Fort Worth lands aviation, cold storage expansions valued at $180M

Fort Worth will add to its aviation industry arsenal and expand its growing cold storage offerings with the recent City Council approval of two new tax abatement agreements.

The two economic development agreements, approved Oct. 15, are expected to bring $180 million in investments and 335 new jobs to Fort Worth.

One comes from Atlanta-based Americold, which plans to expand its current cold storage facility at 4900 Blue Mound Road, near Fort Worth's Meacham International Airport, with an investment of $123 million. The current 88,653-square-foot building sits on 22 acres. Only 7 acres of that land are developed, so there is room for expansion.

Americold already has four cold storage locations in Fort Worth along with sites in Dallas, Grand Prairie and Mansfield.

The second economic development agreement is with Embraer S.A., a Brazilian aerospace company and the third largest producer of civil aircraft after The Boeing Co. and Airbus. Its aviation subsidiary, Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services, is based in Nashville and plans to invest $70 million to build a maintenance, repair and overhaul operation for commercial aircraft based at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport.

"We're thrilled that Embraer has selected Fort Worth and Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport for their new aircraft facility," Robert Allen, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, said in a statement. "Collaborating closely with Hillwood and Embraer's team throughout the entire process, this project stands as a clear testament to Fort Worth's robust aerospace and defense sector."

Embraer expects to begin operations in an existing hangar by the beginning of the second quarter of 2025, while building a second hangar that should be completed by 2027. With the new facilities, Embraer's capacity to serve the E-Jets customers will increase by 53% in the U.S., according to the company. E-Jets are the company's signature airplane. The medium-range aircraft is designed to carry about 100 passengers. Customers include American Airlines, Air Canada and JetBlue.

As part of the agreement, the company commits to a capital investment of $57 million, with $42 million in real property improvements expected by December 2026 and $15 million in business personal property by January 2027.

Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services has also committed to creating 250 full-time jobs by the end of 2029, with an expected annual average salary of $67,000 or more. Additionally, 15% of construction costs is expected to go toward business equity firms.

In exchange, the city of Fort Worth agreed to a seven-year tax abatement of up to 50% of the incremental value of both the company's real and business personal property, estimated at $1.2 million. The project is expected to generate more than $1.2 million in gross net new taxes for the city, essentially paying back the incentive in a little more than three years.

"We're excited to welcome Embraer to Fort Worth, and more specifically, to the Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport," said Robert Sturns, director of the city's economic development department, in a statement. "As one of the largest producers of civil aircraft in the world, Embraer's new maintenance facility and 250 jobs will be an outstanding addition to our city, building upon the success of Fort Worth's well-established foundations in aerospace and aviation."

The project is located in Denton County, and commissioners there are expected to vote on a tax abatement agreement for the county on Oct. 29.

The Americold expansion will add at least 85 full-time jobs by the end of 2025 with a minimum average salary of $65,000. The company is receiving a seven-year tax abatement of up to 50% of incremental real property improvements and business personal property taxes. As part of the tax abatement, the company has agreed to spend 15% of construction costs with minority- and women-owned business firms.

The project is expected to generate more than $2.5 million in gross new net taxes for the city each year, essentially paying back the incentive in a little less than three and a half years, according to city estimates.

Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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