DAYTON — An electric aircraft company is announcing that it will create 2,000 jobs and build about a half-billion-dollar manufacturing facility in the Dayton region.
>>PHOTOS: Electric aircraft company announces 2,000 jobs for Dayton region
Joby Aviation says it will bring an electric air taxi manufacturing facility to Dayton International Airport that will build, test, and fly all-electric, vertical take-off, and landing (eVTOL) air taxis for commercial passenger operations, Governor Mike DeWine’s office announced in a statement this morning.
Construction on the facility is expected to start next year and come online in 2025. Joby plans to produce as many as 500 aircraft per year.
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“Today is a historic day in Dayton, Ohio,” Jeff Hoagland, President and CEO of Dayton Development Coalition said in a one-on-one interview with News Center 7. “It is something that we’ve been working on for quite a while. But it’s something that we’re extremely proud of here in Dayton with it being the home of aviation in the first evolution of flight with the Wright brothers. And today, you know, with the third evolution, the flight with these electric, vertical, takeoff, and landing vehicles.”
He added both the city and state are getting back to its manufacturing roots. This includes Sierra Nevada Corporation building an MRO facility at Dayton International Airport.
Hoagland said Joby is following that trend.
“They’ve worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory with the Lifecycle Management Center and with others,” he told News Center 7. “What we’re seeing is the proximity matters to companies working with Wright Patterson Air Force Base and for this community to have access to this many jobs and great paying jobs and in an industry that I think young kids, middle-aged people, and others will really want to be a part of is it’s so exciting to not just today but for the future.”
Hoagland stated there will be all kinds of jobs created with this investment by Joby.
“The 2,000 jobs will be a combination of manufacturing jobs, engineering jobs,” he said. “The community will have access to it. But our goal is to attract other people from other states, to come to Dayton, Ohio, to be a part of something historic.”
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Hoagland told News Center 7 that Ohio continues to win from an economic standpoint.
“We’ve seen the announcements like Intel Honda, Sierra Nevada Corporation and so many more,” he said. “But, you know, for our Dayton community to see these manufacturing companies coming back to Dayton, Ohio and opening now a manufacturing facility around aviation. It is going to get the attention of other companies throughout the world not just in the United States. But this is going to attract other companies for sure.”
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Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted also spoke with News Center 7 about what this means for the Dayton region.
“The Dayton area has won the biggest Ohio economic development project of 2023,” he said. “Dayton has been the history of aviation and now, it’s going to be the future of aviation. Dayton has always had a lot of aviation invade innovation, but we’ve never captured a large-scale manufacturing company, manufacturing aircraft, and then all the jobs and supply chain that comes with it.”
Husted told News Center 7 it has been a strategy over the last 20 years of trying to build up Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
“We now are a leader in technology in the Dayton area. In this space, we have a testing facility at the Springfield airport where these types of electric and more automated type of aircraft systems are being tested,” he explained. “And because of all of that expertise that we have, we have gotten the competition to win.”
Joby looked at states across the country and picked Dayton, Ohio.
Husted also explained to News Center 7 how this electric aircraft would work.
“It’s kind of like an electric personal aircraft it will hold up to four people and has a range of 100 miles,” he said. “These aircraft are really the future of aviation transportation, and they could have gone anywhere. But because of what we’ve done over time in the state of Ohio, in the Dayton area; they picked Dayton as the best place in the country to do this.”
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Husted also talked about the economic impact on the Dayton region.
“This is both a huge economic win in the number of jobs and the supply chain that comes with it,” he said. “But at reputation only, and psychologically, this is huge because it’s the first manufacturing facility of its kind to manufacture these next-generation aircraft in Dayton is going to be the home of it. And that from a reputation and motivation, from an economic point of view is just amazing. This will be a global story. And Dayton will be at the heart of it.”
Husted said the Dayton area’s pride in its aviation heritage made a difference in Joby coming to the region.
“There was in my mind, as I pitched to them, no better place in the world to do something like this than Dayton,” he said. “They ultimately agreed. Now, we’re going to see a major investment and a full-blown aircraft manufacturing facility operational in the Dayton area.”
“Ohio’s legacy in aviation leadership begins with the Wright Brothers and continues now with Joby Aviation, as they launch a new era in advanced aviation manufacturing and aerial mobility in Dayton,” said Governor DeWine in a statement Monday. “The aircraft that will roll off Joby Ohio’s production lines will redefine urban transportation and contribute to a transformational change in the way people and goods travel. We welcome Joby and celebrate the new chapter of air mobility history that will be made here in Ohio, the Heart of Aviation and Aerospace.”
The company said it will use existing nearby buildings for operations and the company’s new payroll is expected to surpass $140 million.
“Ohio has a long, rich history in aviation, and we’re proud to bring the next chapter of that story to life in the place where it all started,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO Joby Aviation. “As one of the top states in the country for aviation manufacturing and innovation, Ohio will play an important role in the future of our industry, and we’re looking forward to growing our team here.
“We’re grateful to Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted, Senator Brown, Senator Vance, Representative Turner, and the team at JobsOhio for continuing to grow Ohio’s leadership in aviation and ensuring the U.S. continues to lead the way in delivering quiet, emissions-free flight.”
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Joby Aviation’s Ohio investment is expected to significantly impact economic growth in both Ohio and across the country.
The new facility will likely draw other advanced air mobility opportunities in Ohio that could lead to an over statewide economic impact of $13 billion and create 15,000 new jobs in the state by 2045.
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Lydia Mihalik, director for the Ohio Department of Development, called today’s announcements “big news for the Miami Valley and will be transformative for the people and families in the region.”
“Joby Aviation’s investment in Ohio will bring thousands of good paying jobs to the area,” she said. “When residents look to the sky, they’ll not only see the revolutionary aircraft technology made in their own backyard but also the limitless possibilities and opportunities that exist right here in Ohio.”
News Center 7′s John Bedell was at this morning’s announcement.
Several elected leaders including DeWine and Dayton Congressman Mike Turner admitted today that earlier this year even they were not the top choice for Joby to come to build the facility, but they closed the deal as the year went on. They finally got the word late summer that they were selecting the Miami Valley.
“Today’s announcement didn’t come by chance. It was earned through 20 years of strategic planning by the people of the Dayton region leading us into being in the best possible position for a company like Joby to expand their operations in California to Ohio. Dayton has solidified itself as the center of aviation and innovation,” Husted said.
The Dayton Developmental Coalition confirmed to News Center 7 that construction is set to start sometime next year and finish by 2025.
A link to express interest in joining Joby’s Dayton team can be found here.
This story will be updated with developments as they are announced.
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