Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., one of the world’s leading private jet manufacturers, has chosen Mesa as a destination to build its West Coast maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility.

The company, which is owned by General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD), announced Tuesday morning that it would investing $70 million into a new facility at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

“After a few years of looking throughout the western U.S., we kind of homed in on Mesa for a number of different reasons – the infrastructure, the airport, the support of the airport authority and local government, the schools in the area – all of it is the right infrastructure for us to invest and grow for many years to come,” Gulfstream President Mark Burns said.

Burns, along with a number of elected and business officials, made the announcement at the Gateway Airport on Tuesday morning.

The new facility will be where Gulfstream customers can fly to and get their planes serviced or repaired. The facilities will include maintenance hangers, Gulfstream offices and spaces for customers.

While the $70 million facility will not be finished until 2023, Gulfstream will post job openings on Wednesday morning and will start maintenance operations in a smaller degree at the Gateway airport in an existing hanger, Burns said. Initially the company will hire 50 to 75 employees, and when the new facility in constructed, the employee count will increase by about 200, he said.

Burns described the Gulfstream jobs as “high-tech” and “good paying.” The company has already made deals with Arizona State University and Chandler Gilbert Community College for training and job placement programs.

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By Brandon Brown, Reporter - Phoenix Business Journal