By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Governor Kay Ivey (R) and her team were at the Paris Air Show last week working to continue to grow Alabama’s booming aerospace industry. One of the largest aerospace employers in the world, Boeing Co. has a large presence in the state of Alabama. Currently Boeing has about 2,700 employees in Alabama; but that is expected to swell nearly fifteen percent to 3,100 by 2020.
The director of State and Local Government Operations for Boeing in Alabama, Ken Tucker said, “As the leading aerospace manufacturer in Alabama, Boeing supports a diverse portfolio of programs from missile defense programs such as the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system – which recently intercepted a mock Intercontinental ballistic missile during a test — to space exploration programs such as the Space Launch System family of rockets that will take us to Mars.”
Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield said, “Boeing’s continued growth in Alabama is a testament to the company’s strategic vision, as well as the skillful execution by its workforce in the State.”
Boeing recently announced an additional 400 jobs and $70 million in capital investment by 2020.
Boeing spokeswoman Jennifer Wollman said, “While our employment in the State currently remains steady with approximately 2,700 employees, we expect to see that increase in the coming years. We also continue moving forward with our capital investment plans and expect to have more to share on that later this year.”
Tucker said, “Boeing is investing in the future of Alabama as a center of innovation, continuing to bring highly-skilled jobs and growth to the region.”
Boeing’s Alabama operations are centered at two main facilities in Huntsville, located in the Jetplex Industrial Park and at Redstone Gateway. Boeing is expanding the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Seeker facility in Huntsville. The 28,000-square-foot facility will include machinery and other capabilities to support the missile defense program for the US Army. Boeing’s Huntsville Design Center supports 20 major programs such as the new 777X, 737 Max, 787 and more. The Boeing Research & Technology research center develops future aerospace solutions for defense and commercial businesses. Huntsville is also home to NASA’s Space Launch System program, where Boeing is responsible for the design, development, testing and manufacture of the core and upper stages, as well as the avionics for the nation’s next-generation rocket to transport people and cargo to deep space including potentially Mars.
Secretary Canfield said, “Boeing innovation in Alabama is key to our nation’s defense and space programs, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.”
(Based on an original Commerce Department report by Dawn Azok)
