Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japanese eVTOL maker SkyDrive has established a temporary office in South Carolina as it scopes out the giant US urban air mobility market.
SkyDrive is taking advantage of an office hub program in Beaufort (along South Carolina’s Atlantic coastline between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia) called the Landing Pad.
The Landing Pad is a collaboration between a number of local interests including Beaufort County Economic Development, the city of Beaufort, and the Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance. Its mission is to assist companies from around the world that are considering investing in the region for the first time.
For ninety days, SkyDrive will be provided free office space and assistance from local agencies and businesses to accustom itself to local conditions. When that period ends, SkyDrive is not obligated to stay in Beaufort, but of course local officials are attempting to convince the Japanese firm to make this city of about 13,400 people its American home.
SkyDrive is the first company to take advantage of the Landing Pad, having been introduced to the program by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
William Fugate, SkyDrive’s US business development manager, is leading the company’s mission in Beaufort.
For their part, local officials are enthusiastic about the opportunity to host SkyDrive. Speaking to The Island Packet, a Hilton Head Island-based media outlet, Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray calls the eVTOL maker’s arrival “pretty darn exciting.”
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