Link on the move for Golden Triangle

Mississippi’s Golden Triangle Development Link members met Wednesday at East Mississippi Community College to organize and tout the quickly-moving benefits of the regional partnership and spread its thinking globally, according to Link CEO Joe Higgins. Former Mississippi State University President Dr. Mac Portera told attendees that technology would be the new currency in the future and that the aerospace and automotive industries – which he expects the current 70-30 percent mechanical-technology base be reversed in five years -- are ripe for growth in the state. Source: Columbus [Miss.] Dispatch, Dec. 20, 2012.

Governor reaffirms support for aviation industry

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, speaking at a General Electric Aviation Suppliers Symposium on Tuesday at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the aerospace industry and continuing efforts to educate its citizenry as a work-force supplier. GE Aviation has two aerospace industry plants in Mississippi, the second of which is at Ellisville and is projected to open in 2013. The new facility will join GEA’s Batesville factory, which opened in 2008 and manufactures advanced composite components for aircraft engines and systems. GE Aviation expects to invest $150 million in the two locations by the end of the decade. Source: University of Mississippi, Dec. 4, 2012.

MSU aerospace team to compete in NASA launch initiative

A team of Mississippi State University students will join organizers of the 7th annual NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI) – along with Vanderbilt and other American universities’ aerospace inventions – to soar over the Marshall Space Flight Center in northern Alabama on April 21. In all, 36 teams will compete for the $5,000 first-place prize to be awarded by ATK Aerospace Group of Salt Lake City. Teams will design and build high-powered rockets with working payloads capable of flying to a altitude of one mile. NASA created the rocketry challenge to encourage young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields. Source: Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nov. 30, 2012.

GE Aviation buys Ohio firms

GE Aviation, the world's top producer of jet engines for commercial and military aircraft with manufacturing plants in Batesville and Ellisville, Miss., has bought two suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, manufacturing technologies’ firms that make lightweight parts for unmanned aerial vehicles to hip replacement prototypes in the medical-business world. Morris Technologies and its sister firm, Rapid Quality Manufacturing, have been a GE Aviation, GE Power Systems and Global Research Center supplier for years. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Source: Cincinnati (Ohio) Business, Nov. 20, 2012.

Columbus plant to produce more Army helos

EADS North America was awarded a U.S. Army contract for 34 more UH-72A ‘Lakoda’ helicopters – to be built at its Columbus, Miss., plant, according to a release from the company. The contract option was for $181.8 million which would bring the total number of helicopters under contract for delivery to 312. The Army plans to buy 347 Lakotas through 2016. The Columbus plant delivers an average of five of the helicopters per month. The same production line would produce the firm’s armed Lakota derivative (AAS-72X+) for the Army’s Armed Aerial Scout helicopter program. Source: EADS North America, Nov. 14, 2012.

National labs gather with Mississippi’s researchers

‘National Lab Day’ gave three American groups and four Mississippi universities’ research teams the opportunity Thursday to learn about new pathways and collaborative efforts to advance solutions on issues such as developing an electrical grid that repairs itself to designing safer military vehicles. Officials from Oak Ridge, Argonne and Lawrence Berkeley national labs and Mississippi’s four research universities met to draw on their expertise and interaction to tackle the nation’s needs. Source: Daily Journal, Nov. 9, 2012

GTR Airport scores with passengers

Columbus’ (Miss.) Golden Triangle Regional Airport saw a 13 percent jump in its passenger numbers in October, the single highest total (8,000) in 10 years, the airport’s executive director says, likely an indicator of a strengthening to East-Central Mississippi’s economy. The airport serves northeast Mississippi and west Alabama. Source: WVTA-TV Columbus, Miss., Nov. 8, 2012.

Fla. county buys Columbus-built helos

Brevard County, Fla., has bought two Columbus, Miss.-built American Eurocopter helicopters - dubbed the ‘Squirrel’ - that it plans to utilize for mosquito control, firefighting and herbicide application. Brevard has been experiencing a 250 percent increase in mosquito breeding over the past two years. The AS350 AStar aircraft are scheduled for delivery in July 2013. Source: Helicopter Association International, Oct. 31, 2012.

