September 11, 2025
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.— On Sept. 10, 2025, Boeing officially opened its new 65,000-square-foot Engineering Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Research Park, marking a major milestone for Volusia County and the state’s growing role in aerospace innovation.
The new center, located in the Cici and Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology, is expected to create approximately 400 high-paying jobs. For Embry-Riddle students and alumni, it signals innovative opportunities close to campus where it will house advanced technology efforts, engineering design, research, development and prototyping for Boeing’s Defense, Space& Security Air Dominance sectors.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony blended speeches with symbolic moments. The university’s Acafellas opened with the national anthem, and later, Hyatt and Cici Brown in addition to their$25 million gift to fund the research park, were presented with a commemorative painting honoring their gracious support. The most memorable moment came after Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini’s remarks, when a Boeing F-18 roared over the ceremony, almost as if on cue, underscoring the company’s aerospace legacy
While officials praised the project as an economic driver for Volusia County, Boeing also emphasized the facility’s role in shaping the future of defense technology. Work at the center will contribute to the development of the F-47, Boeing’s first sixth-generation fighter jet, linking Embry-Riddle’s campus directly to one of the most advanced aerospace projects in the world.
For students, the presence of Boeing engineers next door could mean internship pipelines, guest lectures, and career pathways that build on an already strong hiring record. “Boeing is literally the gold standard,” ERAU President P. Barry Butler noted, pointing to the company’s history of employing graduates and supporting academic programs.
Along with the jobs the center will bring, Boeing announced a $100,000 donation to local nonprofits, including the Boys and Girls Club for STEM programming efforts and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Leaders like Sen. Tom Wright and Space Florida’s Col. Robert Long stressed that the center will help fill critical workforce gaps while cementing Daytona Beach as a hub for aerospace innovation
With the research park already generating an estimated $372 million and hundreds of jobs expected to follow with engineers working steps away from campus, the new Boeing facility offers a direct link between education and industry. As the university continues to collaborate with industry leaders and investors in aerospace and defense innovation, students will remain at the heart of opportunities driving the future of the industry.
