Envoy Air announced it will establish a maintenance base in Little Rock, AR creating 60 new jobs in Little Rock over the next five years.
It starts with a pro-business environment and a governor who operates like a CEO. Thanks to a streamlined state government, Arkansas is able to act quickly and decisively on corporate interests, delivering the quick action and nimble solutions that companies like American Airlines need to efficiently expand and thrive in the highly competitive commercial airline industry. Solutions built on the success of six homegrown Fortune 500 companies and a booming economy that currently leads the nation in GDP growth. In fact, aero/defense manufacturing represents one of Arkansas’ leading export items, thanks to companies like Dassault-Falcon and Aerojet Rocketdyne.
Under the leadership of Governor Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas has taken steps to remove many bureaucratic burdens that hinder start-up, relocation and expansion processes. Arkansas Economic Development Commission has established a “single point of contact” system to help prospects do business with ease. AEDC’s Business Development Team stays up-to-date on incentives for job creation, research and development, investment and more.
Arkansas has the second highest percentage of manufacturing employment in the South and the 6th highest in the nation. A 4-year Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation is offered at Henderson State University, a program that includes 15 aircraft and state-of-the-art flight simulators to train graduates to fly commercial planes, manage airports and aircraft fleets. Pulaski Technical College offers an Aviation Maintenance Technology Degree and Certification Program. The Little Rock Airforce Base, home of the C-130 Combat Airlift, is the fourth largest employer in the state with 12,600 jobs on-base.
Industry leaders like Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Lockheed Martin made the decision to expand in Arkansas. In September, Envoy Air Inc., a subsidiary of American Airlines, announced that it will establish a new Aircraft Maintenance facility for the carrier’s growing fleet of 76-seat Embraer 175 (E175) aircraft at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, investing more than $2 million and bringing 60 new jobs to the area over the next five years. Arkansas is now home to more than 180 aviation/aerospace companies.
The state of Arkansas’ economy is strong. Arkansas led the nation in GDP growth in the first quarter of 2016 at 3.9% and has seen one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state’s history this year at 3.8%. And with a budget surplus of $177 million at the end of 2015, Arkansas is one of the most financially sound states in the country.