CAE USA no longer headquartered in Tampa Tampa Bay Business

CAE USA, the largest defense contractor in Tampa Bay, has moved its headquarters from here to Virginia. The company is in the middle of building a training center on Air Cargo Road, once touted as its U.S. headquarters.

The $1 billion acquisition of L3Harris Technologies’ Military Training in 2021 changed things, according to spokeswoman Wendy Stough.

“That significant growth [from the acquisition] required business integration and reorganization to make our operations effective and efficient,” Stough said in a statement. “During that process, a leadership and administrative office was established as our CAE Defense & Security headquarters and, subsequently, CAE USA headquarters. The executive operations facility in Chantilly, Virginia, includes 20 offices and is home base to the Group President Daniel Gelston and members of the Defense & Security Executive Leadership Team. This location is vital to keep CAE USA close to the industry and government we support with our defense business.”

The new Tampa facility is expected to be completed in 2023. The city remains a core part of the company’s operations, Stough said. General Manager of Readiness Solutions Merrill Stoddard, General Counsel Sarah Graves and VP of Engineering Steve Baigrie remain in Tampa.
“We are proud of the more than 40 years of innovation and development that advanced our company. … Our commitment to Tampa remains steadfast as we see the excellent opportunity for business and industry in the region and the state of Florida,” she said in a statement.

CAE USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian-based CAE Inc. Its Tampa roots extend back more than four decades — Reflectone moved here in 1979 and was bought by CAE in 2001.

An active Hillsborough County incentive spells out an expectation for the training facility to create 100 jobs. Gov. Ron DeSantis was in attendance for the project’s groundbreaking in 2019.
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