This is why a manufacturer of parts for high-end cars is coming to Whatcom County
A manufacturer of parts for high-end cars has signed a lease to occupy the former Army National Guard building at the Bellingham International Airport.
Port of Bellingham commissioners recently approved a five-year lease for Advanced Performance Parts to occupy nearly 12,700 square feet of the building, which is at 3928 Williamson Way. The company plans to bring in equipment to manufacture carbon fiber aero parts and systems for high-end sports cars such as McClaren, Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
During a presentation to port commissioners earlier this month, founder Jeremy Barras said he expects to hire around 12 people in the first year of operation, growing to 25-30 when the business is at full capacity.
In a telephone interview, Barras said there were several factors involved in his decision to open a facility in Bellingham. Barras moved to this area about a year ago and given the recent layoffs at Boeing and the announced closure of Safran’s Bellingham facility, he believes there is a deep pool of qualified workers.
The company was founded in California in 2003 and Barras has 30 years in the automotive and defense industries, according to the company’s website. The company has operations in Europe, the Middle East and China.
The Bellingham building has around 24,000 square feet of space.
Barras said they’ll remodel the space they need and hope to have equipment in place and some operations going around the middle of this year. The Bellingham facility will have a paint booth, polishing, trimming and sanding areas as well as a curing oven.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
