08/19/2026
Landing JetZero burnished the Triad’s reputation as "the new hub for aviation innovation’’ that creates more advanced manufacturing opportunities in North Carolina as long as economic leaders assemble shovel-ready sites and improve workforce training.
That’s the message from Lee Lilley, the state’s commerce secretary. He told a Winston-Salem audience earlier today, "There's so much pressure, particularly in advanced manufacturing, to get products out of the factory. (Companies) want to go someplace where they can build quick, find talent and start making product right away.’’
JetZero CEO Tom O’Leary has credited the readiness of several hundred acres at Piedmont Triad International Airport for the Long Beach, California-based startup’s decision last year to spend $4.7 billion to build futuristic passenger jets in Greensboro. By employment, the company’s pledge to create more than 14,500 jobs ranks as North Carolina’s largest economic development project.
The commitment reflects the success of economic recruiters statewide to gain more than $29 billion in capital investment and over 42,000 jobs since January 2025, according to Lilley.
Reprinted from Business North Carolina Daily Digest, 8-19-2026