By Olivia DeWan, contributor
During a whirlwind tour of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County on Tuesday, Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery announced that AeroNimble, a new company specializing in aircraft engine repair and maintenance, will expand its operations in Harrisonburg.
“We’re building a high-tech aerospace company right here in the Shenandoah Valley,” Eric Terry, a founder and the CHRO of AeroNimble, said. “We believe the region can compete for highly skilled positions and high-paying positions. People don’t need to go to Charlotte or Atlanta; they can do it here in the Valley.”
Michael Mendolia, the President and COO of AeroNimble, said the company chose its current location, a former Suter furniture store that closed in the late 1990s, because it was underutilized and offered a chance to bring new life to the space.
“The goal is for us to grow large enough that we have to open other shops, but to keep this [location in Harrisonburg] as our headquarters…,” Mendolia said. “We really want to thank the entire community for welcoming us.”
Turning that vision into reality requires an extraordinary level of expertise.
“AeroNimble is an aircraft maintenance organization focused on repairing PT6 engines,” Mendolia said. “We pull them apart, repair them, and put them all back together, then test them. This sounds like a small thing until you realize there’s over 8,000 parts of every engine.”
That level of precision depends on a highly trained, certified workforce.
“We’re talking about people who have special certifications like A&Ps (Airframe and Powerplant certifications),” Mendolia said. “Right now, there are a few people in the Valley who have those kinds of requirements, but not nearly as many as we’d like.”
A&P certifications qualify individuals to maintain and repair aircraft. These can require around 30 months of concurrent experience.
“What we’re trying to do for the Valley is bring a skill set that can’t be taken over by AI,” Mendolia said. “It can’t be taken over by people who don’t know what they’re doing, either. These are highly regulated industries that require a lot of oversight from federal and state authorities.”
Because those certifications are difficult to earn, AeroNimble has developed new ways to recruit workers while also supporting the local community.
“We have a partnership with a number of schools that do nothing but produce the kind of certifications [we’re looking for], but many of those folks go out of state,” Mendolia said. “What we’d like to do is keep as many of them as we can here in the state, in the Valley, to grow.”
To support that effort, AeroNimble has partnered with Blue Ridge Community College, giving graduates the opportunity to step into careers with the company.
“It’s wonderful to think that if a student wants to go to school and build a life in the Shenandoah Valley, companies like AeroNimble make it possible to do that,” Spanberger said. “That is no small feat.”
In addition to giving students opportunities for employment, AeroNimble is investing in the Harrisonburg community.
“I am excited to announce that AeroNimble is investing more than 2.5 million dollars and creating 51 new jobs in the Harrisonburg area,” Spanberger said. “Announcements like these are always results of such a team effort.”
Chenery shared her excitement.
“Every day is a good day when we’re announcing jobs and investments,” Chenery, a native of the Valley, said.
Chenery emphasized thanks to Blue Ridge Community College, the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, the City of Harrisonburg, state partners, and others who made AeroNimble’s establishment possible.
“As I see AeroNimble’s investment here as a vote of confidence in Harrisonburg, and a vote of confidence in Virginia,” Spanberger said. “We have every confidence in the work and plan AeroNimble has not just for the company, but for the people of Harrisonburg, the students, and the greater Commonwealth.”
The announcement of AeroNimble also coincided with plans to expand I-81.
“Ensuring that I-81, which is an extraordinarily important artery for the region and for the entire East Coast, gets the attention and investment it needs is something that I am excited we are moving on,” Spanberger said. “Importantly, the Harrisonburg part [of this plan] is now beginning.”
Together, the infrastructure improvements and new business investment mark a significant moment for the Shenandoah Valley.
“Having two economic achievements in the Valley is a dream day to me,” Chenery said. “It is such a testament to this region, the partnerships, ingenuity, and drive to do things differently with the right people at the table.”
Officials say the combined investments in AeroNimble and I-81 improvements signal continued growth for Harrisonburg and the wider Shenandoah Valley.
“This is exciting for AeroNimble, Harrisonburg, and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Terry said. “This is more than just about cutting a ribbon. It’s about creating a company, creating opportunity, and becoming part of a community that we’re proud to call home.”
Thanks for reading The Citizen, which won the Virginia Press Association’s 2022 News Sweepstakes award as the top online news site in Virginia. We’re independent. We’re local. We pay our contributors, and the money you give goes directly to the reporting. No overhead. No printing costs. Just facts, stories and context. We value your support.
