Gulfstream Announces 600 Job Cuts Worldwide

Gulfstream recently announced plans to cut 600 contractor positions, reducing its workforce by 3 percent worldwide.

The news was released as part of the company's annual strategy to streamline operations.

A Gulfstream spokesperson declined to say how the cuts might impact the Brunswick location, a facility that recently expanded and added 100 jobs in July. The addition included a new 110,000-square-foot maintenance repair and overhaul facility, which took nearly a year to complete.

It joined two other facilities at the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport. About 250 are employed there.

Gulfstream, with its main headquarters in Savannah, provides maintenance services for the G280, G450, G550, GIV and GV aircraft. It also is a completion center for the G450 and G550 aircraft.

Heidi Fedak, senior manager of external communications and social media for Gulfstream, says occasional job cuts at various facilities are pretty much par for the course.

"It is part of Gulfstream's normal, disciplined business practices to routinely evaluate our costs and workforce requirements. As a result of these evaluations, we are streamlining our business to position Gulfstream for continued success," Fedak said.

She says that conducting the evaluations helps the company continue to flourish. And, Fedak adds, considering the number of worldwide employees, the cuts are minor.

"Gulfstream currently has more than 16,500 employees and contractors based around the world," she said. "We typically manage fluctuating workforce requirements with contract labor in order to maintain maximum flexibility."

Fedak says Gulfstream has policies in place to help former employees transition out of its workforce.

"We regret the impact these decisions will have on our employees and have arranged a variety of programs to assist these workers with their transition from Gulfstream," she said. "Depending on individual eligibility criteria, employees may receive benefits that include severance and benefits extensions."

Mel Baxter, interim executive director of the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority, doesn't feel the Brunswick facilities will see much of an impact, if any. The organization that played a key role in Gulfstream's expansion in Glynn County says company leaders are highly effective at managing employees.

"(General manager) Ron (Aldrich) keeps a really tight crew out there. I really don't think they are going to be affected and if so it would be very minor. That's my best guess," he said.

"They have two components out there: the finished group, which deals with the new product, and the maintenance repair group. If there were going to be cuts, it would probably be on the new product side. I doubt there would be any cuts on the maintenance side because, once people buy these planes, they still have to have them serviced."