Northwest Aerospace News August | September Issue No. 4 | Page 25

T
he move to Idaho took over a year to
complete because Hamilton was tied up
with a project on the West Side.
His wife Linda relocated with their three
children, and it was admittedly a trying
time for the family. “But she is a real
good shot with her shotgun. For protec-
tion, she learned to shoot skeet. She’ll get
the double every time,” Hamilton said.
The transplanted company launched
locally in the garage at Hamilton’s ranch
and then moved into a small space, 5,000
square feet in their existing building. That
has since tripled in size and a second fa-
cility has 25,000 square feet of additional
space two blocks away. There are plans
for further expansion.
Aerocet then set up shop in a leased
building on the north side of Priest
River. “Priest River Development
Corporation (PRDC) has been so nice
to us,” Hamilton said. They knew they
needed employment after JD Lumber
closed shop, leaving 200-some people
without work.
“It’s a development company and their
whole deal was to get employment into
the area,” Hamilton said of PRDC.
Aerocet employs just over 50 people,
working one shift a day, five days a
week over a complex of two major
buildings on the northern edge of
Priest River. It’s is the second-largest
private local employer next to Stimson
Lumber Company.
“They just felt this was going to be a
win-win,” Hamilton said.
Ironically, Aerocet is not the only com-
pany to be launched out of the space. In
1998, Hamilton and David Voetmann
formed Idaho Air Group and Quest
Aircraft; while now located in Sandpoint;
both also began life in the original Aero-
cet building.
“Tom actually designed the aircraft,”
Hojan said. Hamilton sold his financial
interest in Quest, the largest employer in
Sandpoint. “It’s kind of a crazy story,”
Hamilton said.
Speaking of crazy, Hojan’s journey to
Aerocet’s CEO also has a bit of that.
“I’ve always loved aviation, but honestly
I lucked out working here,” Hojan said.
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