Virginia Foxx: “Last week, it was my great pleasure to participate in a groundbreaking at a plant expansion at the GE manufacturing…”

“Last week, it was my great pleasure to participate in a groundbreaking at a plant expansion at the GE manufacturing facility in West Jefferson, North Carolina. The expansion will allow GE to produce more of the company's incredibly popular LEAP engine, which will power next-generation aircraft from around the globe. The 80,000-square-foot factory expansion will provide for additional machining capacity and represents a $65 million investment by GE in West Jefferson. The LEAP jet engine has proven to be incredibly popular, with commitments or orders for more than 6,000 LEAP engines to date. This is especially remarkable because the LEAP does not enter service until 2016. Once it does enter service, it will power planes such as the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo. GE is familiar with the fact that high quality workers can be found in North Carolina, since the company already has more than 1,300 employees at locations in West Jefferson, Durham, Wilmington, and Asheville. The current expansion is expected to add 105 new jobs over the next 2\1/2\ years. I am exceptionally pleased that GE is partnering with Wilkes Community College to give local workers the skills needed to compete for the new jobs this expansion will bring to West Jefferson. This innovative worker education program will allow current and prospective employees to learn in a hands-on environment with state-of-the-art machinery. Mr.…”