Half of the some 900 workers at a Boeing Co. satellite venture in Huntington Beach have opted to stay put and not move to the Denver area as part of a planned relocation of the business.
United Launch Alliance, a venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp. formed in December, is in the process of moving people from Orange County to Colorado, where United is based.
About 350 workers plan to move by the end of the year, United spokeswoman Julie Andrews said. A small number of workers already have quit rather than move, she said.
Another 450 engineers and clerks don’t plan to move and still are in Huntington Beach, according to Andrews.
“They’re mostly engineers,” she said. “Family is the main reason they chose not to go.”
United is working with those staying behind to find new jobs, according to Andrews.
“Some want to go back to Boeing, others are looking at Rockwell (Collins Inc.),” she said.
They might not have to look too hard.
The local job market for aerospace engineers is strong, according to Chapman University’s economic forecast in December.
Rockwell Collins, which has operations in Tustin, and Raytheon Co., which has operations in Fullerton and El Segundo, are among those eyeing United engineers.
United has offered jobs in Colorado to all of its Huntington Beach employees. United, which was formed to save money on satellite launches for NASA and national security agencies, employs about 3,800 people nationwide.
For more on this story, see the July 2 edition of the Business Journal.