L-3 garners $34.6M aviation maintenance contract

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $34,689,207 contract Oct. 26 for maintenance support services for T-1A, T-6A, and T-38C aircraft at Columbus AFB, Miss. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2019. Source: Defense Department, Oct. 26, 2012.

Golden Triangle firms may bid on AF helo

The Air Force has issued a request for proposals for 112 new Combat Rescue Helicopter and interested firms – based on a September industry sign-up sheet – include AgustaWestland, Boeing, Dayton, GE Aviation, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Maritn, Northrop Grumman, Sikorsky and EADS North American’s American Eurocopter, which makes SAR and medical helicopters at its Columbus, Miss., plant. However, money-crunchers at the Pentagon have capped the Jan. 3 due date for bids at $6.8 billion which may cause firms to think twice because of past failures in the bidding process. Source: Defense News, Oct. 28, 2012.     

Research park not in jeopardy, MSU official says

Mississippi State University’s vice president for Research and Economic Development claims that the closure of one firm from the Thad Cochran Research Park in Starkville isn’t an indication that the entire aerospace research park is in jeopardy. However, the VP’s concern presently is how the closure affects MSU, which owns some of the technology developed by SemiSouth; and reaching an agreement that the university may be able to retain some of those employees. Source: Columbus (Miss.) Dispatch, Oct. 23, 2012.

Research park not in jeopardy, MSU official says

Mississippi State University’s vice president for Research and Economic Development claims that the closure of one firm from the Thad Cochran Research Park in Starkville isn’t an indication that the entire aerospace research park is in jeopardy. However, the VP’s concern presently is how the closure affects MSU, which owns some of the technology developed by SemiSouth; and reaching an agreement that the university may be able to retain some of those employees. Source: Columbus (Miss.) Dispatch, Oct. 23, 2012.

SemiSouth’s closure costs Cali firm $60M

A California company will have to write off its $60 million investment in Mississippi’s first homegrown technology firm after the Starkville-based SemiSouth Laboratories announced last week it was closing its operation at Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. A Power Integrations official says the 2010 investment in the Mississippi State University-faculty founded labs, which produces power conversion and aerospace application components, was "disappointing" but that risks are inherent in business. SemiSouth’s 90 employees will be laid off. There has been no specific date announced for closure. Source: The Associated Press, Oct. 22, 2012.

MSU-Thad Park firm closing its doors

An East Mississippi silicon carbide semiconductor company, started by current and former Mississippi State University faculty, appears to be closing its doors at the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, according to a release from MSU. SemiSouth Laboratories produces power conversion and aerospace application components. No date was given for the closure. Source: Starkville (Miss.) Daily News, Oct. 20, 2012.

EADS North America skeds media event

EADS North America’s CEO Sean O’Keefe will reveal results of the firm’s voluntary flight demonstration for the U.S. Army’s Armed Aerial Scout program at an 8 a.m. (CT) event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., prior to the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting. Earlier this month, EADS North America completed a series of high-altitude demonstrations with a pair of helicopters to showcase its AAS-72X+ rotary craft. The AAS-72X+, an armed off-shoot of the Army’s UH-72A Lakota helicopter, is to be built at the firm’s American Eurocopter facilities in Columbus, Miss. Source: Defence Professionals, Oct. 16, 2012.

GE Aviation announces Wave 1 hiring for new Ellisville plant

GE Aviation’s Ellisville, Miss., manufacturing plant is nearing completion and the firm, and Mississippi’s Governor Phil Bryant, announced Oct. 11 that a hiring process is to begin in November. The 340,000 square-foot composites manufacturing facility, located 25 miles NNE of Hattiesburg and 9 miles SSW of Laurel, will begin a first wave of hiring Nov. 5 for the production of aircraft engine components. GEA expects to hire 250 personnel within five years. Wave 1 hiring begins with production associates. Those positions will be posted Nov. 5 at the WIN Job Center in Laurel, Miss. Job hires will begin work in March. GE Aviation’s new plant is the firm’s second in Mississippi and represents a $56 million company investment. Source: Y’all Politics, Oct. 11, 2012.

Mississippi aerospace firm announces layoffs

A central Mississippi aerospace firm with 2012 defense contracts awarded in excess of $275 million is reducing the size of its Systems Field Support staff facilities in Madison, north of Jackson, by nearly 30 employs. L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace is basing that decision on defense budgets. L-3 Vertex is a provider of a broad range of electronic systems used on military and commercial aircraft. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of L-3 Communications which has 11,000 employees at 300 locations worldwide. Source: WBLT-TV, Tupelo, Miss., Oct. 9, 2012. 

