Industrial Park Alliance Reaches for the Stars
Sweeping support for aerospace companies established
 

COLUMBUS, Miss. – The GTR Global Industrial Aerospace Park, whose creation was announced Oct. 19, will call upon a broad, regional effort to target an industry that currently represents 10 million existing jobs in the United States, economic development officials said.

Located in Lowndes County, MS and anchored by three major aerospace installations, the park will immediately benefit from a wealth of support, including a tremendous network of existing and planned infrastructure, the educational resources of three major universities and two community colleges, and a great deal of required environmental and geotechnical testing already completed.

“This master planned aerospace park will allow us to use our regional advantages to create continued opportunities for the citizens of Lowndes County and surrounding communities,” said Joe Max Higgins, CEO of the Columbus-Lowndes Development LINK. “The team members who worked to develop the plan believe that it will bring us the same type of benefits that the Lowndes County and Crossroads Megasites have provided to the region since 2004. Having worked in this field for 22 years, I can safely say I have never seen a site with such attributes. I want to give a special thanks to the communities in east Mississippi and west Alabama that have supported this effort to date.”

Occupying 2,500 publicly-owned/controlled acres in central Lowndes County, the site sits adjacent to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport and accesses existing infrastructural elements of power, gas, rail, air, highway and water transportation, each more than capable of meeting any industry’s need. It will be developed under the combined efforts of the governments, economic and industrial development entities and educational institutions located throughout Lowndes and the seven surrounding counties in Mississippi and Alabama, all of which are party to a memorandum of cooperation and collaboration joining their work on the matter.

“The capabilities offered by our universities and community colleges add strength to this region’s efforts to attract new business and industry,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University. “We are proud to be part of this team, and we look forward to working with the alliance to enhance economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for the people we serve.”
The existing aerospace industries - American Eurocopter, Stark Aerospace and Aurora Flight Sciences - have a combined investment of $80 million and employ a total of 600 workers. Their success demonstrates the viability of the plan, Thomas Lee, President of Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority says, proving the area has all the tools in place to contribute to an economy built upon cutting edge technology.

Since 2003, the Columbus-Lowndes Development LINK has experienced enormous success in both the economic development and community development arena. In addition to securing two TVA certified mega sites, the LINK’s industrial and retail development has brought in $3.5 billion in investments and the creation of over 4,000 new jobs with top pay grades.

For Video about the GTR Global Industrial Aerospace Park