A company that manufactures unmanned aircraft is hovering over the Oroville Municipal Airport. If the city of Oroville, California, economic development team is successful, AirCover Integrated Solutions will land at the airport and make miniature unmanned aircraft.
The company’s unmanned helicopter can be used for anything from military and public safety surveillance and activities, to building a bridge. AirCover President James Hill presented the idea to manufacture drone aircraft Friday at a special meeting of the Oroville City Council and Redevelopment Agency. Hill said there’s about a $15 billion local market in the growing unmanned aerial vehicle industry, much of it in the military and public safety arenas. “It’s about saving lives,” Hill said. However, the industry is leapfrogging into many arenas such as transportation, agriculture and forestry, and many other industries.
The company projects $28 million in sales and a 38-person workforce by 2015. Two women who are war veterans own the company. It was formed by a group of veterans and business professionals. Hill said they are attracted to Oroville because of the diverse terrain and climate to test the drones. Incentives and the HUB zone that allows benefits for companies that contract with the federal government and other agencies to provide products also attracted them, he said.
The city’s economic development team pulled together a package to entice the company to manufacture its drone aircraft and operate a call centre in Oroville, rather than in another state that was offering incentives, said Sam Driggers, the city redevelopment and economic development manager. Over the last seven days, Driggers, the economic development team, business owners and the community pitched an offer to the company. “This is little Oroville competing with a state,” Driggers said.
Because California cannot compete with the costs of doing business in other states, Driggers said the economic development team and City Council is overcoming the state level disadvantages with local advantages. Last Friday, City Council approved an incentive package with a $450,000 loan and nominal rent for a year on a building at the airport. The city would enter into a lease purchase agreement with the owner of the building at the airport for $1.6 million, contingent on the appraised value.
Driggers said the city team is working on bringing other companies with similar needs to the area. “These technology companies are looking for locations off the beaten path that offer sound infrastructure, a technically skilled workforce and a willingness concerning regulations,” Driggers said. Driggers says Oroville has all the diversity to address these company’s needs.
The startup company announced a couple of weeks ago in Redding that they would open a research and development office at the airport in Redding, but they would locate the manufacturing arm in another state.
Source: OrovilleMR.com