Congratulations to Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County! AeroVironment (AV) – a leader in autonomous and intelligent multi-domain systems – announced plans to bring approximately 500 new high-tech jobs to Salt Lake City and invest $42.3 million in Utah over the next 5 years.

“We’re excited to welcome AV and the nearly 500 jobs they’ll bring to Salt Lake City,” said Lorena Riffo Jenson, director of Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development. “Our city has a long history of being a place where cutting-edge tech companies come to flourish, and AV is a great fit for our aerospace cluster.”

EDCUtah became involved with AV’s expansion project through strong relationships with site selectors, helping bring the company to Utah. EDCUtah assisted AV in navigating state incentive programs and coordinated a site visit, connecting the company with potential communities and key partners. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome AV to Salt Lake City,” said Scott Cuthbertson, president of EDCUtah. “As a leading defense tech company, AV’s expansion will not only bring high-quality jobs to the region but will also further solidify Salt Lake City’s position as a premier hub for cutting-edge industries. We look forward to the long-term contributions they will make to our economy and community.”

The company’s final decision came as the result of collaboration among EDCUtah, Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA), Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO), CBRE (San Diego and Salt Lake Office), Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake County.

“The workforce and economic environment in Salt Lake City and the State of Utah was a great fit for this project,” said Sydney August, director of CBRE, who represented AV in the site selection process. “The ease of doing business here, combined with the strong community support, makes Utah an ideal location for the expansion.”

Serving defense, government, and commercial customers, AV delivers cutting-edge technology solutions at the intersection of robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, software analytics, and connectivity. Guided by a mission to secure lives through transformative innovation, the company has established itself as a leader in uncrewed aircraft systems, loitering munition systems, uncrewed ground vehicles, and high-altitude pseudo-satellites. With a steadfast commitment to advancing safety, operational resilience, and sustainability, AV empowers its customers with advanced solutions to meet today’s most critical challenges.

“AV’s autonomous precision-strike systems have revolutionized modern warfare, providing warfighters with the ability to neutralize high-value threats with unprecedented accuracy while minimizing risk to friendly forces,” said Wahid Nawabi, AV chairman, president, and chief executive officer. “This facility represents a critical step in our mission to expand manufacturing capacity, ensuring our forces have the technological superiority needed to deter and, if necessary, decisively defeat adversaries.”

The UIPA incentive, approved by the Port Authority board on January 6, 2025, allows a maximum of 10 percent of AV’s property tax liability to be rebated over 25 years. This post-performance rebate is part of UIPA’s efforts to support targeted industries within project areas. By incentivizing investments like these, UIPA aims to promote economic growth while fostering significant investments in public infrastructure.

“AV’s expansion is a testament to Utah’s growing leadership in advanced manufacturing and aerospace innovation,” said Ben Hart, executive director of UIPA. “By leveraging our strategic infrastructure and economic incentives, we are helping to create high-quality jobs and support a cutting-edge industry that is critical to both national security and technological advancement. We look forward to seeing AV thrive in Salt Lake City and contribute to Utah’s dynamic economy.”

The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) – an EDCUtah founding investor – assisted the project by approving AeroVironment for Economic Development Tax Increment Financing (EDTIF).

"Utah is the ideal hub for advancing aerospace and defense technologies that are vital to national security and economic growth," said Ryan Starks, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. "Strategic investments like this create jobs, accelerate innovation, and reinforce Utah’s leadership in aerospace and defense. Supporting companies like AV strengthens our state’s economy while driving cutting-edge advancements in the industry."

Jared Stewart, senior business development manager, led Project Bold Horizon for EDCUtah.

EDCUtah Investors: If you were involved with this project and would like to have your organization mentioned, please email connect@edcutah.org and we’ll update this article.