The 15th annual UAS Summit and Expo began Wednesday in Grand Forks — and it has already proved beneficial to Grand Sky aviation park in terms of network-building.
Tom Swoyer, president of Grand Sky Development Co., said Wednesday afternoon: “Already at the Summit, I have received four request-for-lease proposals to move out to Grand Sky, so we’re really cruising right now.”
Swoyer noted that Grand Sky dedicated a new multi-tenant building on Tuesday, and another multi-tenant building is planned in the next few years. And General Atomics is building a new hanger at Grand Sky, located west of Grand Forks.
Swoyer said the growth of the local UAS industry is not likely to ebb in the near future.
“We’re a little concerned about the speed needed to deliver the facilities and the assets to continue to help this area grow, and when I say concerned, people are demanding space, employees and access to technology and services that we can deliver. The rate of growth is what’s starting to become very interesting for us,” Swoyer said.
“We’re going to grow real quickly here for the next couple of years and probably plateau as companies and programs mature,” Swoyer added. “And I think that technologies will change.
“I think we’re well over 20 percent growth per year right now and I don’t see that changing for a while.”
Swoyer said Grand Forks ”is the place to be for the UAS industry.”
The Summit and Expo wraps up Thursday at the Alerus Center.
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