Raytheon's Forest plant earns top billing on DoD contract

Raytheon’s Forest, Miss., plant will receive 66 percent of work on a Defense Department contract worth more than $15.8 million, along with Space and Airborne Systems’ Electronic Warfare Systems at Goleta, Calif., for a fixed price contract for 48 integrated multi-platform launch controllers (IMPLCs) for installation on F/A-18 aircraft. IMPLC is a component of the AN/ALE-50(V) countermeasures decoy dispensing set and the Integrated Defensive Electronics Countermeasure System. The majority of the work will be in Mississippi; but other aspects will be performed in California (25 percent), and Nashua, N.H. (9 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $7,881,260 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. Source: Defense Department.

Mississippi's L-3 aerospace earns trainer contract

Madison, Mississippi’s L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC was awarded Oct. 1 with a $12,111,176 contract modification for trainer maintenance services at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2013. The contracting activity is 82 CONS/LGCA, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Source: Defense Department. Oct. 1, 2012.

Madison's L-3 awarded $82M+ in defense pacts

Mississippi’s L-3 Communications Systems Field Support, Vertex Aerospace, LLC, was awarded a pair of Defense Department contracts for the Navy last week totaling more than $82 million. On Sept. 28, L-3 was awarded a $55,683,390 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for aircraft maintenance and logistical life cycle support for 54 C-12 aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., (34 percent); Corpus Christi, Texas (12 percent); Winnipeg, Canada (34 percent) and various locations both inside and outside the continental United States (20 percent) including: Yuma, Ariz.; New Orleans; Miramar, Calif.; New River, N.C.; Patuxent River, Md.; Manassas, Va.; Beaufort, S.C.; Japan, Cuba, and Bahrain. Work is expected to be completed in September 2013. And on Sept. 26, L-3 was awarded a $27,293,685 indefinite-delivery requirements contract for TH-57 helicopters. Services to be provided include repair and/or overhaul of aircraft, engines, avionics and related components. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Fla., and is expected to be completed in March 2013. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is contracting activity for both projects. Source: Defense Department.

North-Central Miss. counties partner to form REPM

The North-Central Mississippi counties of Choctaw, Montgomery and Webster announced efforts Oct. 1 to join together to create a regional economic development partnership to attract businesses and jobs to their communities. The three counties’ Board of Supervisors all voted separately to join together to form “Regional Economic Partnership Mississippi” (REPM). In addition, REPMS will partner with Mississippi State University’s College of Business to leverage already-existing programs. Source: WTVA-TV Tupelo, Miss., Oct. 1, 2012.

State takes over schools in aero-industry friendly Oktibbeha

The State of Mississippi is declaring an extreme emergency for East Oktibbeha High School and moving to remove the superintendent and take over the district school system following a third consecutive year of failing marks at EOHS. It will be the state’s first school to be taken over under the state’s New Start School Program. The county is home to a star-studded group of aerospace industries - Stark and GE Aerospace, Aurora Flight Sciences; American Eurocopter - and Mississippi State University’s Bagley College of Engineering of which the Raspert Flight Research Laboratory produces innovative and collaborative research, and undergraduate and graduate studies, for all sectors of industry throughout the region. Source: Jackson, Miss., Clarion Ledger, Sept. 28, 2012.

MSU grad to lead Stennis Space Center

Dr. Richard J. Gilbrech, a Bachelor of Science graduate from Mississippi State University, is the new director of NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. Gilbrech comes to the top post after serving as deputy director. It's his second go-round as director at Stennis having begun the first in 2006. The MSU graduate began his NASA career in 1991 at Stennis in the area of propulsion test technology. Source: NASA, Sept. 25, 2012.

Vicksburg’s Mav 6 unloads airship biz

The Vicksburg, Miss., headquarters of Mav 6 – an aerospace and defense technology firm – announced Sept. 26 the divestiture of its Blue Devil Block 2 airship business and is turning over the airship technology focus, on the Air Force project, to the newly formed Stratus Aerospace LLC -- led by former Mav 6 COO Ken Wilson. Mav6 was recently ranked No. 230 on Inc. magazine’s 2012 list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies up from 373 in 2011. PRWEB, Sept. 26, 2012.

