BAE Systems Buys a 130,000-Square-Foot Weld County Plant for Expansion, With About 600 Jobs at Full Capacity
Governor Jared Polis, Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera, and the Global Business Development Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) have announced that aerospace, defense and security company BAE Systems will expand in Weld County, Colorado. The company has closed on the purchase of a 130,000-square-foot production facility on approximately 13 acres, which will expand capacity for space-based hardware and sensor system production.
BAE Systems expects to hire more than 200 new employees to support production at the new facility over the next 12 to 24 months. At full capacity, the company estimates the plant could provide approximately 600 new jobs, including manufacturing technicians, manufacturing engineers, machinists, manufacturing planners, production supervisors and supply chain planners.
To support the expansion, the Colorado Economic Development Commission approved up to $11,184,835 in a performance-based Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit over an eight-year period. The commission also approved CHIPS refundable tax credits, under which the company may elect to receive up to $8.6 million of its earned incentives as refundable at 80 percent of their value. The incentives are contingent on the company meeting net new job creation and salary requirements. Separately, the Opportunity Now Tax Credit will support the purchase of $5.3 million in equipment with a refundable tax credit covering 50 percent of the cost.
"Colorado leads the nation in aerospace and advanced manufacturing, and we are thrilled to welcome BAE Systems' expansion in Weld County," said Governor Polis. "This investment will bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to Weld County and further solidify our state as a hub for cutting-edge technology and innovation." Alexis Wang, vice president of Operations for BAE Systems, said the company looks forward to expanding its production capabilities in Colorado with its first facility in Weld County, and that support from the Weld County Commissioners and the State of Colorado played a key role in locating the work in the state.
BAE Systems plans to begin retrofitting the facility and procuring equipment throughout the rest of the year, and anticipates opening the facility for production in early 2028. The company also considered Ohio and Texas for the expansion. The Weld County facility adds to its existing Colorado production sites in Boulder, Broomfield and Westminster; BAE Systems has more than 41,000 employees worldwide, nearly 5,000 of them in Colorado.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 韦尔德县法院大楼，位于格里利市（资料图）。CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Weld County Courthouse in Greeley (file photo). CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
