That hiring is underway, said Brady Templeton, AMES president. The company has openings for some 60 employees, including technicians, he said. He expects the number of openings to grow.
“Most of these jobs average around $20 (an hour) to start,” Templeton said.
AMES repairs and maintains airplanes for an array of customers, including sister company ABX Air, the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey team, Caribbean Airlines and others, including air freight company DHL.
“What’s important when you build a new facility like this, is that you’re prepared to add people in advance, so that when the facility does come, you’re not sitting here with an empty facility,” Templeton said. “So it’s an investment on our part.”
The Clinton County Port Authority owns the $15 million hangar.
The hangar — equipped with a 15-ton overhead crane — represents an expansion of space already occupied by AMES at the park. The hangar is capable of housing aircraft as large as a Boeing 747-400 or 777-300ER, according to AMES.
It was the 2009 loss of DHL’s freight hub at the park that Gov. John Kasich recalled Thursday, calling that event “an economic tornado.”
Kasich recalled visiting the 2,000-acre airport shortly after DHL’s decision, then visiting a local food pantry, which was suddenly much busier.
“We woke up one day and about 8,000 people here didn’t have a job,” Kasich said.
An Ohio incentives package of more than $14 million was offered to AMES, with the Port Authority, the city of Wilmington, Clinton County and the Wilmington Community Improvement Corp. also agreeing to assist.
As a result, AMES stayed at the air park and the airport never closed, said Wilmington Mayor Randy Riley. Some 2.5 million square feet of warehouse, sorting and manufacturing space are available, according to the park.
“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Riley said.
Since January 2011, Wilmington as a whole has added about 1,000 jobs, Kasich said.
The only way to apply for a job at AMES is to go to AirborneMX.com and go to “job opportunities,” Templeton said.
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