USM tech center adds GEA as client

The University of Southern Mississippi’s commercial technology center is adding three new tenants to the fold: GE Aviation, Radiance Technologies and Vatican Capital. GEA, which recently opened aircraft plants in Alabama and Mississippi (at Ellisville), is leasing space at ‘The Accelerator’ and working with Mississippi Polymer Institute and Jones County Junior College to produce business-training, safety, basic math, blue print reading and team training programs. Source: Mississippi Business Journal, May 7, 2013.

Mississippi gearing up for potential BRAC round

Mississippi has placed $2 million at the ready for military communities just in case there will be another round of Base Realignment & Closure Commission (BRAC) hearings. The last BRAC go-around in 2005 shut down Pascagoula Naval Station and a Meridian Air National Guard wing. President Obama’s budget calls for a new round of BRAC for 2015. Former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus, now serving as Navy secretary, says the sea-service doesn’t have much room for base reductions – good news for Meridian Naval Air Station; but that’s not the case for the Air Force – which is non-so-good news for the Golden Triangle’s Columbus AFB. Source, Mississippi Business Journal, May 3, 2013. [Meridian’s efforts to stave off BRAC: MB Journal May 3.]

Spears to lead AE’s Columbus facility

Long-time Sikorsky Aircraft executive Mike Spears has been named senior director of Columbus, Miss.-based American Eurocopter’s Lakota helicopter production facility. AE builds Lakota helicopters for Army and National Guard aviation units. It delivered its 250th helo in April. Spears succeeds Fred Gerard, who took a post with Airbus at its under-construction aircraft assembly facility in Mobile, Ala. Source: The Associated Press, May 4, 2013

Columbus delivers 250th Lakota helo

EADS North America’s American Eurocopter facility in Columbus, Miss., delivered the firm’s 250the UH-72A Lakota helicopter since 2006 to Army and National Guard units. The Army’s newest helicopter was delivered to the Oklahoma National Guard in Oklahoma City. Every Lakota has been delivered on time and on budget by an American workforce made up of about 50 percent U.S. military veterans. UH-72A Army Product Manager Lt. Col. David Cheney says the helicopter is serving America’s soldiers well; and the on-budget, on-time product is a testament to EADS North America’s team. Source: EADS North America media release, April 25, 2013. [Note: Back on April 11, the Army proposed to reduce its Lakoda buys from 41 to 10, according to a Market Wire report.

GE Aviation set to open Ellisville plant

GE Aviation’s jet engine and aircraft systems production company is set to tentatively open its second Mississippi plant this week at Ellisville, northeast of Hattiesburg. The global jet engine maker has banked five plant expansions since 2008, including two other facilities opening this year near Auburn, Ala., and in Ohio. The Alabama plant will build engine components. GEA has invested up to $56 million in the 300,000 square foot Ellisville plant that will manufacture advanced composite components for aircraft engines and systems. Source: Middletown (Ohio) Journal, April 19, 2013.

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $45.2M

L-3 Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $45,202,205 firm-fixed-price contract modification to extend FA8I06-IO-C-0012 for 12 months for contractor logistic support for the Iraqi Air Force C208 and C172 aircraft and for maintenance students training on both aircraft without a break in service. Work will be performed at Tikrit Air Base, Iraq, and work is expected to be completed by April 20, 2014. The contract involves foreign military sales. The contracting activity is Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WLKLC, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. (Source: DoD, 04/19/13)

Small biz opportunity conference May 8-9 in Vicksburg

The Mississippi Development Authority is hosting a small businesses ‘Government Procurement Opportunities’ conference in Vicksburg on May 8-9 with a focus on doing business with the Defense Department contractors such as Northrop Grumman, Eaton Aerospace and Lockheed Martin. Source: Mississippi Development Authority, April 9, 2013. For more information go to http://mississippi.cvent.com/2013Opportunities.

Magnolia YPs to host biz summit in Meridian

Young business professionals are being invited to join The Mississippi Young Professionals (MSYP) organization for its “Rethink Mississippi: No Suits, No PowerPoints, No Bull” summit April 26-27 in Meridian at Mississippi State University’s Riley Center. It’s a first-time, state-wide event for the non-profit group. Among some of the state-wide YPs include groups at Columbus, Corinth, Greenwood, Meridian, Pascagoula, Starkville and Tupelo. Info: www.msyoungprof.org

State hoping to be drone-testing site

The Mississippi Development Authority is attempting to leverage the state’s major defense-contracting footprint in preparation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision for selection-sites for testing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The state is vying with 37 other states. Stark Aerospace of Columbus manufactures drones, and is FAA-authorized to fly the Heron UAS within the traffic control region of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The state’s next submission for FAA consideration is May 6. Source: Mississippi Development Authority, April 16, 2013.

