News
Arkansas Aerospace Industry On The Rise
The state of Arkansas’ recent success with Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. has shown its ability welcome the aerospace manufactures industry with open arms. The aerospace manufacturing industry is the largest manufacturing export industry in the state, and with the news that Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. will be expanding it’s Little Rock business-jet completion center, Arkansas is quite happy.
The expansion announced on June 13, 2007 from Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. executives, states that there would be 200 more jobs, an 116,000 square foot expansion, and another $20 million placed into the project. The current facility is used to manufacture the new Falcon 7X, and this will increase product from 50 aircraft last year up to 90 aircraft next year. With the average new employee earning about $20 an hour.
Christian Sasso, senior vice president and general manager of the Dassault Falcon center commented on the expansion saying, “We stated to do business in Arkansas more that 30 years ago…[and] we find everything we want here. It’s…a very good place to workâ€. And with some of the new employees expected to come from the aviation manufacturing technology program at Pulaski Technical College, a program designed specifically for the aviation completion center in mind, Arkansas is a perfect place to start. Dassault Falcon has even received $175,000 in incentives from the state of Arkansas and the city of Little Rock, all in an effort to help build this industry.
Even Governor Mike Beebe, who attended the announcement, commented that the state Department of Education is taking efforts to include aerospace industry into the high school curriculum.
Maria Haley AEDC executive director commented that, “I think that (future industry growth in the state) could be major if we do our job wellâ€. Implying that with this recent success Arkansas could be able to see it’s aerospace industry grow. The governor commented that, “we can continue to look forward to more and more success stories.â€
