Bell Helicopter To Bring 115 New Jobs To Lafayette

The national economy has been shaky in recent years. Here in Acadiana, we've received a lot of good news in recent months. Several South Louisiana companies have announced expansions, and national companies are locating here. Add Bell Helicopter to the list. The Advertiser reports Bell CEO John Garrison & La. governor Bobby Jindal made a joint announcement on Tuesday. They told LEDAthe company will locate a 26 million dollar assembly facility at the Lafayette Regional Airport. Governor Jindal says the state put an attractive incentive package together to help the company locate in Lafayettte. The package includes workforce training, and an investment in infrastructure. Construction is to begin early next year. Jindal went on to say the facility will directly employ 115 workers, with average salaries above $50,00 a year. Airport commissioner Paul Segura said, “Bell has a ready-made customer base in the oil and gas industry here. Acadian Ambulance is another great customer for Bell located right here.”