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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Aerial Machine & Tool Corporation Expands Patrick County, Virginia, Operations

07/18/2025
Aerial Machine & Tool Corporation, a supplier and manufacturer of custom-engineered aviation combat equipment and water survivability solutions, plans to expand its operations in Patrick County, Virginia.

The $781,000 project will include the construction of a new Next Generation Breathing Technology Center which will design, manufacture and test existing and new emergency breathing systems and supplemental oxygen systems.

“For decades, Aerial has provided survivability solutions to military personnel and first responders, including emergency breathing systems and their accompanying support/sustainment equipment,” said Aerial’s President and CEO Thomas Weidley. “Enabled by our owners at Argosy Private Equity, the Aerial Next Generation Breathing Technology Center will provide purpose-built spaces and the latest technologies to not only sustain the existing emergency breathing systems and supplemental oxygen systems, but to design, develop, test and prototype future solutions for our warfighters and first responders to keep them safe and increase mission success. This center is exactly what we need to keep our team and our host, Patrick County, at the forefront of technology development in this critical, life-saving area for the nation.”

Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) will support Aerial’s employee retraining through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs or upskilling their existing workforce to support employee recruitment and training activities. As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state funded, demonstrating Virginia’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens.

"Aerial exemplifies what it means to be dedicated—not just to Patrick County, but to our entire region, the Commonwealth, and the nation,” noted Southern Virginia Regional Alliance Executive Director Linda Hutson Green. “Every time the U.S. Coast Guard launches a rescue mission, or the Department of Defense deploys soldiers or service dogs, we think of your team with pride. Your workers craft the highest quality gear and equipment—tools that help protect and save lives. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our nation, to Patrick County, and to the employees who make it all possible.”

VEDP worked with Patrick County and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the project.

“Aerial’s continued growth highlights both the strength of Patrick County’s manufacturing community and its impact on national defense,” added Patrick County Director of Economic Development and Tourism James Houchins. “We’re proud to support a company that blends technical excellence with a strong commitment to our military and local workforce.”

Aerial’s emergency breathing systems are small scuba bottles that pilots, aircrew and passengers fly with in the event of an underwater egress emergency situation. In addition to hundreds of technical sewing products, the company manufactures multiple water flotation devices and collars.

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