BOISE, Idaho – Western Aircraft recently held a ribbon cutting celebration in honor of its most recent expansion at Boise Airport.
The company added two new buildings totaling 26,000 square feet to its 18-acre leasehold. The new construction includes an expanded parts facility, as well as a two-story infill building that houses support shops for Western Aircraft’s services operation.
“This day has been made possible through the collaboration of the public and private sector, as well as the support of our parent company Greenwich AeroGroup,” said President of Western Aircraft Jeff Mihalic. “We started this journey nearly four years ago with tremendous support from the City of Boise and the State of Idaho and today we thank all our partners for their efforts and contribution to our vision.”
“Western Aircraft is an important partner to the Boise Airport and a growing part of Boise’s resurgent economy,” said City of Boise Mayor David Bieter. “Western Aircraft has seen amazing success in recent years, and with that success has come a need for better facilities. I’m thrilled that the City of Boise and the Boise Airport are in a position to assist that expansion and help create more jobs and more opportunity here in the City of Trees.”
Mihalic added that Western’s business expansion was driven, in large part, by the sales tax exemption on installed parts passed by the Idaho legislature in 2012 and the growth of Western’s capabilities and sales force.
“Ninety-five percent of our customers are based outside of the state of Idaho. We’re now capturing customers from as far south as San Antonio, Texas, and as far east as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”
The overall expansion includes more than $2.3 million in new facilities and more than $2.4 million in facility improvements and specialized tooling. Additionally, due to the added business, Western Aircraft has increased staffing from 150 to 200 employees.