Major aviation expansion completed at Colorado Springs Airport
An aviation company that recently relocated from North Carolina announced the completion of a major project at the Colorado Springs Airport Friday.
Rampart Aviation held a grand opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at the JHW Hangar Complex on the west side of the airport.
Rampart opened a 20,000 square-foot aviation facility after a year of construction.
“I always remember how desolate the west side of the airport used to be,” said Jeff Perkins, Rampart’s vice president of business management, and a long time city resident. “To see the rebirth of the west side has just done this city a tremendous service.”
Rampart is a commercial and military contractor that conducts operational, maintenance and training aviation support operations across the U.S. The company relocated to Colorado Springs in 2013.
A factor in the move was the city’s creation of a commercial aeronautics zone, offering tax breaks for businesses, and local leaders say the strategy is working better than expected.
“We’ve become, in just a very short period of time, very attractive to companies and Rampart is a classic example,” said Mayor John Suthers. “I’m out here in the next couple of days talking to other prospective businesses. So this is great for Colorado Springs.”
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn said the arrival of new employers also creates more job opportunities for military veterans.
“The government helps veterans get a start in their work life when they leave the service,” Lamborn said. “That’s part of what has helped the business here, get off the ground and get started.”
Suthers said Friday’s event was the fourth time in the last five months that he’s attended an expansion or arrival announcement at the airport.
“The aviation side has produced more than $500,000 of revenue since we started the zone 18 months ago,” he said. “All of that helps lower the cost to commercial airlines. We’ve gone from $13 a seat to $6 and think we’ll go down a couple more bucks in the next (few) years. We’re now in some very serious discussions about (increasing) commercial flights.”
Rampart employs 45 people, and the company expects to hire another 25 before the end of the decade.
