Memorandum Of Understanding Signed By City, Chinese Officials

The city of Duluth and the new principal shareholders in Cirrus, Chinese aviation conglomerate CAIGA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) stating that Cirrus will stay, and grow, in the upper Midwestern city.

In the document, the city said it would support Cirrus, and CAIGA promised it would stay put. Cirrus is one of Duluth's principal employers, despite jobs lost in the economic downturn.

The Duluth News Tribune reports that the one-page document was signed in a ceremony at Cirrus on Tuesday. “Verbal assurances are wonderful. But a written assurance, signed by the president of CAIGA, certainly carries much more weight,” said Duluth Mayor Don Ness.

Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken reportedly sent a letter to CAIGA president Xiangkai Meng urging him to sign the MoU. Ness said communications from United States Senators helped get Meng's attention.

Cirrus spokesman Bill King said that the MoU 'wasn't really' necessary, and that Cirrus has a "long history of doing what we say." (King appears to be ignoring Brent Wouters, the current CEO's, well-established habit of doing just the opposite... as we have documented several of his 'whoppers' here on ANN...).

Continuing to 'spin' aggressively, King said the company's best days are ahead, and that the "investment" by CAIGA will help the company tap into emerging markets worldwide. One can only hope that Duluth has far more luck with CAIGA/Xiangkai Meng's honesty than it has with Wouters...

FMI: www.cirrusaircraft.com, www.duluthmn.gov