GKN Aerospace hiring

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – GKN Aerospace has hired 40 people for its new manufacturing facility at the airport and is actively recruiting and training more, officials said Monday at a press conference. Also, the plant's new general manager, Preston Mathis, was introduced at the conference held at the Advanced Manufacturing Facility at Gulf Coast State Community College, which GKN has partnered with to help train employees. The building at Venture Crossings is completed and equipment is being moved into the facility. By next year, officials say they will hire 172 people and be producing aircraft component parts. To receive incentive funds, the company will be required to create at least 170 new full-time equivalent jobs at an annual wage of $63,156 by the end of 2020. Becca Hardin, president of the Bay Economic Development Alliance, which recruited the business, said the company has invested $55 million in the facility and equipment. Kim Bodine, executive director for CareerSource Gulf Coast, said more than 900 people since last August have applied for jobs on the CareerSource GKN page. (Source: News Herald, 07/09/18)