Local, state and military partners took part in Thursday's grand opening of the Leonardo Helicopters U.S. maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Santa Rosa County.
The new Florida Support Center is expected to bring in dozens of high-wage jobs and provide a boost to the economy in the Gulf coast community in the western Panhandle.
Gov. Ron DeSantis shared the ribbon-cutting duties with Clyde Woltman, CEO of Leonardo Helicopters U.S., after remarks from several state and local partners.
Touting the state as a leader in aerospace and defense innovation, DeSantis said Leonardo and its plan to create 150 jobs were a good fit for Northwest Florida.
"You have the best military community across these bases with the active duty," began DeSantis. "But then the veterans that stay here, of any place in the United States of America as far as I'm concerned. So, that provides opportunities to really advance the ball in industries like the defense sector."
The governor talked about traveling to Italy to build trade relations with Leonardo and detailed some of the state's contributions to the project.
"We were happy to have done, a couple years ago, a $4.2 million grant to Santa Rosa County through our job growth grant fund, and that supported the connection of Naval Air Station Whiting Field to Whiting Aviation Park," he said. "That's been a big positive and we were happy to have done it."
Through the Defense Industrial Grant program, DeSantis said, the state also helped engineer another $500,000 to the county for the aviation park and the double-entry gate system that connects it to the base.
Capt. Ted Elkins, commanding officer at NAS Whiting Field, said Leonardo's compatible development in the Whiting Aviation Park presents a win-win, both for the Navy and county.
"Having a world-class company in our backyard will be a huge boost for the local economy, while also advancing the aviation support capabilities for our mission of producing naval aviators at NAS Whiting Field," said Elkins.
Whiting Field is a big part of the equation, as the Navy's aging TH-57 Sea Ranger used for years for helicopter pilot training is being replaced by Leonardo's TH-73A.
Leonardo is a world leader in aerospace, defense and security.
Woltman said after securing the Navy's helicopter contract, his team's desire to eliminate the challenges of distance — when it came to delivering their support services — really meshed with Santa Rosa County's vision of establishing an aviation park adjacent to the naval air station.
"That was really the genesis," said Woltman. "Then as we looked at it, we were initially thinking maybe a warehouse, spare parts. Then we thought, well, the aircrafts can get slightly damaged during training, so we want to be able to provide a higher level of mintenance and repair for the frames and the bodies. Then we thought, well, what about the gear box, what about all the dynamic machinery, which is really high-tech. That's why we have the test bench here."
Woltman said the location in Santa Rosa County was a great choice due to the good number of commercial customers in the Southeast United States.
"We're the largest operator of helicopters on the oil platforms in the Gulf of America (Mexico). And, we're pushing probably 1,200 helicopters in this region and in Central and South America. So, this is the site. When you need to have a repair and overhaul, you come here."
Already, the Leonardo facility has created 36 jobs, with a phased approach to hire more employees, as needed, at competitive salaries.
A local posting for a mechanical technician shows a salary range of $55,000 to $95,000 per year. The pay for a mechanical flight line technician advertised for $80,000 annually.
County commission Chairman Kerry Smith says in this region's hotbed of military veterans, the aviation company should have no trouble finding a qualified workforce.
"A lot of these people that are coming out of the military after 20-some-odd-plus years of experience and training and working in the military," Smith stated. "The work ethics that they carry forward and coming into a company like this, this is the talent that they're looking for. It's no wonder that they've concentrated in this part of the state."
And, with the long-dreamed grand opening of Leonardo facility's at the county's new aviation park, Smith proudly declared that this is just the beginning.
"This is the launching point right here. This is the kind of stuff that we have to get adjusted to seeing."
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