General Dynamics Mission Systems, one of the Berkshires’ largest employers, has steadily grown over the last two decades – going from 500 employees in 1997 to 1600 employees today. In 2020, they will continue adding to their workforce, with a planned net gain of 100 jobs. With this growth, the defense contractor has effectively anchored the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster in the region and made a significant impact on the local economy. In fact, economic multipliers indicate that for every new job created at General Dynamics in Pittsfield, another 3.8 jobs are created around the Berkshires. This means that by adding 1,200 jobs since 1997, General Dynamics has helped support the creation of nearly 6,000 jobs in the Berkshires.
To accommodate their growing workforce, General Dynamics recently expanded their facilities, adding 23,000 sq ft to their space at 1 Plastics Avenue in Pittsfield. 1Berkshire along with many from the community were there to celebrate this expansion. In addition to increasing their capacity by 100 seats, this new space serves as an agile environment for their team to enhance collaboration and increase efficiencies. With this expansion, General Dynamics now occupies 4 buildings in Pittsfield with roughly 1,000 engineers, 200 manufacturing experts, and 400 business support staff.
Although General Dynamics is a global company, they are committed to serving the communities they are a part of, investing more than $320,000 annually towards local Veteran’s organizations, STEM Education, economic development, and community philanthropy. Even more than that, General Dynamics aims to do its part to help promote the Berkshires and businesses in the Berkshires. In 2020, they will be hosting an Innovating the Future Supply Chain and recruitment event at the Berkshire Innovation Center. This event is designed to educate Berkshire region businesses on how they can potentially expand and work with General Dynamics. More information at gdmissionsystems.com/innovating-for-the-future.