When you call to mind images of Florida’s Space Coast, depending on your generation you may think of JFK’s immortal speech sending us to the moon or you may remember watching your first shuttle launch. Regardless of which memory comes to mind, the context is that of incredibly thrilling innovation and patriotic pride.

On the Space Coast today, changes taking place in manned space flight have spurred countless heated discussions among everyone from industry veterans to area residents. One point most all of us agree upon is the need for greater industry diversification in the state of Florida.

A recent initiative announced by the Obama administration aims to encourage economic growth and job creation along the Space Coast with a $40 million amendment in the 2011 NASA budget.

Last week, Space Florida held a forum to entertain a variety of organizations’ proposals for leveraging that funding to create jobs and retrain the existing work force. As a presenting company, Avera Motors acknowledged the need to diversify Florida’s economy with a new, clean-tech-focused industry and create employment opportunities for NASA’s skilled work force. The shuttle technical work force is ideally suited for Avera Motors’ advanced technology manufacturing process. 

We believe deeply in American ingenuity and have created an innovative car company without the constraints of legacy organizations, designs and manufacturing infrastructure. Avera Motors is committed to U.S. job creation with a focus on states such as Florida that have been hit particularly hard by the current recession and the impending wind-down of the shuttle program.

Avera Motors, founded in 2009, has already forged a partnership with Space Florida to perform validation testing of a vehicle prototype.

Avera Motors’ first vehicle is an ultra-efficient, four-passenger sports car that achieves twice the efficiency of today’s best hybrids. The company will build additional models off a shared platform and employ more than 1,100 people by 2015. 

Brevard County is among several locations under consideration for final manufacturing site selection. Avera requested $10 million in funding from the NASA budget to accelerate job creation, leverage support for additional federal funding and lock-in the Space Coast for Avera’s headquarters and manufacturing operations.

Beyond the direct job creation Avera Motors offers, the company plans to work with Florida Tech to create a Florida Center for Automotive Research. The research center, coupled with the likely satellite operations of major automotive suppliers, truly sets the stage for a new vision of the Space Coast for the next generation -- one that includes advanced technology performance vehicles.

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R.J. Scaringe is CEO of Avera Motors, based in Rockledge. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT.