"The State of Mississippi is working as a partner with Stark to help them in their expansion"
In an exclusive interview to Israel Defense, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority Glenn McCullough speaks of the state's pro-aerospace business climate and its relations with UAS manufacturers such as IAI's subsidiary Stark Aerospace
Amir Rapaport
| 26/06/2017
The State of Mississippi's booth at the Paris Air Show 2017 (Photo: Israel Defense)
"We in Mississippi are very honored to have companies like Stark Aerospace, which is a part of Israel aerospace industries (IAI), in our state. The State of Mississippi and Governor Bryant are proud supporters of Israel," says Glenn McCullough, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority, in a special interview with Israel Defense.
According to Mr. McCullough, many aerospace leaders, such as Boeing, Airbus Helicopters, Raytheon, Eaton, Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce, Northrop Grumman, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and SpaceX have operations in Mississippi. He sees Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of IAI, as one of these aerospace leaders.
The State of Mississippi is working hard to produce a talented workforce. Their vision, says McCullough, is to create a pro-aerospace business climate. "We want aerospace companies like Stark Aerospace to have the supplier network, to have low taxes, to have the best quality workforce, to have the logistics, transportation systems – so that they can achieve their goals in Mississippi."
"We make some of the best unmanned aerial systems in the world in Mississippi," he furthers. "In fact, Mississippi State University is the center of excellence for UAVs and UASs, designated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
"We realize that there are great technologies in what we call the 'blue yonder' in aerospace, in outer space. We also realize that there is a 'deep blue yonder' in the oceans, so Mississippi is a leader in both aerospace and in exploring the depths of the ocean."
Does the reality meet your expectations? Your vision?
"Aerospace companies in Mississippi are growing. One of the reasons is that Gov. Bryant has placed additional resources in workforce training. Under his leadership, the Mississippi legislator has appropriated 50 million dollars for workforce training. We are training men and women in Mississippi to make sure they have the skills necessary so that aerospace companies in our state can achieve their goals. We are also improving our infrastructure in Mississippi, such as airports and technology.
"We also see significant investments by companies like Northrop Grumman, which recently announced that they are going to do the sub-assembly for the F-35 in Jackson County, Mississippi. They made a $3.7 million capital investment, and they are adding 60 new careers for Mississippians. Also, Boeing recently came to Mississippi with Insitu and their new technologies in high-durable low-weight composite material.
"Gov. Bryant is working closely with Stark Aerospace's CEO Mike McGrevey on the company's expansions plans in Mississippi. Stark Aerospace has plans to make an additional capital investment. We think that they will increase the number of employees by 60 or more. The State of Mississippi is working as a partner with Stark to help them be successful in their expansion."
Recently, GE Aviation and Praxair have joined forces to form PG Technologies, which specializes in coatings jet-engine components. Some of the coating operations for PG Technologies are based in Mississippi. According to Mr. McCullough, this partnership will generate 200 new jobs and lead to significant capital investment. "We are bringing new aerospace companies to Mississippi, and many of those that are already in Mississippi are expanding."
"Committed to Innovation"
"Aerospace is an industry where you have to innovate," says Mr. McCullough. "You have to research and make sure that the air systems, the airframes, the engines and all the component parts are better tomorrow than they are today.
"We in Mississippi are committed to innovation. The University of Mississippi is home to the Center for Manufacturing Excellence and the National Center for Physical Acoustics. We want to make sure that jet engines are not only powerful and safe but also quiet. Additionally, at the University of Southern Mississippi, you will find the Mississippi Polymer Institute. A lot of aircraft components are now durable, they are high-strength, but they're low-weight polymer materials, composite materials. Leading research in this field is taking place in the Mississippi Polymer Institute. We are committed to working with companies in aerospace not only to have innovation but also to make products and to make the aerospace company more innovative tomorrow than it is today."
The State of Mississippi is putting a lot of focus on engineering, according to Mr. McCullough. "Our research universities in Mississippi also have a focus on cybersecurity, and we are training some of the best young engineers in the world in cyber systems, which is very important for countries like the United States and Israel. We want to learn together and work on research projects together.
"Mississippi's research universities have cooperative relationships with innovative companies, working on research projects. Several Mississippi universities had delegations at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, who met with aerospace companies to strengthen those relationships."
