thedrifter
08-08-09, 07:59 AM
Communities hope arrival of new military jet will help their economies take off
Staff and wire reports
Published Friday, August 7, 2009
South Carolina communities near military bases are planning now to try to get an economic boost when the military's next jet fighter, the F-35, arrives over the next decade.
Representatives from the Lowcountry, Columbia and Sumter said Thursday they are working to attract new business by advertising that the fighters are on track to fly out of the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort and Shaw Air Force Base and McEntire Joint National Guard Base in the Midlands.
They told members of the state's Military Base Task Force panel in Columbia they are searching for businesses that can support the high-tech jets -- and the men and women who will fly and maintain them -- as they are deployed over the next decade.
Local economic development leaders hope having squadrons at the Beaufort air station will bring new businesses to the county, from Beaufort to Hilton Head.
Kim Statler, executive director of the Lowcountry Economic Network, made a presentation during the meeting. She said her staff has made a list of subcontractors working on the F-35, which is being built by Lockheed Martin in Texas.
From that list, they're focusing on companies that make products and equipment used for the maintenance and operation of the aircraft, such as computer software.
The air station could provide a work force of former Marines experienced in working on fighter jets, she added. So far, getting the former service members to settle in Beaufort has been problematic.
"They want to remain (in Beaufort), but you have to be able to translate them into a job," Statler said.
Statler said the state also can benefit beyond potential work on the F-35.
"We've not done a good job of positioning for the ancillary companies that could come," to supply a wide variety of products the military might use, she said.
Statler said she is trying to tell firms that South Carolina's military retirees make up a reliable, well-trained and educated potential work force. She is also trying to get her message out to people who serve on boards for high-level industries who come to vacation or live in the area.
"You'd be shocked to know who owns homes" in the region, she told the panel.
Statler said North Carolina has a very aggressive approach to attracting firms by "treating the military as an industry."
Carlotta Ungaro, president of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and a member of the task force, said she hopes South Carolina does the same.
Targeting the military is the county's "best bet" for future economic growth, she said.
The county is already home to some high-tech businesses that work with the military and is well positioned to lure more, she said.
"We've already got a proven track record," she said. "Demonstrating your workforce is the way to get people to look at you."
Jet at a glance
JSF: The Joint Strike Fighter, or the F-35. The jets, still in development, are scheduled to replace the F-18 Hornets flown by pilots at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The program gets its name from the different branches of the military expected to receive different variants of the fighter. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will all receive the jet, which is expected to cost between $49 million and $102 million each.
Ellie
Staff and wire reports
Published Friday, August 7, 2009
South Carolina communities near military bases are planning now to try to get an economic boost when the military's next jet fighter, the F-35, arrives over the next decade.
Representatives from the Lowcountry, Columbia and Sumter said Thursday they are working to attract new business by advertising that the fighters are on track to fly out of the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort and Shaw Air Force Base and McEntire Joint National Guard Base in the Midlands.
They told members of the state's Military Base Task Force panel in Columbia they are searching for businesses that can support the high-tech jets -- and the men and women who will fly and maintain them -- as they are deployed over the next decade.
Local economic development leaders hope having squadrons at the Beaufort air station will bring new businesses to the county, from Beaufort to Hilton Head.
Kim Statler, executive director of the Lowcountry Economic Network, made a presentation during the meeting. She said her staff has made a list of subcontractors working on the F-35, which is being built by Lockheed Martin in Texas.
From that list, they're focusing on companies that make products and equipment used for the maintenance and operation of the aircraft, such as computer software.
The air station could provide a work force of former Marines experienced in working on fighter jets, she added. So far, getting the former service members to settle in Beaufort has been problematic.
"They want to remain (in Beaufort), but you have to be able to translate them into a job," Statler said.
Statler said the state also can benefit beyond potential work on the F-35.
"We've not done a good job of positioning for the ancillary companies that could come," to supply a wide variety of products the military might use, she said.
Statler said she is trying to tell firms that South Carolina's military retirees make up a reliable, well-trained and educated potential work force. She is also trying to get her message out to people who serve on boards for high-level industries who come to vacation or live in the area.
"You'd be shocked to know who owns homes" in the region, she told the panel.
Statler said North Carolina has a very aggressive approach to attracting firms by "treating the military as an industry."
Carlotta Ungaro, president of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and a member of the task force, said she hopes South Carolina does the same.
Targeting the military is the county's "best bet" for future economic growth, she said.
The county is already home to some high-tech businesses that work with the military and is well positioned to lure more, she said.
"We've already got a proven track record," she said. "Demonstrating your workforce is the way to get people to look at you."
Jet at a glance
JSF: The Joint Strike Fighter, or the F-35. The jets, still in development, are scheduled to replace the F-18 Hornets flown by pilots at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The program gets its name from the different branches of the military expected to receive different variants of the fighter. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will all receive the jet, which is expected to cost between $49 million and $102 million each.
Ellie