Gov. Jay Nixon today visited Houston to announce the award of $183, 361 in Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ) tax credits to a Missouri company that operates the largest independently owned and operated air medical service provider in the United States. The EEZ incentives will assist Air Evac Lifeteam in significantly expanding its operations in south-central Missouri through the renovation of an old manufacturing building. The expansion is a $1 million capital investment that will create 85 new area jobs.

The Governor joined company representatives and community leaders in making the announcement today at Air Evac Lifeteam’s facility in Houston.

“This is great news that a successful and innovative Missouri company like Air Evac Lifeteam, the preeminent provider of air ambulance services to rural areas in the central U.S., is expanding its base in south-central Missouri,” Gov. Nixon said. “I am pleased that this state economic incentive is helping to make this project a reality, creating 85 new jobs for the area’s economy. It is another indication that Missouri’s ongoing economic rebound is widespread, happening everywhere from our largest metro areas to our rural counties.”

Headquartered in West Plains, Air Evac Lifeteam recently began renovating the former Lee Apparel Co. manufacturing facility in Houston to convert to office space. Air Evac Lifeteam’s growth and prosperity made further expansion in the facility a necessity, leading the company to embark upon a second renovation.

The state of Missouri’s award of $183,361 in EEZ incentives will assist the company in completing its second phase of expansion, which will create 85 new jobs in the patient accounts division.

Air Evac Lifeteam is the largest independently owned and operated air-medical service in the U.S., conducting its operations through 90 mutually-supporting air medical bases across 14 states. The company primarily provides air ambulance services to rural markets, serving over 1,700 diverse referral sources, including more than 1,000 hospitals and 700 EMS agencies.

The company operates the world’s largest fleet of more than 100 medically-equipped Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopters and has safely flown more than 200,000 people in critical need of care since its founding. Air Evac Lifeteam is currently the largest air ambulance service provider in Missouri, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Illinois, Arkansas and Alabama.