Florida Loves Embraer

During early May, the fuselage of a Legacy 450 arrived in Florida on a boat from Brazil. It will be the first Legacy 450 that Embraer will assemble in America.

Embraer began building aircraft in Florida in early 2011 when the first Phenom 100 fuselage arrived in Melbourne. A year and a half later, Embraer added Phenom 300 assembly, and next month all Phenom assembly will switch to Melbourne, freeing up valuable space in Brazil for the company’s new E2 regional airliner.

Embraer’s decision to move some of its production to the States was perfectly timed.

Just down the road from Melbourne, on reclaimed swamp land, is the Kennedy Space Center, and at the time of Embraer’s move, the Space Shuttle program was winding down. Hundreds of talented people were looking for work, and Embraer employed them. Last year the company estimated that 40 out of 60 of its 600+ employees were previously employed by the space center.

To make room for the Legacy production Embraer have built a new 236,000 square-foot facility and will add a further 600 jobs in the region through 2020.

But it is not just jobs that Embraer has added to the Florida economy. Since the first Phenom 100 rolled out of Melbourne, the company has sold 170 jets worth just over $1 billion.

Embraer is looking to grow further, which means more jobs and more local sales taxes. It’s no wonder that Florida loves Embraer.