Passport Center to Open in Hot Springs
March 1, 2007
Zoie Clift, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Hot Springs has been chosen as the site for a new passport facility set to open this spring. With the award of this contract, the U.S. Department of State will significantly increase its production capacity to meet the growing demand for U.S. passports.
The volume of passport applications in the nation is expected to increase as a result of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires that all U.S. citizens traveling by air between the U.S., Canada and Central and Latin America present a passport or Air Nexus card (a card for travel between the U.S. and Canada only) from January onward. New passport rules for land and sea travel are expected to go into effect in about a year as well.
Stanley Associates, based in Arlington, Va., was awarded a 10-year, $164-million contract with the U.S. Department of State to operate up to two passport book facilities where U.S. passports and other travel documents will be received, printed and mailed out. The center will be located on a site in Hot Springs Office & Technology Park, which was chosen because it already has much of the needed infrastructure in place, such as fiber-optic lines.
After a competitive nationwide search that included around 300 cities, Hot Springs was chosen due to its strong local labor force and proximity to transportation hubs. The company plans to hire more than 150 full-time and part-time employees in the next year or so at the facility.
Stanley Associates, listed this year in FORTUNE as one of the “100 Best Companies To Work For,” will open the passport facility after completing construction on a 37,800-square-foot spec building they are using for the center.
A second facility may be opened at a later date in Tucson, Ariz., if there is a demand. The State Department produced more than 12 million passports in the past year. It is anticipated that around 16 million will be issued this year.
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Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: [email protected]
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
“Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism”
Zoie Clift, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Hot Springs has been chosen as the site for a new passport facility set to open this spring. With the award of this contract, the U.S. Department of State will significantly increase its production capacity to meet the growing demand for U.S. passports.
The volume of passport applications in the nation is expected to increase as a result of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires that all U.S. citizens traveling by air between the U.S., Canada and Central and Latin America present a passport or Air Nexus card (a card for travel between the U.S. and Canada only) from January onward. New passport rules for land and sea travel are expected to go into effect in about a year as well.
Stanley Associates, based in Arlington, Va., was awarded a 10-year, $164-million contract with the U.S. Department of State to operate up to two passport book facilities where U.S. passports and other travel documents will be received, printed and mailed out. The center will be located on a site in Hot Springs Office & Technology Park, which was chosen because it already has much of the needed infrastructure in place, such as fiber-optic lines.
After a competitive nationwide search that included around 300 cities, Hot Springs was chosen due to its strong local labor force and proximity to transportation hubs. The company plans to hire more than 150 full-time and part-time employees in the next year or so at the facility.
Stanley Associates, listed this year in FORTUNE as one of the “100 Best Companies To Work For,” will open the passport facility after completing construction on a 37,800-square-foot spec building they are using for the center.
A second facility may be opened at a later date in Tucson, Ariz., if there is a demand. The State Department produced more than 12 million passports in the past year. It is anticipated that around 16 million will be issued this year.
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: [email protected]
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
“Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism”
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-682-7606
E-mail: [email protected]
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"