Gulfstream opens new sales and design center

TBR

Mary Carr Mayle | Sunday, June 9, 2007

Gulfstream President Joe Lombardo, left, Sen. Eric Johnson and Gov. Sonny Perdue share a joke Friday at the dedication of the company's sales and design center, a state-of-the-art facility for customers during the purchase and design of their Gulfstream jet.

On Friday, Gov. Sonny Perdue and Gulfstream President Joseph Lombardo unveiled the plaque dedicating the new Gulfstream Sales and Design Center.

The 17,500-square-foot facility is designed to provide a comfortable, state-of-the-art environment for Gulfstream customers during the sales, purchase and design stages of their new business jet.

"It's meant to be respectful of our clients' time and designed to help them through all the steps that go into deciding if the time is right to move up to a Gulfstream and, if so, which model best suits their needs," said Bill Shira, vice president of marketing and sales support.

"Everyone who touches the sales process is housed here, so it helps the client with everything from initial due diligence to the really fun part - picking out carpet, upholstery and other interior designs," he said.

As Lombardo and Shira gave the governor a tour of the new facility, they pointed out one room displaying hundreds of fabric swatches, exotic woods, carpet samples, place settings and serving pieces.

"We had one client in the other day," Lombardo told the governor. "His wife kicked him out of this room - she said she was making all those decisions."

The center encompasses and expands the old administrative offices in Gulfstream's main building.

"We basically gutted it, then extended it out," Lombardo said.

It includes executive briefing rooms, interior planning rooms, customer show rooms, the material sample room and a customer dining room - the largest room in the facility.

The overall plan - a seven-year, multi-phase expansion of the Savannah facility - is designed to ensure Gulfstream remains at the forefront of the worldwide business aviation industry, Lombardo said.

When the expansion was announced in March of 2006, Gulfstream's Savannah manufacturing facility was virtually the same as when it first opened in 1967, despite the fact that it now produces many more aircraft - jets that are larger and more complex - than 40 years ago.

The next project to come on line will be phase one of a 570,000 square-foot service center, located on airport property adjacent to Gulfstream.

"We'll begin a gradual move-in the end of this month, so as not to disrupt services to our clients," said Gulfstream spokesman Robert Baugniet.

"We'll be completely in and ready for a dedication by the end of August."

General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Gulfstream's parent company, has approved the capital expenditure of $300 million to make sure Gulfstream's facilities have the necessary capacity to meet the industry's projected increase in aircraft production and maintenance.

About the Sales and Design Center

Construction started May 2006, completed March 2007

75 employees

Two executive briefing rooms

Three interior planning rooms

Two customer show rooms

Two customer offices

Customer dining room

Material sample room

The long-range plan

Gulfstream's seven-year expansion plan includes acquisition of land adjacent to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport for a new Service Center, existing building renovation and new building construction. Additionally, there will be numerous upgrades to the plant, including improvements to the railway delivery system and vehicular traffic access routes. The facility expansion will be completed in phases to minimize any effect on the business-jet manufacturer's core businesses - manufacturing and servicing business jet aircraft.

Employment: Over the seven-year period, Gulfstream will add approximately 1,100 jobs. The site currently employs 5,000.

Acreage: Land area will grow from 196 acres to 273 acres.

Square footage: Will grow from 1.6 million to 2.7 million.