WEYERS CAVE, Va. (WHSV) – The Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD) held a ribbon cutting today to celebrate the completion of phase one in their technology park project.

SHD has opened up new hangers for commercial use in the new section of the airport. The hangers will allow local and corporate businesses to rent out the space and help the facility grow past the technology park project.

Heather Ream, director of marketing at SHD, said the technology park project will help economic developers in the surrounding localities bring in companies to the Shenandoah Valley.

There’s a huge shortage of corporate hangar space for companies,” Ream said. “We do know that when our economic development partners are looking to attract new or expanding industries to the region, we know that a lot of them have a corporate flight department.”

Ream emphasized the rapid growth of aviation technology across the nation. She said the new technology park plus the additional hangars just built will keep SHD in the game as new industries form and grow in the aviation industry.

”It’s going to open up a whole lot of new opportunities for this region in aviation-related businesses,” She said. “Advanced air mobility and that type of industry. We’re really looking forward to getting some additional tenants for the Shenandoah Valley region.”

Along with advanced air mobility, other growing industries in aviation include electric aircraft and aircraft safety.

Ream said the Valley’s airspace is unique because it doesn’t have the same air traffic as the D.C. area, but it is close enough to the area to fly to and from.

Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater is the first company to invest in the hangars.

Copyright 2023 WHSV. All rights reserved.