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Boeing Opening Info Tech Center In St. Louis-Area

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said Monday that Boeing Co. plans to open an information technology center in the St. Louis area that is expected to create at least 400 jobs. Nixon made the announcement during a conference call from France, where he was visiting as part of a weeklong European trip to promote Missouri's business interests.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said Monday that Boeing Co. plans to open an information technology center in the St. Louis area that is expected to create at least 400 jobs.

Nixon made the announcement during a conference call from France, where he was visiting as part of a weeklong European trip to promote Missouri's business interests.

Missouri officials said Boeing currently employs about 15,000 workers at its St. Louis County campus. The state Department of Economic Development said Boeing could access up to $7 million during the next five years through the Missouri Quality Jobs program through the expansion.

"We're very proud that they're expanding their footprint in the Show-Me State, and those additional 400 jobs are a good baseline to continue to see continued growth by Boeing," Nixon said.

The governor's trip, which also includes stops in Britain and Belgium, began Friday. He's due back in Missouri on Saturday. Missouri businesses exported more than $2.5 billion of products to Europe last year, which was about 20 percent of the state's total exports.

Nixon said that while in France, he visited the Normandy American Cemetery, where 232 Missourians who died during World War II are buried. He said he laid a wreath at one grave and called it a "moving afternoon."

The governor's travel expenses are being paid by the Hawthorn Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that promotes economic growth in Missouri.

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