The satellite communications firm E-Space is proceeding with its North American expansion, a project that, in its first five years of operation in Arlington, may create at least 400 high-tech positions with an average yearly income of $95,000.
At its meeting on April 23, the Arlington City Council will take a vote on a resolution allowing Marty Wieder, the executive director of the Arlington Economic Develop Corp., to work with E-Space and the city of Arlington in a public-private partnership. The company will be able to establish a production unit and headquarters near Arlington Municipal Airport thanks to this agreement.
Greg Wyler, a seasoned veteran of satellite communications technology, created the startup worldwide telecommunications and satellite manufacturer E-Space in 2022.
According to the city’s staff assessment, the project, at full capacity, will generate 3,355 jobs and almost $8 billion in salaries and compensation over the 30-year term lease.
In contrast, the Arlington General Motors facility paid $471.7 million in taxable compensation to almost 5,000 workers last year.
The first phase of the airport’s west side construction, which will feature a 40,000-square-foot hangar, an airport access road, an aircraft parking apron, and a manufacturing and office complex spanning approximately 250,000 square feet, will commence shortly after the purchase closes.
Over a ten-year period, the business intends to build a headquarters and construct a total of 750,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space, creating around 2,000 jobs.
The project’s development and construction will receive up to $50 million from the economic development corporation in the form of cash or sales tax revenue bond proceeds.
The project will be leased back to the company by the economic development corporation after construction is finished. The lease will be for a 30-year term with two renewal options, with a basic fee of $2 million per year of occupation and a 3% rise every five years after that.
In order to start creating a base of employment for manufacturing and research, E-Space will lease the first existing industrial space in Arlington within ninety days of the public-private partnership being implemented.
As soon as the company starts designing and building its manufacturing and office facility—the first phase of which is anticipated to be finished by late 2026—it will take up the industrial space.
E-Space is supported by Prime Movers Lab, a firm that makes investments in scientific businesses, and employs roughly 95 people between its locations in Saratoga, California, and Beverly, Massachusetts.
The recent acquisition of Arlington Municipal Airport’s operations by the city is anticipated to increase the airport’s economic impact. The Arlington Economic Development Corp., which provided a $9.5 million acquisition contribution, and the city announced a cost-sharing arrangement.
Manufacturers involved in aerospace, aviation, and defense are heavily concentrated in Texas. The Texas Economic Development Corp. reports that 266 aerospace-related manufacturers in the state provide an average compensation of $108,420 to over 48,000 employees.