DEED Awards $175,000 to AirCorps Aviation for Bemidji Expansion, 14 Jobs Expected

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development approved a $175,000 Job Creation Fund award to AirCorps Aviation LLC, a Bemidji company specializing in the restoration, maintenance and fabrication of parts for vintage and legacy aircraft, as part of a broader state initiative backing $986,000 in planned improvements to the company's existing Bemidji site. The project is expected to generate 14 jobs within the first three years.

The AirCorps award was one of three business expansion projects included in a single DEED announcement totaling more than $762,000 in state funding. Across all three projects, DEED projects 55 jobs created over the next three years and more than $10.12 million in private investment leveraged statewide.

"In the communities where these businesses choose to expand, the job creation and private investment leveraged promote economic vitality and a high quality of life, efforts DEED is proud to champion," the agency said in its announcement.

AirCorps Aviation occupies a narrow but durable niche in the aviation industry: keeping vintage and legacy aircraft airworthy through hands-on restoration work, mechanical maintenance and the fabrication of hard-to-source components. The $986,000 expansion is directed at improving and expanding the company's current Bemidji facility, though the specific scope of construction or equipment upgrades has not been publicly detailed.

The $175,000 in state support represents roughly 18 percent of the total project cost, with AirCorps supplying the remaining capital. The award is designated as a Job Creation Fund grant in available documentation. DEED's announcement also references the Minnesota Investment Fund, which provides loans for capital equipment in industrial, manufacturing and technology-related industries, though available records do not explicitly link AirCorps' award to that program specifically.

Several details remain unconfirmed, including the exact timeline for hiring, the types of positions to be created, wage levels, and the precise terms attached to the state award.