West Star Aviation, an aircraft maintenance company at Chattanooga Airport, will expand its operation in a $17 million project that will add 100 jobs, officials said Monday.
West Star plans to construct a new 40,000-square-foot hangar and retrofit an existing hangar to include a design studio. Overall, the company is adding 57,000 square feet of new hangar and support space, according to officials.
Terry Hart, president and CEO of Chattanooga Airport, said West Star has continued to grow its operations since landing at Lovell Field in 2015.
"They're very busy," he said. "There has been lots of activity."
West Star, based in Illinois, currently employs more than 250 people in Chattanooga. West Star specializes in maintenance, modifications and interior refurbishment for business aircraft ranging in size from small planes to large jets.
Hart said West Star has been "a great partner, and their choice to expand in Chattanooga is a significant investment in our airport and our community."
"The Chattanooga Airport is an economic driver, and this expansion will bring in even more companies and added jobs, leading to additional spending in our region," he said.
Hart said he believes West Star wants to have the new facilities up and running in 2023.
Information on state incentives for the project will be posted on a Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development website within 30 days, according to the state.
"West Star's expansion and investment in Tennessee strengthens our state's position in the aerospace industry," said Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in a statement.
When West Star first came to Chattanooga Airport, the company moved into an existing hangar on the west side of the main runway and then later built new space on the east side where it's now located.
To prepare for West Star's newest expansion, the airport invested in and redeveloped property for future aeronautical use. Hart said West Star plans to put the new hangar in space that held the Air National Guard for decades.
For more than 50 years the National Guard unit had called the buildings off the main airport runway its home. In 2010, the members of the 241st Engineering Installation Squadron left for a new facility off Bonny Oaks Drive, and the structures at the airport were demolished.
"It will sit in that space," Hart said, noting West Star will lease the site from the airport.
Jim Rankin, West Star Aviation's chief executive, said officials are excited about the opportunity to continue to grow and add to the local workforce while expanding its facilities.
Since 2015, West Star has expanded to now occupy 153,000 square feet of space.
Steve Goede, general manager of West Star Aviation, said the company has seen enormous growth in the six years it has been in Chattanooga.
While the pandemic led to a drop in commercial air traffic, the Chattanooga Airport has focused on other growth opportunities and supported general aviation providers.
"While many other airports across the country were unable to expand amid the pandemic, we continued to take the necessary steps to be prepared for growth," said Dan Jacobson, Chattanooga Airport Authority chairman.
Debi Cunningham, West Star's vice president of marketing, said that while 2020 and the coronavirus lockdown created a lot of worries for company officials, work remained steady.
"We never had to close any hangars," she said about the company that also has major operations in Illinois and Colorado. "We're very blessed with a good steady amount of work."
Cunningham said 2021 has turned out to be one of the company's best.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.