By
The Associated Press
Tucson mayor Bob Walkup sees a way for his stated goal of adding 10,000 new aerospace jobs during the next seven years to become a reality.
The feat can be accomplished through continued expansion at existing companies and the attraction of new operations, Walkup said. The payoff could be considerable, he said.
"The aerospace industry is an enormous wealth producer to a community because of high wages and high values," Walkup said. "It can have a dramatic change on the economic prosperity of a community."
The Tucson area has 80 local aerospace firms with 21,126 employees, according to the 2000 Aerospace Directory published by the state Department of Commerce.
John Grabo, interim president of the Greater Tucson Economic Council, said his agency is actively recruiting new companies and that overall efforts are intensifying.
The moves could be coming at a good time. Increased national defense spending and strong demand for small aircraft are expected to boost local aerospace companies.
Both those factors spell good news for companies such as Raytheon Missile Systems, which manufactures weapons for the government, and Bombardier Aerospace, where local workers finish the interiors of business jets.
Factor in Tucson's reputation within the industry as a business-friendly city, its pleasant weather and its many programs to train skilled aerospace workers, and local aerospace companies are poised for growth, said Tony Velocci, senior business editor at Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.
"In my mind, that would position Tucson as a place to attract additional investment by the aerospace industry," Velocci said.
