LITTLE ROCK — The Mississippi County Quorum Court voted unanimously Tuesday night to commit $2 million in incentives to Aviation Repair Technologies, which will allow the Blytheville-based company to add 300 new jobs.
The Quorum Court also allocated an additional $2 million for a future phase of expansion that could generate 300 more jobs.
Clif Chitwood, economic developer for Mississippi County, said each phase could take three or four years.
Aviation Repair Technologies opened in 2008 and now employs 225 people. The county initially offered the company almost $3 million in incentives - including facility improvements and future rent payments - in exchange for a promise to hire 300 employees within four years.
The company still plans to add the last 75 jobs to live up to its original agreement with the county, in addition to the jobs it will add as it expands in the coming years, said Rick Uber, the firm’s general manager.
The next round of funding will be used to upgrade facilities at the Arkansas Aeroplex, formerly Eaker Air Force Base, allowing Aviation Repair Technologies to expand its services. The Blytheville-Gosnell Regional Airport Authority controls the former air base property and arranges leases of facilities.
The company focuses on servicing turboprop planes used for regional airline service, and plans to move into regional jet aircraft. The expansion will also mean repairing the planes’ components in Arkansas, instead of shipping them to facilities in other states, Uber said.
The firm plans to set the wheels in motion on its expansion immediately, once the money is awarded, Uber said. There are still details to work out, but he said the company could sign an agreement with the county as early as next week. After that, he said the company will probably start looking at resumes within two months.
The average salary for jobs at the company is $40,000, Chitwood said.
Aviation Repair Technologies also has received incentives from the state, including a $1 million community block grant to Mississippi County to upgrade hangars at Arkansas Aeroplex. The company also receives sales tax refunds on eligible building materials and machinery,state income-tax credit based on payroll of new employees, and training assistance.
A spokesman for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission declined to discuss any new incentives the company might receive as part of its expansion.
Mississippi County residents voted to impose a half cent sales tax in 2003, the proceeds of which go toward attracting industry with incentive packages like this one.
County Judge Steve Mc-Guire said the incentives have helped attract about 3,000 industrial jobs since the county started collecting the tax, which he said has generated between $15 million and $20 million.
Business, Pages 25 on 04/29/2010