Pacific Aerospace Corp. says contracts with space exploration companies and flying taxi pioneers have increased its revenue, making the upstart firm one of the fastest-growing small private companies in Orange County.
The Stanton-based firm, founded five years ago, projects a two-year revenue growth rate of 65% to $3.4 million.
The company handles aircraft and aerospace work. Its core competencies are precision machining and advanced composite work. Pacific Aerospace also makes parts and sub-assemblies for clients.
“It was a struggle for a while,” to get the company up and running, founder and CEO Mark Ferrara said. “It’s a lot of hard work.”
Ferrara, a 40-year veteran of the aerospace and automotive advanced manufacturing and prototyping industries, founded Pacific Aerospace in 2018.
Ferrrara previously had worked for McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, which was acquired by Boeing, as well as Mitsubishi R&D, the automotive design studio for Mitsubishi Motors North America.
Pacific Aerospace’s 30,000 square feet of combined facilities in Stanton house its array of highly sophisticated “five-axis” cutting tools for aerospace precision. The five-axis cutting tool can approach an object from any direction at any time, according to the company’s website.
“We do tooling and we make parts and we do small subassemblies,” Ferrrara said. The subassemblies typically have 10 to 25 parts.
Flying Taxis
While Ferrara says nondisclosure agreements strictly prevent the release of company names, they include the major space exploration companies and flying taxi developers.
Ferrara says Pacific Aerospace already has orders on hand and is “well on our way” to hitting its revenue goal.
OC counts large bases for flying taxi developers including Supernal and Overair, and space tourism company Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SPCE).
Pacific Aerospace currently counts 15 employees at its facilities at 8131 Monroe Avenue in Stanton.
The projected two-year revenue jump earned the company the No. 18 slot on this year’s Business Journal Sept. 18 list of fastest-growing private companies, in the small firm category.
The company’s business itself meets the all-important AS9100 guidelines for quality assurance in aviation space and defense organizations.
Pacific Aerospace is also ITAR-compliant to guarantee adherence to set forth by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
Making Progress
“We’re happy we’re making progress,” according to Ferrara.
That includes acquiring what he calls “better clients” after a period of bidding low and doing the work at not much profit.
Now he cites “positive solid underpinnings” for Pacific Aerospace.
“My secret is to make it simple,” according to Ferrara.
Ferrara was raised in Springfield, Mass., and moved to Huntington Beach in 1982 at age 22.
Pacific Aerospace has a sister company, California Research & Design, which has been serving the automotive industry with similar advanced manufacturing, prototyping, and assembly services since Ferrara founded it in 2013.
