From left, Katie Johnson – VP of HR (West Star Aviation); Matt DeLellis – CFO (West Star Aviation); Terry Hart – President & CEO (CMAA); Steve Goede – General Manager (West Star Aviation); Jim Rankin – CEO (West Star Aviation);
Tim Kelly – mayor (City of Chattanooga); Christy Gillenwater – president and CEO (Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce); Kevin Larson – president (Tectonics); Marty Rhine – VP of Sales (West Star Aviation); and Patrick Vocke – representative (West Star Aviation)
West Star Aviation has officially launched its expansion program at its Chattanooga location, marking the occasion with a groundbreaking ceremony with actual construction starting the same day.
The all-new hangar complex will consist of 40,000 sq. ft. of active hangar space and an additional 17,000 sq. ft. of shop and support space. Additionally, West Star has started retrofitting one of its existing hangars to include a new design studio, customer accommodations and nearly double their Interior Shop capacity. The complete planned expansion at the CHA location will increase the total operational footprint from 179,828 sq. ft. to approximately 262,816 sq. ft. effectively. The construction should be complete in less than a year, with a June 2023 expected completion date.
“We are very excited to start this expansion project and look forward to completion of the construction bringing 100+ more jobs to the local community along with offering our valued customers the additional space to complete their maintenance projects,” said Steve Goede, general manager (CHA).
As an industry leading MRO provider, West Star has been voted the #1 Preferred MRO for eight consecutive years from 2014-2021 in Professional Pilot Magazine's annual PRASE Survey. West Star Aviation specializes in the repair and maintenance of airframes, engines and APUs, avionics installations and repair, major modifications, interior refurbishment, exterior paint, accessory services and parts.
In addition to its primary facilities in East Alton, IL; Grand Junction, CO; Chattanooga, TN; and Perryville, MO, West Star Aviation also maintains satellite facilities at Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, IL; Centennial Airport in Denver, CO; Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport in Houston, TX; and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, MN. The company also provides complete FBO services for transient aircraft at its East Alton and Grand Junction facilities, as well as AOG/MRT services nationwide. West Star Aviation is an industry leader in technical experience and expertise while providing world-class customer services in all the organization’s divisions.