Bell celebrates 25 years of Amarillo assembly center

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - This year, Bell is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Amarillo assembly center located near Rick Husband International Airport.

On Aug. 3, 1998, many gathered at the Amarillo Civic Center to hear Bell announce Amarillo as the site of its future center.

“It was over an eight month process and over 1,200 cities, and ultimately it was the commitment and the investment by the Amarillo community to secure that Amarillo will indeed be ‘Tilt-Rotor USA,” said Amarillo Site Leader, Sonja Clark.

Over the last 25 years, the relationship between the corporation and the city has proven beneficial, boosting the city’s bottom line.

“The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation has poured into us, but we have also given back over $2.1 billion dollars to the Amarillo economy, so it is truly a great partnership,” said Clark.

Former Mayor Trent Sisemore says there was not better place for Bell to be located than its 179-acre site at Rick Husband International Airport.

“We were willing to do whatever it took to bring those companies to our community and to work with them and make it a great place for their company and our community,” said Sisemore.

He says Bell has successfully given back to the residents of Amarillo in several different ways.

“Those people represent families that they’re feeding, we’re putting together planes for our United States. It’s something we can all be proud of as a community,” said Sisemore.

Site leader Clark, who has been with Bell for more than 15 years, said she’s more than proud to be a part of the history and looks forward to what the future will entail for the company.

“We intend to be here in the Amarillo community for not just years to come, but truly generations to come, so not just building a product that we’re gonna build or our kids are gonna build, but our grandkids and subsequent generations,” said Clark.

Bell says they are currently working on several projects, and this is just the first milestone the community will see in the upcoming months.

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