Tomorrow (April 1), Gov. Don Carcieri and Michael McMahon, the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, have scheduled a recruiting trip to Washington, D.C.
Their goal is to convince Virginia-based General Dynamics, Electric Boat’s parent company, to build and test amphibious tanks at Quonset Point.
We hope they find success.
General Dynamics has a federal contract to build 1,000 Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicles over the next 10 years for the U.S. Marine Corps. Getting the Ocean State all or a significant part of that contract would represent a major coup for the Carcieri administration.
McMahon told Providence Business News several weeks ago that Rhode Island is entering the game late and that it is considered a long shot to land the deal. But we like the fact that Carcieri and McMahon have pressed ahead on this one and are showing a refreshing aggressiveness for economic development.
By putting himself in the forefront of this effort, Carcieri is sending a vitally important message – that is, Rhode Island means business and if you need to talk to the guy in charge, he’ll be happy to meet with you.
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy have also been wisely brought into the mix. Both lawmakers carry substantial clout in Washington, D.C. Their involvement can only strengthen Rhode Island’s case.
Electric Boat is headquartered in nearby Groton, Conn., and has a major facility at Quonset Point. That should serve as a terrific selling point. There are others, including the fact that with a skilled labor force and both rail and deep-water access, Quonset Point is well suited for building these kinds of tanks.
The General Dynamics contract would indeed be a big score for the state.
It would create at least 350 direct jobs and hundreds of related jobs. According to McMahon, it would also require the construction of a $35 million facility at the former Navy base.
In a turbulent world, the number of these types of military contracts are inevitably going to increase. We hope that Carcieri is successful in his efforts tomorrow.
If he is not, we hope that he is able to deliver to an important audience that Rhode Island should be a major player when it comes to military contracts – that we have the infrastructure, the labor force and political will in place.
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