On March 14, 2013 Mayor Steven C. Bateman introduced representatives of AeroGroup, Inc. to several business owners and community leaders in the City of Homestead. The informal meeting was a meet and greet to discuss what AeroGroup’s future needs would be once operating in our community. At the same time, AeroGroup was introduced to services and resources that will be available to them through our local businesses and community leaders.
AeroGroup, a civilian contractor located near Jacksonville, Florida, will be conducting F-16 training of military personnel from European and South American countries at the Homestead Air Reserve Base. Airspace constraints and typical weather patterns prohibit this kind of training in certain countries. So far, the Royal Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Colombian Air Forces are considering training in the upcoming months.
The operation is projected to create more than one-hundred jobs. Once operational, AeroGroup students will require housing, transportation, and other needs that will positively impact our local economy. “Public-private partnerships create solutions to current economic problems. I am honored and pleased that AeroGroup recognized Homestead’s prime location and available resources to meet the demands of their operation. AeroGroup will be a wonderful addition to our economic base. AeroGroup has presented our City with many of the priorities I have held for our City: job creation, joint-use of the Air Reserve Base, and local economic stimulus,” Mayor Bateman said.