In an exclusive interview to Israel Defense, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority Glenn McCullough speaks of the state's pro-aerospace business climate and its relations with UAS manufacturers such as IAI's subsidiary Stark Aerospace
The State of Mississippi's booth at the Paris Air Show 2017 (Photo: Israel Defense)
"We in Mississippi are very honored to have companies like Stark Aerospace, which is a part of Israel aerospace industries (IAI), in our state. The State of Mississippi and Governor Bryant are proud supporters of Israel," says Glenn McCullough, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority, in a special interview with Israel Defense.
According to Mr. McCullough, many aerospace leaders, such as Boeing, Airbus Helicopters, Raytheon, Eaton, Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce, Northrop Grumman, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and SpaceX have operations in Mississippi. He sees Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of IAI, as one of these aerospace leaders.
The State of Mississippi is working hard to produce a talented workforce. Their vision, says McCullough, is to create a pro-aerospace business climate. "We want aerospace companies like Stark Aerospace to have the supplier network, to have low taxes, to have the best quality workforce, to have the logistics, transportation systems – so that they can achieve their goals in Mississippi."
"We make some of the best unmanned aerial systems in the world in Mississippi," he furthers. "In fact, Mississippi State University is the center of excellence for UAVs and UASs, designated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
"We realize that there are great technologies in what we call the 'blue yonder' in aerospace, in outer space. We also realize that there is a 'deep blue yonder' in the oceans, so Mississippi is a leader in both aerospace and in exploring the depths of the ocean."
Does the reality meet your expectations? Your vision?
"Aerospace companies in Mississippi are growing. One of the reasons is that Gov. Bryant has placed additional resources in workforce training. Under his leadership, the Mississippi legislator has appropriated 50 million dollars for workforce training. We are training men and women in Mississippi to make sure they have the skills necessary so that aerospace companies in our state can achieve their goals. We are also improving our infrastructure in Mississippi, such as airports and technology.
"We also see significant investments by companies like Northrop Grumman, which recently announced that they are going to do the sub-assembly for the F-35 in Jackson County, Mississippi. They made a $3.7 million capital investment, and they are adding 60 new careers for Mississippians. Also, Boeing recently came to Mississippi with Insitu and their new technologies in high-durable low-weight composite material.
"Gov. Bryant is working closely with Stark Aerospace's CEO Mike McGrevey on the company's expansions plans in Mississippi. Stark Aerospace has plans to make an additional capital investment. We think that they will increase the number of employees by 60 or more. The State of Mississippi is working as a partner with Stark to help them be successful in their expansion."
Recently, GE Aviation and Praxair have joined forces to form PG Technologies, which specializes in coatings jet-engine components. Some of the coating operations for PG Technologies are based in Mississippi. According to Mr. McCullough, this partnership will generate 200 new jobs and lead to significant capital investment. "We are bringing new aerospace companies to Mississippi, and many of those that are already in Mississippi are expanding."
"Committed to Innovation"
"Aerospace is an industry where you have to innovate," says Mr. McCullough. "You have to research and make sure that the air systems, the airframes, the engines and all the component parts are better tomorrow than they are today.
"We in Mississippi are committed to innovation. The University of Mississippi is home to the Center for Manufacturing Excellence and the National Center for Physical Acoustics. We want to make sure that jet engines are not only powerful and safe but also quiet. Additionally, at the University of Southern Mississippi, you will find the Mississippi Polymer Institute. A lot of aircraft components are now durable, they are high-strength, but they're low-weight polymer materials, composite materials. Leading research in this field is taking place in the Mississippi Polymer Institute. We are committed to working with companies in aerospace not only to have innovation but also to make products and to make the aerospace company more innovative tomorrow than it is today."
The State of Mississippi is putting a lot of focus on engineering, according to Mr. McCullough. "Our research universities in Mississippi also have a focus on cybersecurity, and we are training some of the best young engineers in the world in cyber systems, which is very important for countries like the United States and Israel. We want to learn together and work on research projects together.
"Mississippi's research universities have cooperative relationships with innovative companies, working on research projects. Several Mississippi universities had delegations at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, who met with aerospace companies to strengthen those relationships."
