Business owner wants to create aerospace industry hub in Nevada

Doug Silva has big plans for Nevada.

“We want Nevada to be a hub for the aerospace industry,” Silva, president and owner of Aerospace Machine and Supply, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In his 10,000-square-foot North Las Vegas facility, around 25 full-time employees produce hinges for military and commercial airplanes.

“If you’ve ever flown on a U.S. aircraft, I can guarantee that it has a part that was made or produced here,” at least in part, he said.

Silva plans to expand his North Las Vegas facility to make room for other parts of his operation now located in California, or to create another company that could offer similar service to other companies.

At a Governor’s Office of Economic Development meeting Thursday, Aerospace Machine and Supply was approved for about $307,125 in tax abatements for Silva to expand his North Las Vegas facility to 16,000 square feet.

The company is slated to provide more than $4 million in new tax revenue over the next 10 years and plans to hire 10 employees within the next year at an average hourly wage of $22.80.

In other action Thursday, the office approved more than $13 million in tax abatements for other Nevada companies in return for more than $228 million in total tax revenue over 10 years. More than $10.5 million of that money was awarded to companies in Southern Nevada:

Haas Automation Inc.

Awarded tax abatements: $10.5 million.

Anticipated capital investment: $327.4 million.

Tool builder Haas Automation plans to build a 2.34 million-square-foot facility in West Henderson to complement operations in Oxnard, California. The company plans to hire 500 employees within the first two years of operations at an average hourly wage of $24.

VadaTech Inc.

Awarded tax abatements: $923,566.

Anticipated capital investment: $11.6 million.

VadaTech, a manufacturer of integrated systems, embedded boards, enabling software and application-ready platforms, plans to expand its operations in Henderson. It is looking to buy a 50,000-square-foot facility next to its current headquarters. The company plans to hire 25 new employees within two years with an average hourly wage of $25.76.

Geotab USA Inc.

Awarded tax abatements: $401,803.

Anticipated capital investment: $1.2 million.

Geotab specializes in fleet management software and GPS vehicle tracking devices. It plans to expand its Southern Nevada operations from 36,000 square feet to up to 90,000 square feet within months, and it plans to hire 189 employees within two years at an average hourly wage of 25.90.

GreenBroz Inc.

Awarded tax abatements: $223,393.

Anticipated capital investment: $1.7 million.

GreenBroz is an agricultural equipment developer and manufacturing company. It plans to open a 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in North Las Vegas and plans to hire 50 employees within the first two years of operations at an average hourly wage of $25.62.

“These five companies represent over 1800 diverse, high-paying jobs for Southern Nevadans. The economic impact of these manufacturing and technology jobs cannot be overstated and our economic development and business communities are here to support their success for years to come,” said Jared Smith, chief operating officer of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, which assisted some companies with their applications for tax abatements.

Contact Nicole Raz at nraz@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Follow @Nicole0Raz on Twitter.