LoPresti Aviation has signed a 15-year lease for production space at Sebastian Municipal Airport on Florida’s east coast, the company said on May 5. The firm hopes to move into its new facility by mid-June and employ as many as 45 people within 18 months, as it builds prototypes for a new airplane known as Fury, said R.J. Siegel, chief operating officer for Vero Beach-based LoPresti.
Siegel said the company has seen sales go up in its consumer products division even as the general aviation industry has been buffeted by the economic downturn. He attributed LoPresti’s growth to people making improvements to their airplanes rather than spending the money buying new ones. LoPresti makes a variety of products to improve the efficiency or speed of airplanes, as well as other accessories.
Sebastian Municipal Airport Director Joe Griffin, a former Marine fighter pilot who has flown LoPresti’s Fury prototype, said he is hoping to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $1.425 million facility around June 6.
For information: http://www.LoPrestiAviation.com
