Telford acquisition expected to save 30 jobs
An Australian firm has reached an agreement to assume control of Telford Aviation Services' commercial aircraft maintenance and repair facilities at Bangor International Airport in a deal that will save 30 jobs.
Officials with C&L Aerospace Ltd., headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, indicated their deal with Telford's parent company, Milwaukee-based ACC Holdings Inc., is contingent upon the new venture's qualification for Maine Pine Tree Zone tax incentives, as well as progress in current lease discussions with Bangor International Airport, according to a release from the company.
Bob Ziegelaar, general manager of ACC/Telford Aviation in Bangor, says the deal means that 30 jobs that were uncertain as the company transitioned to new ownership under ACC Holdings will now be preserved. ACC Holdings, a cargo company, bought The Telford Group last September.
Ziegelaar told Mainebiz that Telford's existing composites shop at BIA was part of the attraction for C&L Aerospace, which wants to expand its work in aviation composites.
"I am very optimistic that they will be growing at this location," Ziegelaar says.
Ziegelaar reached out to C&L Aerospace officials after ACC Holdings announced it would close the Telford Aviation Bangor facility earlier this year. He says C&L Aerospace had been a customer of ACC Holdings in the past and has a strong international presence with facilities in the United Kingdom, Warsaw, Poland and California.
Ziegelaar says the deal is also good news for Bangor International Airport, which needs aviation businesses to thrive.
"Where there are one or two, there are likely more to follow," Ziegelaar says.
ACC Holdings had previously indicated it would close the Bangor facilities after acquiring The Telford Group because commercial aircraft maintenance activities represented a small part of its overall operations. At that time, Telford employed 67 people in Bangor.
C&L Aerospace Managing Director Chris Kilgour anticipates a new corporation will be formed to assume control of the former ACC/Telford aircraft maintenance facility by the end of April.
"I am well aware of the quality and commitment Maine workers tend to bring to the workplace and I plan to provide them with an international platform that will play to their strength, so we can steadily expand our Bangor presence going forward," said Kilgour in a prepared statement.
Attempts to reach Brian Gillstrom, marketing director at ACC Holdings, for comment Friday were unsuccessful.
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