EADS to show off helos to U.S. Army

EADS North America will carry out voluntary “high altitude” flight demonstrations of its AAS-72X+ and EC145 helicopters within a couple of weeks in hopes of garnering a contract to replace the Bell OH-58 for the U.S. Army’s Aerial Scout program. EADS says it plans to “prove the superior capabilities” of its helicopters, an official said. If EADS wins the renewed contract completion, the helicopter would be built at American Eurocopter in Columbus, Miss., but the mission systems would be provided by Lockheed Martin. Source: Flight Global, Sept. 26, 2012.    

Golden Triangle biz consortium: A new trend?

The unveiling of a new economic development consortium, where multiple counties in the Golden Triangle region will pool funding under one umbrella, is the first of its kind in Mississippi, according to the state’s leading economic and community development agency, although not uncommon in metropolitan areas. But will it become the start of a trend? Source: Mississippi Business Journal, Sept. 23, 2012.

MSU proposals selected for Space Launch System

A pair of Mississippi State University proposals is among 26 selected Sept. 21 for the advanced development of NASA’s next heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) which is tentatively scheduled for liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast in 2017. Source: PRNewswire, Sept. 21, 2012.

Columbus’ AE delivers 200th helo

American Eurocopter of Columbus, Miss., has now delivered its 200th AS350 helicopter since operations began in East Mississippi’s Golden Triangle in 2005. The helo was placed into service by the Texas Department of Public Safety on Sept. 20. The first U.S.-manufactured AS350 was delivered in 1978. There have been 237 built in America. AE is a business unit of EADS North America, the North American operations of the world’s second largest aerospace and defense firm, EADS. (Source: American Eurocopter via AviationPros, 09/20/12)

MSU to sign on for Army UAV research

Mississippi State and Middle Tennessee State universities are among four Southeast academic institutions that have or are signing up to assist the U.S. Army with advanced research related to unmanned aerial vehicle technology. The military uses UAVs in combat, but there are non-conflict applications for which it is being used such as regional disaster response and humanitarian relief efforts. Source: United Press International, Sept. 20, 2012.

Former Sikorsky VP to lead at Aurora HQ

Mark C. Cherry will become president and COO at the headquarters of Aurora Flight Sciences in Virginia on Oct. 1. Aurora operates a production facility at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, Miss. Cherry arrives from service as VP at Sikorsy Aircraft overseeing that firm’s CH-53K program. The Mississippi facility performs final assembly of composite aerostructures for defense and commercial aerospace customers. Source: Defence Professionals, Sept. 20, 2012.

MSU discussing Building 5 for ‘Thad Park’

The fourth and newest building of Mississippi State University’s Research and Technology Corp. at ‘Thad Park’ - or more precisely, the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park - in Starkville is filled to the brim one day after it opened. Now, according to a school official discussion is underway for Building No. 5. Source: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Sept. 18, 2012.

Air ambulance adds two American Eurocopter helos to fleet

EagleMed, one of the more experienced critical care air medical service providers in America with operations in eight states from South Carolina to Nebraska, announced Sept. 13 it has purchased two AS350 helos from American Eurocopter (AE) as part of its all-Eurocopter AStar fleet. AE is the U.S. affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world. It is a subsidiary of EADS North America headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas, and with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Miss. Source: American Eurocopter, Sept. 13, 2012.  

Tax increase adds pressure on alliance to grow Clay business 

The pressure begins anew for the West Point/Clay County Growth Alliance and the Columbus/Lowndes Development LINK to bring new, steady jobs to those communities – which has done fairly well in attracting aviation-related firms in recent years -- especially following the passage of last weekend’s vote on a 1% tax increase on tourism-like establishments in the city of West Point, estimated at about $20,000. The monies, says West Point Mayor Scott Ross, is to be directed to the Growth Alliance for tourism, beautification and/or industry recruitment. Above that tax money, West Point and Clay County jointly pay the LINK $300,000 annually for economic development purposes. West Point resident Don Searcy says the “bottom line (is that) people want to see how the jobs are going to be created from this tax increase.” Source: West Point, Miss., Daily Times Leader, Sept. 11, 2012.

