Drone Tech Firm Oelaris Close to Giving Up On the Triad, NC

from Biz Journals

North Carolina, and specifically Winston-Salem’s Smith Reynolds Airport, has just the right altitude, terrain and other characteristics to become the research and development hub for unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV manufacturer Olaeris. That could translate into along with hundreds – and maybe thousands over time – of high-paying jobs. But company officials say that opportunity will be lost in the next few weeks if state officials don’t act.

Olaeris, which makes drones focused on emergency response and public safety functions, announced last December that it had chosen North Carolina over 19 other states as the location of its headquarters, and since then has settled on Smith Reynolds as its first choice of site, according to founder and CEO Ted Lindsley. According to company projections, its operation would grow from 30 employees in its first year to 150 in five years, and the total statewide economic impact from operations, investments, supply chain purchases and other activities could pass $128 million in that time.

Olaeris officials have been working with public safety agencies over the past two years making plans for how a statewide, centrally controlled network of unmanned vehicles could provide a valuable new response tool during hurricanes or other emergencies. Olaeris’ technology is designed with ducted rather than open rotors that the company says are safer and less prone to failure than typical drones, and the company has also worked closely with the ACLU on usage guidelines meant to protect privacy rights.

Not just Olaeris but the entire drone industry needs a home, and Lindsley said North Carolina’s combination of geophysical characteristics and disaster-prone geography has given it a strong head start in becoming that natural base. But foot-dragging by elected state officials and the Department of Commerce has squandered most of that lead, and other states including venture capital-rich California are rapidly closing the gap.

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