Northwest Aerospace News February | March Issue No. 13 | Page 111

Over the past year, PNAA has invested in cultivating
relationships with other organizations. Some of these
relationships have been long-standing, while others are
new or rekindled from the past. “It’s like having a group of
friends who are willing to share tools from their toolboxes
to help the greater good of the aerospace manufacturing
industry,” said PNAA’s CEO Brian Canfield. When the focus
is on improving the industry, these organizations create
a framework that allows manufacturers to look outside
the walls of their companies and immediate networks, to
further develop, evolve and grow.
PNAA’s partnerships with other organizations have taken a
variety of forms. A long-standing popular annual event, the
Northwest Aerospace and Defense Symposium combines
the aerospace experience of PNAA with the defense and
contract expertise of Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition
(PNDC). And this year, for the first time, PNAA partnered
with Space Frontier Foundation as a sponsor and supporter
of the NewSpace Conference, where the audience heard
from space companies, experts and entrepreneurs.
Participating in events like these allows PNAA to bridge
connections between people and companies who are
working in different segments of aerospace.
With workforce among the hottest aerospace topics in the
region, PNAA decided to partner with local organizations
to focus resources on the issue. Whether sharing ideas
or industry intelligence with local organizations like
the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound
(CAMPS), Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee
(AJAC), or Center of Excellence for Aerospace & Advanced
Manufacturing, we are collectively helping push each other
forward to improve workforce. PNAA has also volunteered
for organizations like the Lindbergh Foundation and Starfish
Education for their LEAF STEM Fly-off challenge, where over
100 students build and compete with fly-by-wire airplanes.
Speaking to upcoming professionals on leadership at the
local SME Conference and on workforce at the Pacific
Northwest AIAA Technical Symposium has also contributed
to future workforce efforts. We believe that collaboration
with organizations like these will allow us to improve the
future state in areas such as workforce and prepare the
next generation of aerospace manufacturing professionals.
PNAA also partners with cluster organizations that
share complementary missions to improve aerospace
manufacturing in the region. Strong partnerships with
organizations such as Aerospace Industries Association
of Canada – Pacific (AIAC), Inland Northwest Aerospace
Consortium (INWAC), the Joint Center of Aerospace
Technology Innovation (JCATI), Idaho Aerospace Alliance
(IDAA) and Aerospace Futures Alliance (AFA) facilitate
the dissemination of industry awareness, promotion
of each other’s events and the successful fulfilment
of our collective missions. This network of partnered
organizations provides an economic and collaborative
foundation for advancing aerospace manufacturing
in the Pacific Northwest and the future of this leading
manufacturing industry.
PNAA ADVANCE / 2020
FEBRUARY 2020 | MARCH 2020 ISSUE NO. 13
FEBRUARY | MARCH 2020 ISSUE NO. 13
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