POCOMOKE CITY, Md. - Newly elected state delegate C.L. Marshall wants to partner with Rocket Lab, a publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider. The company has a big presence just over the state line in Accomack County, Virginia.
Marshall visited the Rocket Lab site on Wallops Island on Tuesday, Nov. 10 to meet with Jennifer Goodrum, the Director of State and Local Government Operations for Rocket Lab. He says the visit was very informational, almost like a school field trip.
“I thought I knew what they did there until I actually visited it,” he says. “The thing that impressed me most is how quickly Rocket Lab and those other industries can scale up. They've got a fully functional launch pad there, which is far superior to anything else that is on Wallops Island now. That went from zero to fully operational in a period of just over two years. So the ability to scale up to meet demand I think was very, very impressive.”
Marshall is proposing possible workforce development, building a pipeline from local schools to the Rocket Lab workforce. He’s also wanting to find ways local businesses can help supply Rocket Lab's operations. Lastly, he says he’s hoping to expand housing options for the aerospace workforce and advocate for the facility's infrastructure needs.
“We believe that the growth of Rocket Lab, Firefly and similar industries on the Eastern Shore represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to diversify that regional economy, to create high-paying jobs, encourage private investment, and inspire the next generation of engineers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs on the shore,” he says.
Bill Chambers, the CEO and President of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, says he’s glad to see Marshall already visiting Rocket Lab and taking action so early.
“Rocket Lab is a big addition to NASA Wallops,” he says. “Rocket Lab loves being here. Let's make sure they want to stay here and continue to love being here.”
Marshall says the next step is giving members of the Rocket Lab team a tour of Pocomoke City. Rocket Lab tells WBOC it is still going over the proposal, and that it is still early in the process.
