Gulfstream expanding Savannah service center

The jet manufacturer noted in an April 24 news release that the 202,000-square-foot maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility would be constructed on the east side of the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. It will complement the main Gulfstream service center, which employs 900 and can accommodate 36 business jets.

Gulfstream President Mark Burns cited “strong and steady fleet growth” and Gulfstream’s newer G500 and G600 aircraft as driving forces for the expansion. The jet-maker’s sprawling footprint extends across the United States with Midwest maintenance facilities at Appleton, Wisconsin, and a West Coast operation in Van Nuys, California. Burns added that the new facilities will keep the company “well positioned” for support, maintenance, and refurbishment of the Gulfstream fleet of almost 2,700 aircraft.

The announcement was made at Savannah Technical College’s Aviation Training Center, which has provided Gulfstream with “more than 500 knowledgeable and skilled employees” over the past 20 years. Burns said the company was “proud” to continue the working relationship with the institution, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and other local authorities.

The company also has a robust student leadership program for local high school youth enrolled in public schools. The 10-year-old Gulfstream Student Leadership Program focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math and introduces students to careers in the aviation world that they might not have previously considered.

The program uses a mentorship approach to help students build practical experience and skills that they can use when applying to a college, for financial aid, or for a job with Gulfstream. The youth leadership program is based in the communities surrounding its Georgia headquarters in Savannah and Brunswick, the Appleton maintenance facility, and recently expanded to Dallas, said Mark Bennett, the manager for community investments. “Our goal is to help with whatever the community sees as their biggest challenge,” Bennett said.