Northwest Aerospace News — Issue No. 37 February | March 2024 — PNAA Conference Edition | Page 91

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

DAVE SOMERS
EXECUTIVE , Snohomish County
Dave Somers took office as Snohomish County Executive on January 1 , 2016 , having served previously on the Snohomish County Council . Dave is focused on developing policies to make our community safer , healthier , more sustainable , and more prosperous . He has spent his career in public service working for fiscal accountability and being a responsible steward of the public ’ s resources .
ORLANDO TANTICO
BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER , Pioneer Industries
Orlando provides leadership and direction for Procurement , Supply Chain and Customer Service departments . Orlando works with peers identifying areas for improvement supporting efficiencies throughout the Value Stream . Orlando has 40 years ’ experience in the Aerospace Industry , 20 years at Boeing Company and 20 at other Suppliers which includes Large Assemblies , Sheet Metal , CNC Machining , Injection Molding , Lean and Quality .
ROBIN TOTH
GOVERNOR ’ S SECTOR LEAD DIRECTOR OF AEROSPACE , Washington State Department of Commerce
Robin leads Washington State ’ s efforts to develop and grow its $ 69-billion aerospace industry sector . Previously , she served as VP of business development for Greater Spokane , Incorporated . Prior to that , she was the economic development project manager for the city of Spokane , and also worked in the information technology sector for several startups and established manufacturing organizations .
PAUL VAN METRE
FOUNDER , ProShop ERP
Paul is the president of ProShop USA and founder at Adion Systems , which developed ProShop , a revolutionary web based and paperless ERP / MES / QMS system specifically designed for the metalworking industry . They partner with shops who seek to push the edge of technology by going completely paperless , strengthen their ISO or AS9100 systems , combine all their shop software into one system and build robust business processes to achieve high rates of growth , profitability and performance . Paul holds a BS in Industrial Technology and founded a precision aerospace machine shop directly out of college in 1997 using the concept of a “ Franchise Prototype .”
DAVID WEEKS
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER , Lakeside Companies
David Weeks has 20 years of military and intelligence service experience in building and leading operations on a global scale and managing mission-driven teams on behalf of U . S . national security . At Lakeside , he manages and enhances both internal and external operations and communications across the portfolio , with a focus on streamlining efficiency and delivering cross-entity value .
NIKKI WEGNER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER , Chinook Enterprises
Nikki started as a Para-Educator in 2004 working in a variety of non-profit & school district programs for youth with intellectual disabilities , before becoming an Employment Consultant at Trillium , then an ACHIEVE Instructor at Highline College and later the VP of Employment Services / C . O . O . at Morningside in Olympia . Nikki has been the CEO at Chinook since 2020 .
PNAA ADVANCE / 2024
FEBRUARY | MARCH 2024 ISSUE NO . 37 91