CAE USA breaks ground on new U.S. headquarters facility at TPA

CAE USA, one of the leading training and simulation companies in the defense market, last week celebrated the groundbreaking of its new state-of-the-art U.S. headquarters facility to be located on Tampa International Airport's property.

The new facility, which will be leased from Space Florida, is expected to be completed in 2022 and will be home to more than 600 Tampa-based CAE USA employees.

Several dignitaries attended the Oct. 4 groundbreaking ceremony at TPA, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.); Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, TPA CEO Joe Lopano and President and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation Craig Richard. Also attending were U.S. Army General (Retired) and Chairman of the CAE USA Board of Directors Bryan “Doug” Brown, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force and CAE USA board member Sue Brown and Brian Morra, Chairman of the CAE USA Mission Solutions Inc. Board of Directors. The CAE USA facility groundbreaking was also attended by other local, state, and federal government officials; customers, partners and suppliers; and employees, including 35 employees with more than 30 years of service.

“Today’s groundbreaking of CAE USA’s new headquarters is great news for the Tampa area and our entire state,” said Gov. DeSantis. “This state-of-the-art facility at Tampa International Airport will further bolster our aviation and defense industry and create 100 additional high-skilled jobs for the community. We are grateful for CAE’s commitment and I look forward to their continued growth here in Florida.”

CAE USA is a subsidiary of CAE Inc., a global leader in training for the defense, civil aviation and healthcare markets. CAE USA is focused on developing and delivering training systems and services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other allied militaries around the world.

“The legacy of CAE USA is now 80 years old and we have been in the Tampa Bay area for the last 40 years,” said Ray Duquette, President and General Manager, CAE USA. “We are excited to grow and expand to a new state-of-the-art facility at TPA. This will provide our employees a modern facility that will help us attract and retain the world-class workforce we need to develop advanced training solutions that enhance the mission readiness of the men and women in our defense forces.”

CAE USA currently employs more than 500 in the Tampa area, and expects to create an additional 100 jobs at the new facility in areas such as computer and software engineering, program management, training instructors, and corporate functions. CAE USA has a total workforce of over 2,000 employees.

“CAE USA is an industry leader that brings high-skill, high-wage jobs to Tampa, which is exactly the type of company we want to attract and retain to our market,” said Mayor Castor. “Tampa boasts a robust defense and security industry, and we owe a lot of our success in this sector to CAE USA operating here. We congratulate them on their future home here and we’re confident they will continue to thrive in Tampa.”

The new facility project was made possible through strong partnerships between CAE USA, Enterprise Florida, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, Space Florida, Tampa International Airport, Tampa Electric, CBRE and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

“We’re excited to be part of CAE USA’s growth strategy and for them to be part of ours,” Lopano said. “Our long-term vision calls for bringing aviation-related businesses to the eastern part of the airport campus and CAE USA is the perfect fit. I look forward to a long partnership.”