Major Aerospace Project Reveals a Path to Future Economic Growth

Monroe County’s pursuit of a major aerospace project became one of the region’s most valuable economic development experiences in years, even though the project did not land here. 

Presented at the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation’s April board meeting, the project  was tied to eVTOL technology with an estimated $515 million capital investment, 1,839 projected jobs, and an average wage of about $36 per hour. On a national search, Monroe County Airport advanced from an initial pool of 20 sites to the final seven after a December site visit, only to learn in March that the proposed site  would not be moving forward.

That outcome matters. So does what came next.

Rather than treating the loss as a dead end, the BEDC used the project as a real-world case study in how site selection works. Interim President Clark Greiner told the board the project was lost “not due to lack of regional appeal,” but because of comparative readiness and risk reduction. In other words, Monroe County was competitive enough to be noticed, but the site readiness was not advanced enough to meet the company’s aggressive development timeline..

That lesson lines up almost perfectly with national data. In the 2026 Area Development consultant survey, site readiness and due diligence status jumped to 98.5% in importance, certainty of permitting reached 94%, and responsive state and local government registered 97%. Electric power availability at scale also reached 98.5%, reflecting how infrastructure has moved from a background issue to a front-end dealbreaker.

The project exposed exactly those pressure points locally: electrification, sewer, stormwater, road access, labor availability, logistics, permitting risk, and the need for more complete technical site documentation.

For the general public, that is the clearest takeaway. Economic development and company attraction is no longer just about offering a good location and a competitive incentive package. Companies are asking a harder question: can this community deliver with speed, is the site ready for development, and what are the other risk factors that impede certainty, and is it low risk? The communities that win are the ones that already have the groundwork and fundamental infrastructure in place.

That is why expansion at the airport deserves serious attention. Airport Director Carlos Laverty emphasized the importance of getting the “table stakes” right: utilities, roads, sewer, broadband, and site basics. He also stressed that the airport remains a strategic economic development asset and that the work completed should not be shelved or ignored simply because this project went elsewhere. The next step is to carry that work forward and fully prepare the site for the next company Monroe County hopes to attract. 

Greiner outlined next steps, including stronger site narratives, infrastructure-focused committees, grant strategy, and continued work on local and regional readiness.

With 1,839 projected jobs at roughly $36 an hour, the project showed what future-ready growth can mean in real terms: stronger wages, more career pathways, and better odds that the students in Monroe County schools today can find opportunity here tomorrow. That future will not happen by accident. It will take residents staying engaged and urging local elected leaders to keep airport expansion, infrastructure, and site readiness at the top of the community’s priorities.