Thanks to one Swiss aircraft maintenance firm, 6,000 aerospace jobs will come to California. In December, Zurich-based SR Technics, a subsidiary of S-Air Group, announced plans to locate its North American headquarters in Palmdale, in Southern California.

Workers will overhaul and maintain jets and convert passenger aircraft to carry cargo at the new facility. The state of California is offering S-Air Group about $79 million of tax breaks over a 20-year period.

If you're an expanding company in the aerospace industry, expect to receive a lot of attention. Communities want the high wage, high profile jobs that go with aerospace companies and are going out of their way to attract aerospace firms.

During the last 10 years, the aerospace industry has gone through an adjustment period.

With the end of the Cold War, U.S. military spending dropped drastically. Some aerospace firms adjusted through mergers and acquisitions, while others simply got out of the defense business altogether.

Work force the deciding factor for Aerobotics, BFGoodrich

In Abilene, Texas, the latest aerospace news involves Aerobotics Industries, a supplier of aerospace engineering, tooling, prototyping, and machined components.

Aerobotics purchased a 400,000 square foot facility formerly occupied by Lockheed Martin. The Development Corp. of Abilene will provide $3.2 million in funding for the project, which is expected to create 250 jobs in three years.

Just as Abilene's work force helped attract Aerobotics, BFGoodrich Aerospace chose Spokane, Wash., for that area's labor force.

The Charlotte, N.C.,-based manufacturer of aircraft carbon brakes announced in 1998 its plan to locate a $66 million manufacturing facility in Spokane. The structure opened in July of 1999 and began an expansion this spring that will double its size.

The company expects to employ 250 people by 2005

"We looked for a work force with a strong work ethic and strong family values when we selected Spokane for this plant," said John Adamchik, director of operations for BFGoodrich. "And what we've found has met our expectations."