A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week for what will be the largest facility and private employer to-date at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona. The City of Mesa and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority recently reached agreement with Able Engineering to operate the facility as an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business.
Mayor Scott Smith said that Able Engineering is a perfect fit for the Gateway area and represents the aerospace pillar in Mesa’s HEAT (healthcare, education, aerospace, tourism/technology) Initiative for economic development. Hundreds of high-tech jobs are expected to be brought into the area that is becoming well known for aerospace research, design and defense.
The MRO will have approximately 191,000 square feet and will be the largest facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Both the City and the Airport Authority agree that an FAA certified MRO facility will enable the airport to attract additional commercial, cargo, general and business aviation companies as well as military defense contractors.
The MRO is scheduled to open in early 2013. Able Engineering has agreed to locate more than 320 jobs there within 12 months of occupancy. The goal is to double the size of the workforce by 2015, making it the biggest private employer in the Gateway area. The current average salary of an Able Engineering employee is $100,000.
Able Engineering, founded in 1982, is an international business and $40 million aerospace enterprise that is currently performing more than 8,000 proprietary FAA approved repairs on aircraft.
