AeroVironment (AV) Expands Footprint in Salt Lake County, Utah

27 Feb, 2025

The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity awarded AeroVironment (AV),  a post-performance tax reduction for its expansion in Salt Lake County. The corporate incentive is part of the state’s Economic Development Tax Increment Financing (EDTIF) program.

As part of the agreement, AV projects to add over 500 new, high-paying jobs and invest $42.3 million in Utah during the next five years.

“Utah is the ideal hub for advancing aerospace and defense technologies that are vital to national security and economic growth,” said Ryan Starks, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. “Strategic investments like this create jobs, accelerate innovation, and reinforce Utah’s leadership in aerospace and defense. Supporting companies like AV strengthens our state’s economy while driving cutting-edge advancements in the industry.”

Headquartered in Virginia, AV is a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain autonomous robotic systems. Serving defense, government, and commercial customers, AV delivers cutting-edge technology solutions at the intersection of robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, software analytics, and connectivity. Guided by a mission to secure lives through transformative innovation, the company has established itself as a leader in uncrewed aircraft systems, loitering munition systems, uncrewed ground vehicles, and high-altitude pseudo-satellites. With a steadfast commitment to advancing safety, operational resilience, and sustainability, AV empowers its customers with advanced solutions to meet today’s most critical challenges.

“AV’s autonomous precision-strike systems have revolutionized modern warfare, providing warfighters with the ability to neutralize high-value threats with unprecedented accuracy while minimizing risk to friendly forces,” said Wahid Nawabi, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of AV. “This facility represents a critical step in our mission to expand manufacturing capacity, ensuring our forces have the technological superiority needed to deter and, if necessary, decisively defeat adversaries.”

In addition to GOEO’s incentive, AV received approval from the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) board for an incentive on Jan. 6, 2025. This incentive allows a maximum of 10% of AV’s property tax liability to be rebated over 25 years. This post-performance rebate is part of UIPA’s efforts to support targeted industries within project areas. By incentivizing investments like these, UIPA aims to promote economic growth while fostering significant investments in public infrastructure.

“AV’s expansion in Salt Lake County underscores Utah’s growing prominence in the aerospace and defense industries,” said Ben Hart, executive director of the Utah Inland Port Authority. “By supporting strategic investments like this, UIPA is helping to create high-quality jobs, strengthen our state’s advanced manufacturing capabilities, and enhance critical infrastructure to support long-term economic growth. We are excited to work alongside AV and our partners to ensure their success in Utah.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome AV to Salt Lake City,” said Scott Cuthbertson, president of EDCUtah. “As a leading defense tech company, AV’s expansion will not only bring high-quality jobs to the region but will also further solidify Salt Lake City’s position as a premier hub for cutting-edge industries. We look forward to the long-term contributions the company will make to our economy and community.”

“We’re excited to welcome AV and the over 500 jobs it will bring to Salt Lake City,” said Lorena Riffo Jenson, director of Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development. “Our city has a long history of being a place where cutting-edge tech companies come to flourish, and AV is a great fit for our aerospace cluster.”

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