AAR to Bring 200+ Jobs to Duluth

It’s a great day in Duluth! This afternoon we announced an agreement with AAR to bring over 200 jobs to Duluth. According to the AAR representative, the jobs will pay between $30k-80k depending on technical skills. AAR will operate out of the old Northwest Airlines base at the airport.

I want to point out the importance of the team who made the AAR deal possible. The City’s Business Development Director Brian Hanson was the leader of this effort and we literally had dozens of partners who contributed to this effort. Thanks to DEDA, APEX, the Airport Authority, DEED, Governor Dayton, St. Louis County, Monaco Air, and our city staff who have been working on this deal for the past year. We also need to especially thank the 700 people who came to our job fair – that was the difference maker.

AAR officials hope to start hiring this summer – once fully staffed this operation will have a $25 million impact on our region. Not only will the City be receiving rent on the facility, but we will be avoiding the $180k that it costs to keep the building heated and the equipment in working condition. I’d say that today is most certainly a Perfect Duluth Day!