Egg Harbor Township, NJ [May 30, 2025] The National Aerospace Research and Technology Park laid the final beam Friday morning for its new $18.5 million building, the park’s second.
The milestone marks the completion of the steel frame for a 40,000-square-foot facility that will be dedicated to aerospace research when it opens sometime next year. It will host research institutions, startups and established aerospace companies with the hopes of developing the region as a hub for global aviation advancement.
Work on the building began in October 2023 and was funded partly through an $8.6 million investment from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
Another $10.5 million was provided by the Atlantic County Improvement Authority, the research park and the Atlantic County Economic Alliance.
The first building at the research park opened in 2019 and initially hosted six tenants. Building No. 2 is already leasing to potential tenants, officials said.
NARTP President and CEO Howard Kyle, Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson and state Sen. Vince Polistina, R-2nd, all spoke about the expansion’s impact on the local economy, saying it will create high-paying jobs and establish a pipeline for students at local schools to step into those positions.
Additionally, they said the campus and its new building are a step toward establishing South Jersey, and Atlantic County in particular, as a hub for aviation and aerospace research. The state has approved an $8.6 million investment in the development of an Aerospace Innovation Center at the National Aerospace Research & Technology Park in Egg Harbor Township.
“It does a lot, because there never was the intention just to build a research park or a building in a research park,” Kyle said. “The intention is to get an aviation industry going in Atlantic County, actually, in all of South Jersey, that links together the FAA tech center, the air cargo work that’s being done at the airport, aircraft maintenance and repair … and aviation research.”
A strong aviation industry in South Jersey would diversify an economy that’s centered on tourism and gambling, Polistina said.
“So this starts us down the path at a time when we know that the air traffic control system needs to be modernized to create opportunities in aviation and aeronautical industries, partnering with the FAA and with the airport to get those initiatives done, create educational opportunities and training opportunities,” Polistina said.
Levinson said the work marks a critical step toward strengthening the economy.
“For 100 years, we talked about diversifying our economy, getting away from just tourism, gaming, hospitality. … We all know that research is the future, and we took a chance, and now we’re on our second building,” Levinson said. “I truly believe if it was not for COVID, we’d be on our third or fourth building. So we’re very, very pleased the future is bright.”
