MD Helicopters, acquired in 2005 by Patriarch Partners LLC of New York City, began looking at other locations for its manufacturing operations when escalation clauses in its Falcon Field lease kicked in during early 2007. The company, through various incarnations, has operated at the air field at 4800 E. Falcon Dr. since the early 1980s.
"We'd worked with the company for a lot of years to keep the rents down, but the company was running into financial problems when they were acquired," William Jabjinak, Mesa's economic development director, tells GlobeSt.com. He says the lease escalations didn't help the situation although the company is now operating in the black.
But there was more at stake from MD Helicopter's potential departure other than vacant buildings and a loss of nearly 300 jobs from the airport. "Falcon is the fourth busiest airport in the region for general aviation," Jabjinak says. "The airport is a major employment effort for the city and we're concerned about attracting and maintaining quality jobs and companies."
Jabjinak says the helicopter company plans to expand operations in the coming years, with Falcon Field under consideration as a possible expansion site. Other sites under consideration are Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, North Texas Regional Airport in Denison, TX, Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City and Shreveport Regional Airport in Shreveport, LA. Jabjinak says the agreement puts Falcon in an excellent position for any of MD Helicopter's future expansion plans.
"They've been looking to address their expansion needs at additional sites," Jabjinak adds. "And we're trying to maintain a workforce while working with them on their expansion efforts."
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