Embraer Facility puts Melbourne on Map

Dozens of notable guests, including Embraer’s chief executive officer and Gov. Rick Scott, were on hand for the grand opening of the customer center, a modern-looking, window-filled building visible from Apollo Boulevard.

Embraer’s first in North America, the center will serve as an international showroom where customers will start and conclude their jet-buying process. They’ll go to discuss details of their jet purchase, from the avionics to the leather covering the seats, and then, when the jet has been built, to take delivery.

But today’s event is more than the typical ceremony with rah-rah speeches, photo ops and oversized scissors. It officially puts Melbourne International in the global aviation spotlight as the airport, and all of Brevard, looks to further burnish its claim as a major player in post space shuttle aeronautics and aviation.

“It is undeniable that interest in the airport continues to be strong at a time when economic expansion as a whole has been slow,” says Richard Ennis, the airport’s executive director. “It is believed at least some of this is due to the Embraer decision.”

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