One of the largest employers in Dallas-Fort Worth will expand with local and state incentive packages. Bell Textron announced Tuesday they will expand to north Fort Worth with a new $630 million facility.
The news came from the Bell CEO Lisa Atherton and Governor Greg Abbott. More than 500 people will soon build the V-280 Valor military aircraft on the Denton County side of Forth Worth.
"This was truly a generational shift to where the United States Army is going," said Atherton, speaking about the Army contract with Bell.
The company won the Army Contract in 2022 for the V-280, an assault helicopter that can take off and land vertically and can reach past 300 miles per hour.
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According to the City of Fort Worth, it's one of the U.S. Army's largest programs, valued at $70 billion.
“It’s kind of a big deal when you have an opportunity of that size come around," said Bell CEO Lisa Atherton on Tuesday.
Texas beat out at least two other states for the new facility.
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At its last meeting, Fort Worth City Council members unanimously approved an incentives package that included tax breaks and grants valued at more than $46 million, according to a presentation by staff.
Plus, the taxes to Northwest ISD will be capped for ten years through a brand new state program - the "Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act."
“This is the type of project that communities and states across the country want a piece of," said Gov. Greg Abbott at the Tuesday press conference in Fort Worth.
Some officials told NBC 5 at the event that state and local programs like this are more important because, with the incoming Trump administration, some of his allies are more skeptical when it comes to defense contractors. The most notable are Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the leaders of the new "Department of Government Efficiency" who argue many defense contractors like Bell over-promise and under-deliver with tax dollars.
"It’s all about collecting allies right? To make sure they know the Bell story and the Fort Worth story - defending the program. We all want to be stewards of tax dollars," said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker.
Parker told NBC 5 that locals need to rally around major employers that deliver jobs to DFW in general and Fort Worth in particular.
“I feel like we’re in a good position. There may be a different nuance to how we approach it in the next administration but I’m still very confident," said Parker.
She hopes the new 400,000-square-foot facility will be up and running in two years.
What local leaders expect in return
"The main thing we'll see is there will be good jobs close by in North Fort Worth," said Alan Blaylock, Fort Worth city council member for district 10, where Bell's new factory will be housed.
According to the city, Bell must invest at least $632 million to its new facility, and create at least 520 jobs with an average salary of at least $85,000. The company has also promised internship and career training opportunities for Northwest ISD students.
"It's a very, very good day for Fort Worth and North Texas," said Robert Allen, Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership CEO.
Allen helped secure the incentives to attract Bell to Fort Worth.
He said it's the largest deal his group has ever landed, and he hopes it'll launch more with others.
"I absolutely think there will be a ripple effect for an investment in a project of this size," Allen said.
He and Blaylock said because the future Bell factory site was home to another industrial company, they don't expect traffic or street problems, but they will work with Bell on any improvements that may be needed.
