Mesa-Gateway Facility Employs 77 Workers

Cessna CEO Jack Pelton joined Scott Smith, mayor of the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, AZ, on Thursday to officially mark the opening of a new Citation Service Center at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IWA).

Opened last month, the Mesa Citation Service Center is one of nine company-owned service centers, and more than 30 authorized service facilities around the world. The group forms one of the most comprehensive business aircraft service networks in the world.

"We're thrilled to be open for business in the Phoenix area, and our first day's activities were robust with seven Citations coming through the door," said Stan Younger, Cessna vice president, Service Facilities. "The customer and employee experience here is certain to turn Mesa into the premiere location in the Southwest for Citation maintenance. The facility is twice as large and ramp space is 10 times the size of what we offered in Long Beach, and we have room for further expansion as the worldwide fleet of Citation business jets grows."

The Mesa facility replaced a smaller service center in Long Beach, CA. The Mesa facility employs 77 people, many of whom have been hired from the Mesa area; so far, none of those jobs have been affected by recent layoffs at the planemaker.

Cessna says the new service center has developed a partnership with Chandler-Gilbert Community College with five current students attending on Cessna scholarships. Two current employees are CGCC graduates who are former scholarship winners. Mesa's general manager, Randall Soutiere is now on the Advisory Board at CGCC.

The company constructed a new 101,000-square foot facility that includes 62,400 square feet of hangar space along with office and backshop areas. Cessna has developed 12 acres of its tract flanking three 10,000-foot runways and a 124,800-square foot aircraft ramp, leaving room for expansion as needed.

FMI: www.cessna.com