Associated Painters Adds Paint Hangar

Spokane’s Associated Painters, which was acquired by Leading Edge Aviation Services of Forth Worth, Texas, in March last year, opened a new $6 million narrow-body paint hangar in Spokane, Wash. The one-bay, 32,000-sq-ft facility (its second in Spokane) accommodates aircraft up to a 757-300 and is outfitted with high-lumen, energy-efficient lighting, hybrid cross-draft/down-draft air handling and a rubber membrane roof. Associated Painters has secured a 30-year lease with a 20-year option for the facility, which received its first aircraft this August.

“There is a high demand for narrow-body aircraft painting in the region, which we plan to meet with this new hangar,” said Leading Edge president Chris Harano. He expects Associated to increase its local workforce by 50 percent over the next year and, based on current projections, anticipates the hangar will be operating at 100-percent utilization within the next two years.