Embraer marked the official opening Monday, December 4 of its new U.S. Customer Center at the Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Florida, and capped that off with ceremonial delivery of the first Phenom to emerge from its new U.S. assembly facility, also at KMLB. Robert Taylor, CEO of Executive AirShare, took delivery of the Melbourne-assembled Phenom 100.
Florida Governor Rick Scott joined the Economic Development Commission and a host of officials at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Kansas City-based fractional aircraft provider Executive AirShare was presented with the first U.S.-made Phenom 100. "Executive AirShare is proud of the honor of having the first delivery of an aircraft that Embraer has produced in the United States," said Executive AirShare's Taylor. "Upon delivery of this aircraft, our fleet will grow to 18 Phenom 100s and Phenom 300s, serving the Central U.S. and Great Lakes regions."
The new 58,000-square-foot Customer Center becomes the headquarters for Embraer Executive Jets sales and marketing, and the customer specification center. It is where buyers of any Embraer Executive Jet model including the Phenom 100 and 300 can select colors, fabrics, paint schemes, and options for their aircraft. The facility also will serve as the delivery center for all U.S.-assembled Phenom 100s.
In May 2008 Embraer announced Melbourne as the location for its new 150,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, $50 million executive jets assembly and customer facility. In February 2011 Embraer held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Phase I of the complex -- the 80,000 square-foot production and painting facility.
"With the on-schedule completion of our Customer Center and imminent delivery of the first Phenom 100, Embraer reiterates its commitment to be closer to its customers and to maintain a strong partnership with the state of Florida and the Brevard County community," Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer President and CEO, said at the ceremony marking completion of the Customer Center.
"The Embraer sales and marketing teams are thrilled to bring the Company's Executive Jets headquarters to Melbourne" said Robert Knebel, Vice President of Sales for North America Embraer Executive Jets. "From this outstanding facility, we will be providing our customers worldwide with the best tools available to select the interiors, paint schemes, and options tailored to their specific needs and tastes."
As the new global headquarters for Embraer's Executive Jets division, the two-story Customer Center will be the center of the customer experience, from sales and aircraft configuration to the final delivery process.
The first floor of the building features an atrium, mockup showroom, a formal dining room, and an event area adjacent to the 17,112 square-foot delivery hangar. The second floor is devoted to fully equipped delivery suites for customers' use. Five design studios are dedicated to the.selection of aircraft interiors using an array of fabrics, wood veneers, metal plating, carpets and leathers, and other options. Flat-screen monitors and rendering software are used to give customers virtual tours of the proposed design of their aircraft.
Partners in the Embraer project include the State of Florida, the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of Florida's Space Coast, Melbourne International Airport, Enterprise Florida, the City of Melbourne, and BBVA Compass Bank.
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