FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2026

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Pierpont Community & Technical College, in partnership with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System (WVCTCS), broke ground Wednesday on a new Aviation Maintenance Technology Educational Facility at the West Virginia AeroTech Park, marking a major investment in workforce education, aviation training and economic development for North Central West Virginia.

The approximately 65,000-square-foot facility will expand Pierpont’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program from approximately 130 students to as many as 230 students while creating additional capacity for welding, manufacturing and other technical programs. Designed to meet federal Aviation Administration Part 147 standards, the facility will feature aircraft systems and powerplant laboratories, FAA certification testing space and expanded hands-on training environments that reflect the needs of today’s aviation industry.

Located within the AeroTech Park near North Central West Virginia Airport, the facility will place students alongside aviation and aerospace employers that continue to fuel the region’s growth, creating a direct connection between education and career opportunity.

The groundbreaking brought together students, faculty, staff, state and local leaders, industry representatives and community partners who helped move the long-planned project from concept to construction. Throughout the ceremony, speakers emphasized the collaboration that made the facility possible and the opportunities it will create for future generations of students.

“This day represents something that has been years in the making,” said Dr. Michael Waide, President of Pierpont. “It has taken vision. It has taken investment. And perhaps most importantly, it has taken partnership.”

Waide noted that the project is about far more than a new building.

“It is about a student who comes to Pierpont looking for a path forward,” he said. “It is about preparing that student with the knowledge, skills, credentials and experiences necessary to move into a high-demand career.”

The facility will support aviation maintenance education while expanding instructional capacity for welding, fabrication and advanced technical training. Plans include additional welding labs that will significantly increase instructional capacity, helping meet workforce needs across multiple industries.

For Waide, the project reflects the role community and technical colleges play in both education and economic development.

“When we help a student develop a skill, earn a credential and enter the workforce, we change that student’s economic future,” he said. “When we do that for hundreds and eventually thousands of students, we begin changing the economic future of our communities.”

Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, chancellor of both the WVHEPC and the WVCTCS, called the groundbreaking one of the most significant moments of her career.

“What is happening here is generational change,” Dr. Armstrong Tucker said. “What you all are doing is going to change the face of your community. It’s going to change the face of the city. It’s going to change the aerospace industry.”

Dr. Armstrong Tucker praised the collective effort of state leaders, education partners, local governments, aviation organizations and industry stakeholders who worked together to bring the project to fruition.

“Projects like this simply don’t happen without partners who are willing to invest, collaborate, solve problems and believe in what is possible,” she said.

She also pointed to the impact aviation education can have on individual students. Sharing examples from regional employers, Dr. Armstrong Tucker described graduates who began their careers in North Central West Virginia and went on to work on aircraft around the world.

“This is what education does,” she said. “Yes, it develops a workforce. Yes, it supports our employers and strengthens our economy. But it also creates confidence, pride, independence and self-respect.”

The project is the result of years of collaboration among Pierpont, the WVHEPC, the WVCTCS, state and federal leaders, regional economic development organizations, aviation partners and industry employers. Support from the West Virginia Legislature provided critical funding for the facility, while local and regional partners helped planning and development efforts.

David Hinkle, Vice Chair of Pierpont’s Board of Governors and President of the North Central West Virginia Airport Authority, reflected on the project’s lengthy journey from vision to reality.

“There were times we weren’t sure it was ever going to happen,” Hinkle said. “But we hung tough and made it through.”

He credited state leaders, board members, education officials and project partners for pushing the project forward through multiple challenges over the past several years.

The event also highlighted the strong connection between Pierpont’s aviation program and the region’s growing aerospace sector. Companies located at or near the AeroTech Park included Pratt & Whitney, Aurora Flight Sciences, Lockheed Martin, KCI Aviation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and other employers that regularly hire skilled technicians and graduates from programs such as Pierpont’s.

Among those in attendance were current Aviation Maintenance Technology students. Their enthusiasm was especially evident when Dr. Brad Gilbert, Director of Aviation Technology, took the stage. Students responded with loud cheers for Dr. Gilbert, whose nearly 35-year career has helped shape generations of aviation technicians in North Central West Virginia.

Gilbert called the groundbreaking the start of a new chapter for a program that began more than three decades ago with a handful of students and has since grown into one of Pierpont’s most sought-after programs.

“The new school gives us the opportunity to prepare even more students for rewarding careers while helping meet the growing needs of the aviation industry right here,” Gilbert said.

Following the ceremony, Gilbert described the moment as both rewarding and emotional.

“We’ve been hopeful that this would come to fruition for several years,” he said. “Today culminates all that hard work.”

The new facility is expected to strengthen the workforce pipeline for aviation and aerospace employers while creating additional opportunities for students seeking careers in technical fields. Its location within the AeroTech park will allow students to learn in the same environment where many will eventually build their careers.

As ceremonial shovels broke ground Wednesday afternoon, the focus remained on the students who will one day walk through the facility’s doors.

“We are building more than an aviation education facility,” Dr. Waide said. “We are expanding a workforce pipeline, creating capacity for future generations of students and supporting an industry that is important to the economic future of this region.”

For Pierpont and its partners across higher education, government and industry, the project represents a shared investment in the future of West Virginia’s workforce and the students whose paths will begin there.

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Pierpont Community & Technical College provides accessible, responsive, and high‑quality education to students and businesses across North Central West Virginia. With a strong focus on career readiness and workforce development, Pierpont offers academic programs and industry‑aligned training that create clear pathways to employment. Through this work, the college helps students discover their path while supporting the region’s economic and workforce needs.

Media Contact:
Stefanie Moore
Pierpont Community and Technical College
Director of Marketing and Communications
srobbins@pierpont.edu