No raining on MSU business-research parade

There was no raining on Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum’s parade Monday -- despite the weater -- at the grand continually-spreading Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in Starkville of which MSU’s Research and Technology Corp. oversees. “We have a great need for new incubator space to accommodate the outgrowth of our research enterprises," he said. MSU's strategic plan over five years calls for a 25% increase in the rate of university start-ups. There have been four new faculty lead firms and eight student start-ups in the past few years at ‘Thad Park’. Source: Columbus (Miss.) Dispatch, Sept. 18, 2012.

Newest Starkville biz expects to grow its footprint

With the start-up Monday of a ninth “business incubator” footprint at the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in Starkville, the president of the newest entry, II-IV – an international manufacturer of high-tech products with application to aerospace, military and thermoelectronics applications – indicates the Pennsylvania-based firm plans to locate more than $4 million in capital equipment and expects to grow the facility to 100 employees. Source: Starkville Daily News, Sept. 18, 2012.

New aerospace manufacturer locates at Starkville research park

The Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in Starkville, Miss., was to celebrate Sept. 17 an addition to its “business incubator” footprint with the opening of a ninth building in the 272 acre park that represents some $100 million-plus in investments. Pennsylvania-based II-VI Inc., an international manufacturer of high-tech products with application to aerospace, military and thermoelectronics applications, is the newest business to locate there, says David Shaw, Mississippi State University’s vice president for research and economic development. MSU’s Research and Technology Corp. will oversee the research park. Starkville Daily News, Sept. 16, 2012.

Proposed Golden Triangle business cooperative

A newly proposed Mississippi Golden Triangle regional group is examining joining with the highly-successful Golden Triangle Development LINK to form an East Mississippi public/private mega-business organization to bring uniformity to business development in the region by including cooperative ventures between Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties; Starkville, Oktibbeha County, and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership; and West Point, Clay County and the WP Growth Alliance. Golden Triangle Development LINK, Sept. 14, 2012.

Contract: Eaton Aerospace, $6.8M

Eaton Aerospace LLC, Jackson, Miss., was awarded a firm fixed price, sole source contract with a maximum $6,755,776 for reservoir assemblies. There are no other locations of performance. Using military service is Army. There was one solicitation with one response. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012 Army Working Capital Funds. The date of performance completion is March 15, 2017. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. (Source: DoD, 09/13/12)

East Miss. counties to announce economic consortium

MAYHEW, Miss. — The July-formed steering committee for Oktibbeha, Lowndes and Clay counties plan to unveil a new regional development consortium initiative here Sept. 14 on the campus of East Mississippi Community College. Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Marvell Howard tells the Starkville Daily News the meeting will be designed to “layout plans for the vision and intention” of establishing a consortium. The mayor of Starkville, Parker Wiseman, said the endeavor could establish a level of regional cooperation the Golden Triangle has never experienced. He called the combining of total Golden Triangle assets to include Columbus, Starkville and West Point a benefit to the entire region. The proposed tri-county authority comes four months after the West Point-Clay County Community Growth Alliance and the Columbus-Lowndes LINK signed a 3-year agreement. The Associated Press, Sept. 10, 2012.

MSU research grows its international reputation

East-Central Mississippi’s Golden Triangle is an economic and research mecca no longer waiting to happen. Among its international strengths is Mississippi State University’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems and regionally through a growing alliance of communities within the highly-successful Columbus-Lowndes Economic Development ‘Link’. MSU’s international research footprint has developed through cooperative ventures between regionally-based aerospace firms including Lockheed Martin, GE Aviation, American Eurocopter and Stark Aerospace, who have all solicited MSU's assistance on various levels. Source: Columbus (Miss.) Dispatch, Sept. 7, 2012.

Eaton shareholders eyes Cooper buy

Eaton and Cooper Industries have scheduled shareholder meetings for Oct. 26 in connection with the proposed acquisition of Cooper by Eaton, which operates an Aerospace Group Power and Motion Control Division in Jackson, Miss.. The plan is to form a new holding company, Turlock Corp. Eaton is a leader in electrical and hydraulic components, aerospace fuel, and hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military aviation. Cooper provides electrical and electronic fuses, electrical equipment, lighting fixtures and power systems products. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. (Source: Business Wire, 09/12/12)