- October 21, 2024
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Gov. Ron DeSantis praised Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for delivery a high quality education in things that really matter. Photo by Brian McMillan
The new Boeing Daytona Beach facility was funded with about $25 million in state funds and another $25 million from philanthropists Cici and Hyatt Brown. Rendering provided by ERAU
Mori Hosseini, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Emby-Riddle Aeronautical University, served as master of ceremonies at the June 11 event. Photo by Brian McMillan
In front of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other dignitaries, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Boeing formally announced a new partnership Tuesday, June 11, that will bring 400 high-paying jobs to Volusia County, Florida, through 2026.
Among the speakers at the ceremony was Steve Nordlund, who is not only a member of the Board of Trustees at ERAU, but is also vice president and general manager of air dominance for Boeing.
“Boeing Daytona Beach will be a very important strategic site for us, not just for Boeing but for our nation,” Nordlund said. “The 400 engineers that will be based here will be working on some of the most complex and important problems facing our global military customers. They’ll be using their talents and skills to develop aircraft, spacecraft, equipment and capabilities around these systems that will enable our uniformed personnel to win the fight of today, but more importantly, deterring the war of tomorrow."
He continued: “The 400 people who will work here will be dedicated to helping the bravest among us, our uniformed men and women, do their jobs and return home safely.”
In the partnership, Boeing will lease the entire Cici and Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology, located in Embry-Riddle’s Research Park, on the university’s Daytona Beach Campus. The center, which has been under construction for the past two years, will open for business by fall of 2024.
By year’s end, Boeing has committed to employ 200 highly trained workers at its new facility, Boeing Daytona Beach. The other 200 roles are set to be filled over the course of 2025-2026.
“Today is a momentous day — not just for Embry-Riddle or for the city of Daytona Beach, but for all of Florida,” said Mori Hosseini, chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees, in a press release. “... And it wouldn’t have been possible without the state of Florida, and Cici and Hyatt Brown.”
The partnership was made possible by philanthropists Cici and Hyatt Brown, who pledged $25 million to Embry-Riddle in 2022 — matching $25 million in support approved by Florida legislators that year and marking the single largest gift in university history.
Hosseini, DeSantis and others praised the Browns for their generosity. Hosseini called the couple “the lifeblood of our community.”
“This is an investment in the community that has wings way beyond Volusia County,” Hyatt Brown said at the event. He called ERAU a “bedrock of this community.” He also thanked DeSantis and other public officials for helping to make the Boeing-ERAU partnership a reality.
“This is an economic engine that spawns educated people who will be leaders of the future,” Hyatt Brown said.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
As part of its transition into the area, Boeing will make a $100,000 investment into several Volusia County nonprofit organizations.
To kick off this effort, the company will provide funding to support the Second Harvest Food Bank of Volusia County Schools Partnership Program, which offers a student-centered approach to increasing access to nutritious food for students facing hunger. Additional funding has been designated for local organizations supporting veterans and environmental programs in the area.
Later this fall, Boeing will also launch the DreamLearners Program in Volusia County Schools. The award-winning program offers students the opportunity to participate in hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, and learn about careers in aerospace.
According to Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., community impact has always been a priority for the university — both in developing the next generation of highly skilled workers to step into high-paying positions, but also in creating a hub where the business and education sectors can meet and collaborate.
“The launch of our Research Park in 2017 marked a new era for Embry-Riddle,” Butler said. “By leveraging corporate partnerships, we’ve created a career pipeline that initially funnels students toward hands-on learning opportunities and, ultimately, fills jobs in the critical sectors of aviation, aerospace and STEM-related fields.”
According to an independent economic assessment released in 2021, Embry-Riddle’s Research Park generated $137 million in total economic impact in Florida, increasing the facility’s previous impact, reported in 2019, by 50%.
In that same assessment, the park’s cornerstone facility, the “MicaPlex” (John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Complex), was also shown to have directly created over 120 jobs with an average salary of over $78,000.
Today, Boeing’s arrival promises to further expand those career, economic and community benefits.
DESANTIS ON FUNDING ERAU
After noting that he has vetoed billions of dollars in local projects as governor, DeSantis joked with the audience about Hosseini's influence in higher education funding.
"I don't know how he does it," DeSantis said, "but whatever he wants — whether it's Embry Riddle, UF, Daytona State — it's not always there at the beginning of the legislative session, but at the end of the legislative session, it always shows up, one way or another. ... I've actually learned that if there's something I really want that Mori also wants, I just don't fight for it because I know he'll end up getting it, so I can fight for other things."
DeSantis explained why he supported state funding for the new facility at ERAU, which is not a state-run school.
"Typically, while I wish the private universities well, typically that's not our focus because we have a state university system," he said. "So, to get us to support something private like this, at that level, we would only do that if there's clearly benefits to the state of Florida."
In a time when DeSantis sees many problems with higher education, he said, "Embry-Riddle really shows how you do it right, how you give a high quality education in things that really matter."
— Brian McMillan contributed to this report.
