Thirty-One Employees Move From Duluth To Superior Offices

Kestrel aircraft has officially made the move from Duluth, MN to Superior, WI, opening their new offices with about 31 people, including CEO Alan Klapmeier. Some believe Kestrel will one day be the largest company in Superior.

For now, the company's Superior presence consists mainly of engineers and administrative staff, including the CEO. But Klapmeier told television station WDIO "We want to make sure that it's not a secret that we have moved into Superior."

Klapmeier said that by the end of summer, they hope to double the Superior workforce, but that the projected 600 manufacturing jobs actually building the turboprop airplane are still down the road. He said that the Kestrel is still in the early design phases, with the outside shape of the airplane "frozen". But the big surge in jobs won't come until the airplane is being readied for production, which he projects to be about a year and a half away.

Groundbreaking for their first plant is planned for later this summer, and Klapmeier said they expect to be able to have the factory ready for production by next winter. A second plant is also planned, but construction is not yet scheduled. The Kestrel is not yet certified by the FAA.

FMI: www.kestrel.aero