PHOTO PROVIDED PHOTO PROVIDED Shannon Massey, senior vice president of Lycoming Engines, left, and Matt Joiner, manager of marketing and communications, show off one of the engines that are displayed at the plant.

Lycoming Engines is one of Williamsport’s bigger employers, a manufacturer of piston aircraft engines, with a firm place in the community looking to further grow.

Shannon Massey, senior vice president of the sprawling plant at 652 Oliver St., noted that Lycoming Engines is not only a production facility but also an innovation and technology center.

The plant employs three shifts totaling approximately 500 people involved in areas of work that include assembling, testing, machining, and more.

“In the past two years, we’ve seen an increase in demand across general aviation, thus resulting in our growth and demand increase,” she said.

The company has been recently granted the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce 2022 Staiman Large Business of the Year Award.

Lycoming Engines is the only manufacturer of FAA-certified aerobatic piston engines, positioning it to meet the strong demand for the product.

“Seventy percent of trainer aircraft engines are produced by Lycoming,” Massey said. “We not only sell an engine to a new plane, but those engines are later rebuilt here too.

“We are currently expanding cylinder assembly fabrication to better meet our increasing demand. This also allows us to invest in research and development toward sustainable options as well.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and industry groups have agreed to eliminate the use of leaded aviation fuel by 2030.

“We want quality first and foremost,” Massey said. “We build every engine as if we are going to fly it ourselves. That’s the heart of it.”

Lycoming Engines has a long and storied history, tracing its beginnings to 1845 as the Demorest Manufacturing Co. In the early years, the products were sewing machines, bicycles, typewriters, gas irons, and printing presses.

Later, the company transitioned into the Lycoming Foundry and Machine Co., focusing on the design and assembly of vehicle engines.

Lycoming’s first aircraft engine, the R-680, a 9-cylinder 200 horsepower piston radial, was built in 1929.

During World War II, the company, like many others, contributed heavily toward the war effort, building engines for military aircraft and tanks.

By the mid-1960s, Lycoming Engine’s place in the industry was more than secure, with the major general aviation manufacturers of piston-powered aircraft using its engines.

“This is our 94th year in aviation and we continue to evolve,” Massey said.

The engines produced at Lycoming power aircraft for the general aviation community, flight schools, mail carriers, humanitarian efforts, and aerobatic performance teams.

Workforce investment is strong, according to Massey.

She noted that the average employee has been with the company 24 years.

“From an employee perspective, it is a great place to work,” Executive Assistant Staci Elliftawi said. “The support of employees from supervisors is encouraging.”

Added Matt Joiner, manager of Marketing and Communications, “It’s the training and insight you get from having a dedicated workforce in a team atmosphere.”

Massey noted a big part of Lycoming Engine’s mission is about giving back to the community. And, that is most important since, as Massey noted, “We are only as strong as our community.”

It means providing support to organizations and civic groups serving the area such as the North Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

Most recently, Lycoming Engines pledged $50,000 to the Susquehanna Health Foundation to support the expansion of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Williamsport over a 5-year period.

The company’s growth can perhaps be tied to that strong community bond.

About 20 percent of the employee base is comprised of Pennsylvania College of Technology graduates.

A cooperative education program between Lycoming Engines and the college allows students to work part-time at the company while continuing their education.

Lycoming College has also sent graduating students to Lycoming Engines.

“Fifteen percent of our workforce is made up of veterans which I’m particularly proud of,” Massey added.

She noted the company pays good wages, which also helps in retention and recruitment of good, longterm employees.

Operated and Owned in the U.S., Lycoming is a division of Avco Corporation, a subsidiary of Textron.