The first-ever New Hampshire Aerospace and Defense Conference was held June 10 and if success is measured in enthusiasm and momentum, then we can safely say it reached new heights at this event.
More than 225 people attended and 31 vendors were featured at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. Building the Supply Chain for New Hampshire’s Aerospace and Defense Export Markets was the theme of what will become an annual event, organized by the New Hampshire Aerospace and Defense Export Consortium; the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development and the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership, with sponsorship by BAE Systems.
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Paul Kling, deputy vice president of operations and supplier partnerships for BAE, was the keynote speaker and two panel discussions covered topics relating to export strategies.
Why is this kind of gathering important? Aerospace and defense are two fast growing sectors in our state, which is home to about 350 companies involved in these industries. More than 7,000 people are employed and the average salary hovers around $97,000.
In short, aero/defense is important to our economy and whenever we can bring people from the industry to talk, exchange ideas and share enthusiasm, it’s a good day.
Lorna Colquhoun
Communications Director
Division of Economic Development