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                    "From left, Matt Ciuca, Aurora Flight Sciences chief engineer; Clint Church, Aurora COO; U.S. Rep. Michael Guest; Gov. Tate Reeves; Luke Colville, president and CEO for Aurora; U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly cut the ribbon Wednesday at a new 50,000-square-foot expansion at Aurora\u2019s campus. The facility expansion, which represents a $43 million investment, is expected to bring more than 30 new jobs to the region in the next four years. Braden Simmons/Dispatch Staff\t\n\t\t\tAfter two years of construction, Aurora Flight Sciences\u2019 new 50,000-square-foot expansion is projected to increase production at the facility by up to four times and create more than 30 new jobs over the next four years.\nOn Wednesday, state officials and Aurora leadership gathered at the manufacturing facility near the Golden Triangle Regional Airport to ceremonially cut the ribbon on the site\u2019s expansion and improvements to existing production facilities.\n\u201cWe\u2019ve grown to what you see today,\u201d Luke Colville, president and CEO of Aurora, said to a crowd of more than 100 community leaders, dignitaries and employees. \u201cA 170,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility. When Aurora first expanded to Mississippi 20 years ago, we had one customer, (and) one program. Today, reflecting on that journey we\u2019ve taken, I\u2019m proud to say our customer base has significantly grown, our projects have multiplied and our accomplishments have reached new heights.\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tLuke Colville, president and CEO for Aurora Flight Sciences, speaks Wednesday to a crowd during a ribbon-cutting event for the company\u2019s 50,000-square-foot expansion at its facility. Colville told The Dispatch the expansion is expected to increase production at the facility from roughly 30,000 pounds of hardware to anywhere from 90,000 to 120,000 pounds annually. Braden Simmons/Dispatch Staff\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\nHeadquartered in Virginia, Aurora Flight Sciences opened at the Lowndes County Industrial Park in 2005. The company specializes in the design, testing and production of unmanned aircraft systems and was acquired by Boeing in 2017.\nIts Lowndes facility started at 21,000 square feet and has since grown to include more than 170,000 square feet after its most recent expansion.\nThe project also included renovations of roughly 40,000 square feet of the building\u2019s existing infrastructure and the construction of new automation equipment, robotics, capability and non-destructive inspection technologies, Colville said.\n\u201cA small portion of that was additional office space,\u201d Colville said. \u201c\u2026 But the bulk of that was we took what we used to have just (as a) hangar \u2026 and we renovated the hangar to be controlled manufacturing space.\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tLuke Colville\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\nColville said the goal with the $43 million project was to increase production at the facility from roughly 30,000 pounds of hardware to anywhere from 90,000 to 120,000 pounds annually.\nGov. Tate Reeves, who spoke at the event, said that kind of expansion shows the success Aurora has had in Mississippi since constructing its original facility and its intent to continue to benefit the region.\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTate Reeves\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\u201cWhat days like today say to us \u2026 is (that industries have) been here,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cThey know the quality of the people that work here. Companies like Aurora and Boeing do not invest capital in places, (and) they do not commit to hiring more people in places where they don\u2019t already know that we can get the job done. \u2026 This is what momentum looks like, and this is what happens when companies and great teams and great people work together, and Mississippi isn\u2019t slowing down any time soon.\u201d\nSince expansion construction began in 2024, Aurora has hired about 40 new employees for mostly skilled technician positions, Colville said, adding that Aurora expects to hire another 36 employees over the next four years to help meet its increased production goals. The site currently has 120 employees.\nThough Colville did not specify the salaries of those new positions, he said they are expected to be \u201ccompetitive\u201d with manufacturing salaries in the local area. Meryl Fisackerly, CEO for the LINK, said the average manufacturing employee salary sits around $64,000 in the Golden Triangle.\nU.S. 1st District Rep. Trent Kelly said he hopes to see Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College graduates fill many of those Aurora positions.\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTrent Kelly\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re also bringing in this talent from other states, (and) I think that\u2019s so important,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cMississippi used to be a place when I grew up as a kid. We had to go. \u2018Where can I go to be successful? What state do I need to go to? Where do I need to go?\u2019 \u2026 Now, kids in other states are going, \u2018I can go to Mississippi and make it worthwhile,\u2019 and that\u2019s thanks to companies like Aurora.\u201d\nU.S. Sen. Roger Wicker echoed Kelly\u2019s sentiments.\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tRoger Wicker\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\u201cPeople educated at East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State University can live and come up and work and prosper in a free and peaceful country because nobody is willing to take us on,\u201d Wicker said.\nU.S. 3rd District Michael Guest said the continued growth of Aurora showcases the need for investment in defense spending by the country more broadly.\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMichael Guest\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\u201cAurora provides critical components and support for the United States Navy, Air Force, Army, and for the NASA mission as the future of warfare changes and evolves,\u201d Guest said. \u201cAurora Flight Sciences will continue to lead as our military prepares to fight the wars and battles of tomorrow.\u201d\nAurora in 2024 received a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption from the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors for the proposed expansion.\nDistrict 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, whose district includes Aurora, said he was pleased to see the fruits of that incentive Wednesday at the facility.\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tLeroy Brooks\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\u201cOne of the things is when you start providing incentives, especially financial ones. At the end of the day, you actually want to see the results,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cYou want to know the investment you\u2019ve made (is) real, and (see) the kind of impact that they\u2019ll have on the community. \u2026 It\u2019s exciting to see this.\u201d\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n      \n      \n        Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.\n      \n    \n\n\t\t\t\n      \n      \n        Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community."
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