GREENVILLE, Miss. (May 18, 2022) The City of Greenville, with a majority vote from the Greenville City Council, has entered into a 20-year lease with Greenville Kearns Aerospace Maintenance, Inc. (GKAM) for the use of Hangar 450 at Greenville Mid-Delta Airport. GKAM is a subsidiary of the Kearns Group, an international aerospace company. GKAM’s services will include maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) for both military and commercial customers. Ronnie Kearns brings decades of experience to Greenville Mid-Delta Airport.
“This $15 million investment and partnership with Greenville Kearns Aerospace Maintenance (GKAM) at Greenville Mid-Delta Airport will be a major economic driver for the entire Delta region,” said Errick Simmons, Mayor of Greenville. “This administration’s prioritization of the airport will permanently improve our economic competitiveness in aviation and aerospace in a way that our community has never seen before. Special thanks to the Greenville City Council, Airport Director Sam Washington, South Delta Planning and Development District, and the Washington County Economic Alliance for their collective efforts in getting this deal done.”
“I thank Mayor Errick D. Simmons and the Greenville City Council for their vote to approve a lease agreement with Greenville Kearns Aerospace Maintenance to bring a high-quality MRO to the Greenville Mid-Delta Airport,” said Airport Director Sam Washington. “This venture will be the springboard for other similar business ventures and will begin the path towards self-sufficiency for the Greenville Mid-Delta Airport. Thanks also to the entire team who has worked tirelessly on this project for the past three years.”
In support of this project, Greenville City Council also voted to approve a $15M industrial revenue bond to renovate Hangar 450. This bond will be used to bring Hangar 450 back up to Department of Defense specifications, which will allow GKAM to operate inside the hangar. The Greenville City Council entered an order approving Raymond James & Associates for underwriting services and Tray Hairston of Butler Snow for bond counsel services in relation to a $15 million Airport bond for this project.
“This is a great day for not just Greenville, but the entire MS Delta. As Executive Director of the planning and development district for six counties and thirty-five municipalities; the investment that the City of Greenville and Kearns Group is making will be a catalyst for employment and development. This is what economic development is about: changing livelihoods for generations,” says Tommy Goodwin.
"The Kearns Group, LLC and its partners would like to thank the City of Greenville for the opportunity to bring Greenville Kearns Aerospace Maintenance, Inc. to Greenville Mid-Delta Airport,” said Ronnie Kearns, CEO of GKAM. “We are very grateful to be able to partner with this city and this community to form a strong working relationship that will help us grow together. We look forward to being a part of the future of this community." To bring life back to the hangars at Greenville Mid-Delta Airport is an amazing moment for our community,” said Will Coppage, Executive Director of the Washington County Economic Alliance. “This announcement is the result of years of work by numerous stakeholders and our client Ronnie Kearns of GKAM. GKAM is the ideal tenant, who we can now leverage to attract further tenants that will strengthen our growing aerospace cluster. I thank the City of Greenville for their investment in this project and faith in the WCEA.”
Greenville’s investment in Hangar 450, and partnership with GKAM, will give Greenville Mid-Delta Airport a competitive edge in attracting more aerospace companies to the region.
In support of GKAM, Mississippi Delta Community College is hosting Aviation Sheet Metal and Repair courses at the Capps Center and Greenville Mid-Delta Airport. To register for this free course, contact The Capps Center at (662) 887-2876. For additional information, please contact Nikki Landrum in the Mayor’s Office at 662-378-1501.
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