Army proposes to downsize Columbus helo order

After the U.S. Army proposed reducing its UH-72A Lakoda program from 41 to 10 EADS North America helicopters, the firm’s CEO Sean O'Keefe said the last thing the Army should be thinking about cutting is the low-cost and on-time delivery of the Columbus, Miss.-built helicopter. Source: Market Wire, April 11, 2013.

Contract: Raytheon, $35.1M

Raytheon Co., Goleta, Calif. is being awarded a $35,166,810 firm-fixed delivery order for AN/ALE-50 towed decoys. Work will be performed at Forest, Miss., and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2015. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. AFLCMC/WNKCB, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/09/12)

Air ambulance for Columbus

A 75-mile swath of the Golden Triangle region in East Mississippi will now be served by the expansion of an air ambulance hub in Columbus. MedStat EMS, which serves 15 counties in central and north Mississippi, made the announcement to locate the helicopter base at the GTR Airport. Source: WVTA (Tupelo-Columbus, Miss.), April 4, 2013.

Contract: EADS NA, $21M

EADS North America of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $20,994,308 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for security and support mission equipment package production cut-in services. The cumulative total face value of this contract is now $2,260,811,397. Work will be performed in Columbus, Miss. Fiscal 2013 Other Procurement, Army contract funds are being obligated on this award. The Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/04/13)

Communities earn MDA grants

The cities of Natchez, Ocean Springs, Starkville and Pascagoula were among seven Mississippi communities recently awarded Asset Development Grants from the Mississippi Development Authority’s division of creative economy grant program. The MDA grants give state communities matching financial aid toward developing long-range economies through strategic planning. The grants were awarded competitively at a maximum of $10,000 each. The other three recipients were DeKalb and Wilkinson counties, Rolling Fort and Woodville. Source: WJTV Jackson, Miss., April 1, 2013.

STEM Bowl produces scholarship dollars

Lockheed-Martin’s 5^th annual Mississippi IT Days’ STEM Bowl competition in Jackson produced thousands of scholarship dollars to seven teams of high school students over the weekend at Jackson State University. The project-scholarship fund is designed to show the 700 attending students the impact science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) has on people’s lives and the environment. Source: Mississippi Business Journal blog, April 1, 2013.

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $10.6M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC., Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $10,606,604 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for maintenance and logistics services, including labor, services, facilities, equipment, tools, direct and indirect material, and related support equipment required to support and maintain the T-39N and T-39G aircraft. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and is expected to be completed in September 2014. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/29/13)

Bank MDA partner for business loan pool

The Tupelo-based BancorpSouth announced Thursday a half-billion-dollar loan pool, called Grow Mississippi, that would target future and current businesses looking to expand in Mississippi. The bank will work with the Mississippi Development Authority to identify businesses that may qualify which would also be combined with MDA incentives. In February, Regions Bank announced a similar partnership with Alabama’s state government. Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger, March 28, 2013.

ADK to cut jobs at North Mississippi plant

Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ADK), an aerospace company which operates a 320,000 square foot machining and testing equipment operation in North Mississippi at Iuka, announced Thursday that it is laying off 150 workers at its plants in Mississippi, Ohio and Utah. Ninety of those personnel, at a Utah plant, accepted retirement. No Mississippi job-loss numbers were provided. ATK officials said layoffs were the result of changes in the business climate, funding and program cutbacks, and reorganization. Also on Thursday, ATK successful tested its CASTOR 30XL upper stage solid rocket motor for the Air Force in Tennessee. Source: Salt Lake City, Utah, Tribune, March 28, 2013.

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $12.9M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC., Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $12,946,025 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for logistics services support of the TH-57 aircraft fleet. Services to be provided include repair and/or overhaul of aircraft, engines, avionics and related components. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station, Whiting Field, Milton, Fla., and is expected to be completed in June 2013. Funds are not being obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/25/13)

Columbus, Key airports exempt from shutdown

Columbus’ Golden Triangle Regional and Meridian’s Key Field commercial airports’ control towers have been exempted from sequestration-related closure by the Federal Aviation Administration because of their ties to military operations at Naval Air Station Meridian and Columbus Air Force Base, the federal agency announced based on a national security waiver. Five other contract towers in Mississippi - Tupelo, Greenville, Olive Branch, Jackson, and Bay St. Louis - failed to gain exemptions. Tom Williams, president of the Meridian Airport Authority, attributed the exemption based on support from the Air National Guard at Key Field, NAS Meridian and Columbus AFB. Key Field’s tower is among five nationally supporting training towers for ANG air controllers. Source: Mississippi Business, March 22, 2013.