Northwest Aerospace News December | January Issue No. 12 | Page 65

A
fter working closely with the De-
partment of Commerce for much of the
past 15 years on economic development
activities, I was recruited to the position
of Director of Aerospace for Washington
State. This was an opportunity to lever-
age my experience in Spokane County
and across Washington with aerospace
companies and the ecosystem, including
board positions on several industry asso-
ciations and participation in a number of
state and global aerospace events.
While commercial and military aircraft
production is the largest part of the aero-
space industry, I also support a number of
other subsectors, including unmanned ve-
hicles and systems, space exploration, air
cargo, airlines, airports and new entrants
in the electric aviation and hyper and su-
personic space. We work closely with our
partners to create a specific strategy for
each subsector, including state agencies
and educational institutions.
I’m not alone in this work, as there are
other industry sector leads at Commerce
for maritime, military and defense, life
sciences, clean technology, forest prod-
ucts, info tech, agriculture and advanced
manufacturing. These key industry sec-
tors are important economic drivers that
strengthen communities in every part of
the state.
In partnership with our peers, we work
with companies, industry associations,
education and workforce entities, legisla-
tors and our Commerce team advocating
for our specific industries across the state.
We support the aspirations of Washing-
ton’s urban and rural communities, gath-
ering information on their priorities. Our
role is to help support their vision and
share that information with people that
can make a difference. While our indus-
tries are unique, many of their business
challenges are similar.
Much of our effort is focused on education and workforce development.
· What issues are companies facing in competing for workers?
· What is the best way to get workers trained or upskilled for today’s jobs?
· Where is the closest training center, and how are you going to pay for the training?
· Is there a gap in other industries that can be solved at the same time?
Policy improvements are also key to supporting a strong business climate.
· Are there infrastructure improvements that need to be made in the community that would
make it more efficient for workers to get to the workplace?
· What other state investments would help this industry achieve greater success?
· Is the company leveraging all of the state programs that are available?
DECEMBER 2019 | JANUARY 2020 ISSUE NO. 12
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