It was a business opportunity that fell from the sky.

A company that manufactures parachutes has opened a factory in Pompano Beach and is hiring at least 450 workers.

BRS Aerospace, based in St. Paul, Minn., began moving into a 125,000-square-foot facility in Pompano in October. The company needs workers to sew, cut and package parachutes. It also is looking to hire supervisors, among other jobs.

“We needed a facility that was large enough to handle a military contract we just acquired. We needed a population base of good, trained workers because of the substantial number of people we had to hire,” company founder Boris Popov said.

The parachutes that BRS Aerospace manufactures are used by the military to deliver supplies such as fuel, food, bullets and bandages to the troops in Afghanistan, CEO Larry Williams said.

The parachutes also are used to help flood-relief efforts in Pakistan, said Gary Moore, the company’s vice president of business development.

The parachutes measure 93 feet by 93 feet.

“It’s a very large parachute,” Williams said. “That’s one of the reasons we need such a big facility.”

The new facility’s proximity to I-95 – Powerline Road and north of Martin Luther King Boulevard – was also part of the appeal of moving to Pompano, Moore said.

The area’s workforce and the availability and price of the warehouse space also were attractive to BRS.

“We did a pretty extensive search, and what we were looking for was we wanted a place with a good, strong workforce availability here and a facility that would meet our needs,” Williams said. “This facility was very well-matched for what we needed to do.”

Williams said the city has been welcoming to the company, helping it to get through fire inspections, obtain a business license, and recruit employees. The company has been working with Workforce One to find workers to fill its open positions.

“We looked at other places in Florida and they weren’t near as attractive as Pompano Beach was,” Moore said.

The state has even provided hands-on training for potential employees through a federally-funded program.

Of the 15 people who participated in the federally-funded program, which began Veteran’s Day, 13 were hired, Williams said.

More people are going to be hired over the next several weeks as the company looks to meet its goal of between 450 and 500 workers, Williams said. So far, about 120 people have been hired.

Ric Green, president of the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce, said he has met with Williams and that the Chamber is proud to have the business within city limits.

“We did our best to show them the positives of coming to Pompano Beach,” he said. “It’s imperative that we make this transition as best as possible. We want them to stay here and we want them to bring their corporate headquarters here.”

BRS Aerospace has been around since 1981 and has factories in Tijuana, Mexico; Pine Bluff, N.C., and St. Paul.

“We’re really thrilled to be here. I’m really happy with the reception that we’ve gotten,” Williams said. “We look forward to a long and productive relationship here.”

Anyone interested in working for BRS Aerospace can apply through Workforce One Employment Solutions, 2301 W. Sample Road, Building 4, Suite 7A, in Pompano Beach. Or call Workforce One at 954-969-3541.