Trevor Hemingway of SYTECH was back at the conference this year . “ I attended one time , years ago .” He said that the attendees are like-minded individuals . “ The Pacific Northwest offers much support to the aerospace sector . Although the community is large , everyone I met had the same objectives and spoke the same language .”
This year the conference had some positive enhancements for attendees . The theme , “ All Systems Go ,” reflected a newly engaged industry post-pandemic . Also , it meant that there is now a rich community that includes commercial aerospace , the space industry , and even other manufacturing in the medical realm .
Katrina Rogers of Evergreen Bioscience Innovation Cluster demonstrated how much the aerospace and bioscience industries share . She noted , “ As a modern innovation cluster , we are here to elevate our industry , life sciences , by working together to build the contract manufacturing space for medical devices and manufacturing .” She added that there are commonalities between life sciences , aerospace , and clean energy , which she feels will enable the cluster to foster better collaboration with businesses .
The content at the conference was much broader this year , leading organizers to add a plus sign to I-90 Aerospace Corridor +. There was a space opportunities panel , an innovation presentation , and a discussion on hiring for the right fit with employment expert Jonathan Reynolds of Titus Talent Strategies . There was also talk about industry diversification , as many regional manufacturers have broadened services recently .
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE NO . 34 45