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Aircraft service provider Able Aerospace Services is investing $9 million to expand its facilities at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa.

The new development will include a $5 million, 50,000-square-foot addition to the existing headquarters and $4 million in new technology and equipment.

鈥淭his expansion will add another 100 jobs onto what they currently do here and allows them to expand,鈥� said Ryan Smith, director of communications and government relations for Gateway Airport. 鈥淭hat allows them to add a new product line to what they currently offer.鈥�

Able, a, receives aircraft parts from customers and repairs or refurbishes them to either return or sell. According to Able, the expansion will prepare the facility to service more complex components from newer aircraft, including more modern helicopters and small, private jets.

鈥淲e鈥檝e grown significantly in the last two years 鈥� probably about 30 to 40 percent 鈥� and are coming to a point where we need to continue to invest in new products,鈥� said Gabe Massey, general manager at Able. 鈥淭he market鈥檚 doing well, our business is doing well, our business is growing, so we needed the space.鈥�

Timeliness was a main criterion in choosing where to expand, and Gateway Airport made that decision easy, Massey said.

鈥淭he airport recognized that and pretty much accelerated everything for us and helped the schedule,鈥� he said.

In 2013, Able struck a deal with Gateway Airport and the city of Mesa to form a 鈥渦nique partnership鈥� in which the airport and the city financed Able鈥檚 workspace and leased it back to the company, Smith said.

鈥淎ble is really kind of our homegrown, perfect success story,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t was a public-private partnership, and what it allowed Able to do was invest those dollars into equipment.鈥�

Since 2013, Able鈥檚 workforce has grown by at least 200 employees to include more than 450 mechanics, engineers, customer service and sales specialists. Its footprint has also expanded with the addition of a new mezzanine space, a new paint facility and the build-out of hangar space that is home to the Able Maintenance Center, according to Able.

The city of Mesa is 鈥減roud鈥� that Able Aerospace Services has chosen to expand further, said Mayor John Giles in a press release.

鈥淭hey are an exceptional business leader in aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul for both military and civilian aircraft,鈥� Giles said in the release. 鈥淚t has been exciting to watch Able鈥檚 number of high-quality jobs grow since moving to the Gateway area in 2013, and we are thrilled to welcome up to 100 more with this expansion.鈥�

Massey said Able鈥檚 partnership with Gateway Airport for the past five years has 鈥渙nly been positive.鈥�

鈥淓very time we need some help or we need feedback or we want to do something to the facility, their approach has always been collaborative, always been in the best interest of our business,鈥� Massey said.

Able has a significant impact on the airport鈥檚 revenue, Smith said.

鈥淥ur airport鈥檚 a unique set-up in that we view ourselves as a really large economic development project that just happens to have an airport,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淸Able] is a big part of who we are. Obviously, any time Able receives or sends a shipment by air, that鈥檚 added cargo traffic that we certainly appreciate, that we love.鈥�

But the airport isn鈥檛 the only one benefiting from Able鈥檚 growth in Arizona, Smith said.

鈥淭heir impact for us are the employees that come to work every day and stay in the area, spend their money in the restaurants and other services around here,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really what their positive impact for us is.鈥�

Massey said there are several factors that make Arizona the right place for Able, especially the 鈥渧ery friendly鈥� regulatory environment. Able often works with hazardous materials, and the agencies that oversee environmental health and safety 鈥渉ave been extremely easy to work with,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great location for talent, great location for partnerships with schools,鈥� Massey said. 鈥淲e have really good relationships with all of the technical schools in the Valley, and we know there鈥檚 a long-term future of talent.鈥�

When hiring from outside the state, it鈥檚 easy to convince people to make the move to Arizona, he said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an attractive place to live, so people want to come here and enjoy the environment and the weather,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he housing and the community around the area is offering really good community and schools for our employees, so people enjoy living in this area.鈥�

Textron Aviation Inc., a multibillion-dollar, multinational aviation conglomerate headquartered in Rhode Island,.

鈥淎ble鈥檚 world-class support aligns with our mission to provide customers with the resources needed to thrive and succeed as aircraft operators,鈥� said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president of customer service at Textron Aviation. 鈥淲ith this expansion, the Able team will broaden its service offerings even further, truly making it the CRO provider of choice in the aviation industry.鈥�

Able鈥檚 Mesa location delivers 鈥渕ore than 10,000 FAA-approved component repair, overhaul, parts and aircraft completion solutions for civilian and military, fixed- and rotor-wing operators in more than 60 countries,鈥� according to the press release.

鈥淭hey really could locate anywhere in the world that they wanted to,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e purposefully chosen Arizona, they鈥檝e purposefully chosen Mesa, because of the proximity to skilled labor, the opportunities they have to grow, the partnerships that they have with the city of Mesa and with the airport. They view themselves as part of the team, and we do the same.鈥�

Construction of the new facility began in December and move-in is scheduled for summer 2019.