MACON, Ga. — The Macon-Bibb Industrial Authority is welcoming an expanding company to Central Georgia.
Coming to a hangar near you later this year: 200 jobs.
Canadian aviation company MHIRJ announced Thursday its plans to expand to Central Georgia.
The company's largest operation is in its maintenance and overhaul facilities. It currently has locations in Bridgeport, W.Va. and Tucson, Ariz. Its next stop is the Middle Georgia Regional Airport.
"There's a lot of expertise in aviation in Macon, Georgia, so we felt it was a logical place to expand and that there would be the talented workforce that we would need," said Ross Mitchell, a company vice president.
MHIRJ's journey to Central Georgia has been months in the making. The Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority is happy to add another tenant to the airport.
"About a 6-month period here now that we have dealt with MHI. You know, like I said, lot of back and forth, lot of Zoom calls," said Industrial Authority Chairman Robby Fountain.
Fountain says MHIRJ's arrival in the region is a major step forward for the airport.
"In 2017, we lost every single tenant we had. If you remember, Boeing left and we lost a lot of people, and the authority here was forced to go back to the drawing board," he said.
MHIRJ is looking for aircraft maintenance, structural and avionics technicians. They've already started interviews. If you'd like to apply, you can head to their website.
MHIRJ hopes to open its newest repair center within the next few months.