding its footprint with a new office in Bend, Ore.

The 5-year-old company will move some of its development, production, and testing work to Central Oregon. The 80-person company will relocate some of its employees to the new office and plans to have more than 50 people there by the end of 2021.

“With deep industrial roots, a rich talent pool, and mostly year-round good weather, the fast-growing Bend metro area was the obvious choice for co-locating the development, production, and testing of our aviation technology,” Hannan Parvizian, co-founder and CEO of Volansi, said in a statement. “We look forward to joining the community and making the Bend area our second home.”

Mike Jackson, vice president of global operations, is based in Bend and will lead the new office.

Volansi just raised a $50 million Series B round in September to help fuel growth of its drone fleet that delivers supplies for enterprise and government clients. Last month the company announced a collaboration with Merck to pilot the delivery of cold chain medicines in North Carolina.

Redfin last week noted that resort towns including Bend are increasingly becoming full-time residences for people who can work remotely.

“A lot of folks are moving to Bend without having ever stepped foot here,” Redfin real estate agent Angelica Webb said in a statement. “They’ve heard good things and want to get out of their cramped San Francisco or Seattle apartments, so they’re coming here and buying awesome, 3,000-square-foot colonial homes.”

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