TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Piper Aircraft Inc. has eliminated Tallahassee from consideration for its light jet manufacturing center.
The company said Friday it had narrowed its list from five cities to three, leaving Vero Beach, Albuquerque and Oklahoma City. Besides Tallahassee, Columbia, S.C., was also eliminated.
''Despite their strengths, Columbia and Tallahassee did not compare as favorably as competing cities when we considered some of our key location criteria, such as a more established aviation sector and a ready work force,'' the company said in a prepared statement.
The Tallahassee/Leon County Economic Development Council had approved an estimated $100 million incentives package in hopes of luring a plant to build the new single-engine PiperJet.
The plant is expected to employ 1,500 people.