County Offers $12 Million Incentive Package

While executives at the planemaker remain silent, a city official in Vero Beach, FL announced last week it appears very likely Piper Aircraft Inc. will remain in the city, instead of locating its headquarters and upcoming PiperJet manufacturing center to one of two alternate, less-hurricane-prone locations.

The Palm Beach Post reports officials in Indian River County are expected to vote this month on a lucrative $12 million incentive package to keep the planemaker in Vero Beach. The deal follows months of often-tortuous negotiations with Piper, which reportedly drove a very hard bargain.

Commission Chairman Gary Wheeler said the outlook was "very, very positive" Piper will stick around the Florida community, adding the deal will likely be finalized at a January 15 commission meeting. As ANN reported, Piper was also looking at sites in Oklahoma City, OK and Albuquerque, NM -- cities that in recent years have seen booms in their respective aerospace industries.

In the end, however, it appears the prospect of relocating the entire company was even less attractive to Piper than the possibility a hurricane could wipe out its operation... as a pair of storms very nearly did in 2004.

"They were looking, I believe, at tremendous expense for relocating, retraining, moving people," Wheeler said. "They've been here 50 years. They've got 1,100 trained employees that do their job well."

Piper is the largest private employer in Vero Beach... and the city stands to gain 500 more jobs when the PiperJet plant is built.

"Everything's ironed out and ready for approval for the county commission," Wheeler said.

Piper spokesman Steve Johnston wouldn't confirm Wheeler's optimism, saying only that Piper was still considering its options.

FMI: www.piper.com