This week, a contingent of Greensboro and North Carolina economic development leaders traveled across the pond to jolly old England in order to strengthen ties and learn more about the UK headquarters and operations of a big economic player at the aviation megasite at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

 The group of representatives – which included Greensboro Chamber of Commerce President Brent Christensen – traveled to the worldwide nerve center of  Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge, England.

Representatives of the North Carolina Department of Commerce and of other economic development partnerships attended as well.

The visit was led by NC Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders and Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina CEO Christopher Chung – along with support staff from all the participating organizations.

 Marshall Aerospace is building a new maintenance, repair, overhaul and engineering facility at PTI Airport, which has been establishing an aviation megasite that’s proving popular with a lot of companies in the aviation and aeronautics industry.

Company officials say the project at PTI is developing “rapidly,” and the Wednesday, July 24 visit to Marshall’s headquarters “gave a glimpse of the capabilities, heritage and values we expect to bring to North Carolina.”

 The tour covered a range of Marshall’s aerospace operations – including work on the United States Marine Corps fleet of KC-130J airlifters and several large engineering projects.

 This week, the world’s predominant aircraft industry airshow is taking place in England and there have been some positive reports of the progress of Boom Supersonic as well – a supersonic jet marker that, like Marshall, has chosen to locate some of its major operations at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

So, local and state economic development leaders have been getting a good taste of aircraft projects recently.

The purpose of the visit to Marshall’s headquarters in England was to deepen local ties while demonstrating the value that the company’s presence promises to bring to North Carolina.

At the get-together in the UK, Marshall hosted representatives from North Carolina’s Department of Commerce and economic development for the tour.

Marshall Support Services Director Chris Dare said afterward that it was a terrific experience for everyone involved.

“It was incredibly rewarding to showcase our capabilities on home turf to some of the individuals whose support and enthusiasm made it so easy to choose North Carolina as a home for our new US facility,” Dare said. “Our Cambridge and Greensboro operations may be thousands of miles apart, but they will share a common commitment to providing mission-critical support for our customers, and I am certain the MRO technical knowledge, expertise and capabilities we have cultivated in the UK will grow and flourish in North Carolina’s thriving aerospace ecosystem.”

The delegation from North Carolina found the meetings and the tour very enlightening.

“This visit yielded a deep understanding of the high-value work Marshall is delivering for the US Marine Corps and more than a dozen other customers around the world,” said Sanders, the state’s secretary of commerce.”

The secretary added that, as the new facility comes ever closer to opening, Marshall offers a “perfect example” as to how the growing positive UK-North Carolina relationship will continue to foster skilled employment and economic activity for our state.

Earlier this week, members of Marshall’s senior leadership team also met with the North Carolina delegation at a series of events meant to improve the connections between the UK’s Department of Business and Trade during the Farnborough International Airshow.

These engagements charted two years of progress since the July 2022 signing of a landmark economic arrangement between North Carolina and the UK to strengthen economic ties and transition to a clean energy economy.

Earlier this month, CNBC ranked North Carolina among the top three states to do business in the US for the fifth year running.  So the state has been getting the eye from European companies as well as others across the road.

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