A 447,000 square-foot factory, located within Hillwood's AllianceTexas development, is the first agreement in Texas under the new Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation law. The deal will benefit Northwest ISD students in the form of internships and career training opportunities.

The details

According to a company news release, Bell Textron, Inc. was awarded a U.S. Army contract in December 2022 that allowed the company to begin establishing several new state-of-the-art facilities. The new Fort Worth facility, which will set up shop in the building formerly occupied by Stanley Black & Decker, and has sat vacant for more than a year, will be used to construct components for the V-280 Valor assault helicopter for the U.S. Army.

The company news release states the tiltrotor aircraft will fly twice as far and twice as fast as the current fleet by utilizing the following innovations:
  • Mature tiltrotor technology
  • Digital engineering approach
  • Modular open systems approach
A closer look

According to City of Fort Worth documents, the agreement will bring 520 full-time jobs with an average salary of $85,000 by the end of 2039.


A Northwest ISD news release states Bell will receive maintenance & operations tax incentives for a 10-year period while paying its full interest & sinking taxes. Northwest ISD will not see a significant M&O funding loss because most of this revenue was projected to return to the state through recapture payments. Projections indicate Bell will provide $13.4 million in new I&S payments to pay off bond debt.

Diving in deeper

The district news release states the district and Bell remain in active conversations about potential career and training opportunities for Northwest ISD students, which could result in site-based training and internships. The district has maintained strong ties with area businesses such as BNSF Railway, Gulfstream and Texas Health Resources to provide unique opportunities for students while simultaneously providing a talent pipeline for the local workforce.

“Working with industry partners provides our students with real-world experiences that reinforce and expand what they learn in school,” said Kelley Henderson, executive director of college and career readiness for Northwest ISD. “Bell has garnered a well-deserved reputation in the aviation industry that evokes respect throughout the world. The opportunity to expand our corporate partnerships with a company of its pedigree will have a lasting positive impact on Northwest ISD students.”


Besides benefitting career and technical education courses offered throughout the district, the news release states Bell’s career-training opportunities are planned to benefit students in specific programs at the several campuses including:“Bell will be building and supporting the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft over the next several decades,” said Lisa Atherton, president and CEO of Bell. “It’s important that we invest in and grow our local talent. I appreciate Northwest ISD’s partnership to make our new manufacturing approach a reality, and we look forward to collaborating with the district on technical education and career-training opportunities for their students.”