Sarah Clifthorne with the OEDC team following a TEDV committee presentation in Olympia
SC: My oldest son, Emerson, is in the Husky Flying Club at the University of Washington. He’ s a student pilot with Emerald Squadron Aviation at Paine Field in Everett. The aerospace industry isn’ t abstract in our home; it’ s something I personally want to help get right for the next generation.
JB: That’ s great. I love hearing how young people get started in this career, from the tarmac to the cockpit. Washington State has so many programs that support those coming into the industry.
SC: Agree. Aerospace manufacturing started here, and what the industry is doing today will help it continue to grow here. Innovation is a part of Washington’ s DNA. As you know, aerospace has grown into a roughly $ 71 billion industry and remains one of our state’ s most influential economic drivers. We are rightfully proud of our legacy, and we want to stay competitive for what’ s next.
JB: What is Commerce’ s role in that vision?
SC: I believe our role at Commerce is to be a connector and problem solver— across state agencies, across sectors, across regions. There are three key areas where Commerce can make the biggest impact in support of our Pacific Northwest aerospace cluster: supply chain, workforce and energy.
JB: OK, tell me about supply chain!
SC: Washington’ s aerospace supply chain is the biggest in the country. We’ ve got more than 1,500 aerospace suppliers and vendors. That’ s a mature, integrated manufacturing ecosystem that’ s built on innovation, resilience and efficiency across aircraft production platforms. Our supply chain must continue to be nimble and competitive domestically and globally. We collaborate with partners like the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance( PNAA), the Northwest I-90 Manufacturing Alliance( NIMA), the NLGA and others, to find resources that help businesses perfect and adapt their operations.
Within supply chain is the reality that national and international trade policies, and how they’ re fluctuating, create challenges and opportunities. This year, our Export Assistance team partnered with higher education, the Small Business Development Center( SBDC) and others to host several conversations on supply chain and international trade. Commerce is committed to helping companies stay agile and industrious at home and in global markets.
Last autumn, with Boeing and others, we launched“ Flightpath: Building the Future Together,” a threepart series to spotlight Washington’ s myriad aerospace suppliers. With Boeing at the center of the state’ s aerospace industry, we took off in Spokane and we’ re planning future stops in Everett and Moses Lake later this year.
JB: That’ s important work that bridges several aspects of aerospace. And we know we need people to handle the equipment, since it’ s here in Washington!
JUNE | JULY 2026 ISSUE NO. 51 47