Aircraft Maintenance Company to Add 25 Jobs in Forsyth County

Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Piedmont Propulsion Systems LLC, a leader in military, regional airline and general aviation turboprop overhaul and repair, will expand in Forsyth County.  The company plans to create 25 jobs and invest more than $1.6 million during the next three years in Winston-Salem.  The project was made possible in part by a $50,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
 
“My top priority is creating jobs,” Gov. Perdue said. “We have been able to aggressively grow the aerospace sector in the Triad and North Carolina because of our history of investing in education and building a highly skilled workforce. These investments must continue, along with our investments in infrastructure and transportation that have created our top-ranked business climate.”
 
Piedmont Propulsion Systems was founded in 1948 under Piedmont Airlines and is currently owned by First Aviation Services Inc.  The company repairs and overhauls composite and metal blades, actuators, hubs, governors and control units for major propeller manufacturers.  Piedmont Propulsion Systems currently employs 31 full-time and 4 part-time employees at its facilities in Winston-Salem.  As part of the project, the company will renovate and move into space at the Smith-Reynolds Airport.
 
“North Carolina has what it takes to be successful in attracting businesses to the state: a skilled work force, a business friendly environment and a government that encourages economic growth and is focused on job creation.”, says Aaron Hollander, Chairman and CEO of First Aviation Services, Inc., the parent company of Piedmont Propulsion Systems (PPS). “The cooperation and efficiency we experienced in the approval process between the Airport Authority, City, County and State Governments was impressive. We are very pleased that North Carolina will be a long-term home to an important First Aviation business unit."
 
Salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be $34,304.  The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state.  Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds.  These grants also require and are contingent upon local matches.
 
“Piedmont Propulsion is further evidence of how we have transformed North Carolina from agriculture and manufacturing to a diverse economy with high-tech, higly skilled industries,” said Sen. Linda Garrou, of Winston-Salem. “That transformation is due to our focus and funding for education.”
 
“These are exactly the sort of jobs we want to bring to the Triad and our state,” said Rep. Earline Parmon, of Winston-Salem. “Piedmont Propulsion saw that the policies we have pursued in the past were oriented toward the future, not short term gain, and created the kind of business climate that made today’s announcement possible.”
 
North Carolina continues to have a top-ranked business climate.  Through Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative, the state works aggressively to create jobs, train and retrain its workforce, and lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable economic future.
 
Through use of the One NC Fund companies have committed to create more than 60,000 jobs and $11 billion in investment since 2001.  Other partners that helped with this project include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Community Colleges, the City of Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, the Airport Commission of Forsyth County and the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.
 
For more information about Piedmont Propulsion Systems, including job opportunities, please visit www.piedmontpropulsion.com.