Robert Baird, chief of operations for Resicum International, talks about the company's plans to develop an aviation center at Craig Field in Selma. Two weeks after Gov. Kay Ivey and other officials visited Selma to see tornado damage, the governor returned to Dallas County for good news.
Other state, county, and city officials joined Ivey for the announcement, along with executives from the company. Officials expressed hope that the project would promote more development in Dallas County, which is part of Alabama’s Black Belt, an area that lags behind most of the state in job opportunities.
Ivey praised the decision by Resicum to bring new life to the former Air Force Base where thousands of American and British pilots trained during World War II. “We’re glad to be here in this historic airfield and this historic town,” Resicum chief of operations Robert Baird said. “We know it’s the perfect place to launch the building that we’re doing here, building a comprehensive aviation center of excellence. It’s Selma’s birthright to have this kind of work in this town. And we intend to bring it back here and keep it here.