Aircraft Manufacturer Adds 34 Jobs In Palmetto, Manatee

Ohio-based GSE Holdings is moving Hobart Ground Power, its aircraft ground power business, from Troy, OH, to Palmetto, expanding its current facility and hiring a number of positions.

“We’ve been in Manatee County with smaller operations for more than 25 years,” says Richard Hansen, VP and general manager of ITW Military GSE. “We own quite a bit of land for our campus, which we’re going to add to. We’re planning on hiring 27 assembly people and 6 or 7 staff, including engineers, purchasing folks and production managers.”

GSE Holdings Inc. is a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. and manufactures aircraft ground support equipment and accessories. Hobart Ground Power will share an expanded 100,000 square foot facility with two existing GSE businesses, Trilectron Industries and ITW Military GSE. 

Hobart’s move and expansion was facilitated by the Manatee Board of County Commissioners, which approved $42,000 in performance-based incentives as well as impact fee incentives estimated at $3,836. In addition, Hobart received $168,000 from the state of Florida. 

“We think that the state in general is an attractive place to work,” says Hansen. “We’ve always had good operating facilities here, and that’s why we chose to relocate here as opposed to California, where we have another plant that we could have moved to.”

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Richard Hansen, ITW Military GSE