by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
With virtually every economic official in the area in the room, the City and Alenia North America finalized a deal Thursday that will bring 300 high-paying jobs and infuse $100 million in capital investment into Cecil Commerce Center.
Alenia President and CEO Giuseppe Giordo and Mayor John Peyton inked a deal that will see the Washington, D.C.-based military cargo plane and defense plan manufacturer assemble the C-27J Spartan cargo plane at the former Naval base.
“This is a great day for Jacksonville,” said Peyton. “This would not have been possible without a partnership with the State (of Florida). This is the kickoff for development and opportunities at Cecil that we’ve all dreamed of at Cecil since it was closed as a military base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure. With this partnership, we will do great things at the Commerce Center.”
Cecil is currently divided between the City-owned commerce center and the property owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.
The assembly plant will be built on Aviation Authority property, but Peyton acknowledged it will serve as a catalyst for aviation and aerospace manufacturing regardless of where the plant is located.
“This brings an amount of credibility in the industry that will spawn more development,” he said.
Jerry Mallot, executive vice president of economic development for Cornerstone (the economic development division of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce), agreed with Peyton that the Alenia deal is just the beginning of Cecil potentially becoming an aviation and aerospace manufacturing epicenter.
“The really huge part of this is they are building, assembling and flying away from Cecil. That’s a major accomplishment,” said Mallot, adding that given the current state of the national economy, a deal such as this is proof the Northeast Florida area is better suited than most to withstand tough economic times.
“There could not be a better time to have 300 high-paying jobs and $100 million of capital investment,” he said.
Mallot also believes the Alenia deal will show other aircraft manufacturers that Jacksonville — and Cecil Commerce Center in particular — is a viable place to set up shop.
“Whether it’s complete assembly or partial assembly, airplane manufacturers will follow this announcement,” said Mallot.
Giordo said Jacksonville is one more step in his company’s plan to expand in the United States. Alenia North America is a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica and part of the Finmeccanica Group, which is based in Rome.
“Our strategy always has been to establish a presence in the United States,” he said, adding in 2005 the company went into a joint venture with The Boeing Company in North Charleston, S.C. “Now, we have 1,200 people working in South Carolina.
“We are not a financial investor. We are an industry investor which means we have a long-term investment. We are really committed to this community and really committed to creating good jobs in Jacksonville.”
Giordo said Alenia chose Jacksonville due to its quality workforce and the support of the local economic development and elected leadership.
“Three-hundreds jobs is not the maximum,” he said. “I expect this to grow.”
U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, a major proponent of the military and its continued presence in Jacksonville, said the deal with Alenia is an opportunity to build an aircraft that will help assure the U.S. military is the best equipped in the world.
Like Peyton, Mallot and Giordo, Crenshaw also sees the deal as just the beginning and expects Alenia and similar companies to migrate to Cecil Commerce Center.
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