NORTH KINGSTOWN – Local, state and federal leaders on Monday formally marked the start of construction on REGENT Craft Inc.’s new seaglider manufacturing facility at Quonset Business Park.
REGENT Craft, already based in the business park at 200 Callahan Road, is leasing more space to construct a new 255,000-square-foot manufacturing building for the company to build its all-electric seagliders, with the facility expected to be online in the middle of 2026. Company and state officials say the new facility will build 12-passenger Viceroy seagliders, serving global customer orders worth more than $9 billion.
REGENT Craft says the state has invested $1 million under the First Wave Closing Fund Act to support the company’s expansion and has further committed to investing $3 million under the Rebuild Rhode Island Tax Credit Act.
Currently, REGENT Craft has created more than 100 jobs since the company moved to Rhode Island in 2022, the company says, reinvesting close to $40 million into various local and state initiatives in the process. With the new facility coming soon, REGENT Craft has committed to creating 300 jobs with the potential for up to 750 jobs over the next 10 years. With that, it would unlock up to $13 million in incentives under the state’s Qualified Jobs Program, REGENT Craft says.
“Breaking ground on the Seaglider Manufacturing Facility represents a pivotal moment in REGENT’s history, bringing us closer to meeting the incredible global demand for our all-electric seagliders,” said Billy Thalheimer, REGENT Craft’s co-founder and CEO, in a statement. “We are honored to partner with our state leaders, the Quonset Development Corp., and our local community members to create well-paying jobs in Rhode Island, reinvigorate American-made manufacturing, and make the Ocean State the global epicenter of the blue economy.”
Quonset Development Corp. Managing Director Steven J. King said in a statement that with 1 in every 5 manufacturing jobs at Quonset, the state’s investment will create “even more good-paying jobs.” Gov. Daniel J. McKee said in a statement that with REGENT Craft’s expansion, it is showing that Rhode Island is becoming “a destination for innovation.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
