Summary

  • Mark Smith named Manager of Health, Safety & Environment
  • Darren Gates named Facilities Manager
Airbus Americas has named two more new members of the management team for its A320 Family assembly line in Mobile, Alabama. As of June 17, Mark Smith has joined Airbus Americas as the Manager of Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E). On July 8, Darren Gates will join Airbus Americas as Facilities Manager. 

Mark Smith will be responsible for all aspects of health, safety and environmental impact in and around the assembly line facility and property. 

Smith comes to Airbus Americas from Georgia Pacific where he has been Health and Safety Manager since 2010. Prior to that, he worked in HS&E positions for various companies including Boise Paper, International Paper and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management-Air Division.

Smith graduated from Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama in 2004 with a B.A. in Business Management. He graduated from Columbia Southern University in 2009 with an M.S. in Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Management. He is currently studying for his MBA at Columbia Southern University. He and his family reside in Eight Mile, Alabama.

Darren Gates will be responsible for oversight and proper functioning of the site services for the assembly line including all physical infrastructure such as HVAC, electrical, maintenance contracts, and more. 

Gates comes to Airbus Americas from ThyssenKrupp Stainless USA where he has been in facilities and operations management roles since 2007. Prior to that, he was with Nucor Steel for three years and Worthington Steel for 15 years. 

Gates studied industrial design and mechanical engineering at Ohio State University. He has an Associates Degree in Architecture from Columbus State Community College and a Bachelor of Management of Technology from Athens State University. He and his family live in Spanish Fort, Alabama.

On July 2, 2012, Airbus announced it is building an assembly line for its A320 Family of aircraft in Mobile. The groundbreaking for the assembly line was on April 8, 2013, and major construction begins this summer. Hiring for the majority of manufacturing jobs at the assembly line will begin during the fourth quarter of 2013 and continue into 2014.

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