At a groundbreaking ceremony today in Greenville, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced it is investing more than $55 million and hiring for more than 200 new positions to meet customer demand and growth in its fleet.
Gulfstream will construct a world-class aircraft paint facility in Appleton, which is set to begin operations in the third quarter of 2023. The custom-designed, 73,000-square-foot/6,782-square-meter facility uses a proprietary paint booth design developed by Gulfstream in conjunction with Osseo-based paint booth manufacturer Global Finishing Solutions. The new facility will have the ability to paint up to 48 aircraft per year and will allow Gulfstream to perform the entire aircraft completions process start-to-finish in Appleton.
“We have used [Global Finishing Solutions] before. When you look at everything you need to make sure you have maximum air flow and filtration in a paint facility, they’re the best in the world. And it’s even better because they’re local,” said L.D. Buerger, Gulfstream’s vice president of completions. “A Gulfstream paint job is high gloss; it looks like your Ferrari. To deliver a paint job at that scale, you have to have an incredible facility.”
Buerger says the decision to bring the new paint facility to Appleton was rooted in the people, culture, customer service and community partnerships that have become hallmarks of Gulfstream’s Wisconsin operations.
“We have customers who will only have their aircrafts serviced in Appleton because of the people and relationships,” he said. “There’s such a can-do attitude, and as we’ve grown and challenged the team they just get better and better. So, for us, the partnership’s really been about the highly skilled workforce, phenomenal facilities and a great partnership with [Appleton International Airport director] Abe Weber. He’s been an amazing advocate for us.”
Gulfstream, Buerger says, is not immune from the nation’s workforce challenges and adding 200 jobs in Appleton is not as simple as posting the openings. Gulfstream will be hosting a job fair on June 9 from 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. at its facility at N687 Discovery Drive in Appleton.
“We are in a period of rapid growth and are currently hiring for a wide range of positions. We have openings for engineers, mechanics, avionics technicians and highly skilled trade and craftspeople. Gulfstream offers excellent training to assist in starting a new career in aviation,” Buerger said. “I think we offer the best product out there. We’re stable, and we’re investing a lot.”
The company has recently made several enhancements to the facility to improve customer and employee experiences. Investments include a new office area for completions customers and pilots, a new wood finishing area, an upgraded shipping and receiving area, and a completions hangar featuring an employee entrance, break room and lockers.
