Aviation firm plans 26 hires

BRADENTON — Radiant Power Corp., a commercial aviation products manufacturer, announced plans today to expand its facility and hire 26 employees over the next five years.

The firm, now with 64 employees, will renovate its 20,000-square-foot plant in south Manatee County, where it will also add 6,300 square feet, according to a Manatee Economic Development Corp. release. The expansion will provide space for the engineering division to work on new products, the release states. It will also provide production space for a Pennsylvania firm Radiant recently acquired.

Manatee County officials approved $26,000 in performance-based incentives and roughly $1,300 in transportation impact fee incentives to aid the expansion. The 26 jobs Radiant Power plans to add will pay 15% more on average than the county average wage, the EDC states.

“It is encouraging to see Manatee County's aviation sector expanding again,” Manatee EDC President Sharon Hillstrom says in the release. “The knowledge-based jobs that predominate in manufacturing related to aviation and avionics tend to pay higher wages.”

Radiant Power is a subsidiary of Hollywood-based HEICO Corp. The firm designs and manufactures custom power supplies, inverters and lighting controls. Its products are used on regional jets and business jets, including Boeing aircraft.