AZ Tech Council hosts AADM leaders
More than 220 people from around Arizona attended to make new connections, network with clients and colleagues and hear about the future of Arizona’s growing aerospace and defense, aviation and manufacturing sectors at Pima Community College’s Aviation Technology Center.
Danette Bewley, the President & CEO of Tucson Airport Authority, opened the conference by sharing her background in aviation and how she earned her position at the Tucson Airport. She also shared the upgrades that are happening at Tucson International Airport with a second parallel runway to provide redundancy and expanded terminal space down the road.
This was followed by a panel discussion titled Blast, Soar, Explore: Testing the Future that explored the intersections of aerospace innovation, government initiatives and defense in Arizona and how these initiatives can help propel humanity into the cosmos. Panelists included leaders from companies like Tucson-based Phantom Space and Raytheon as well as AZ Spaceport Alliance and others.
Another panel discussion focused on what is missing in the aerospace ecosystem and explored the gaps, challenges and untapped opportunities. That talk included panelists from Tucson-based FreeFall Aerospace, the Arizona Commerce Authority and Pipeline AZ.
The last panel focused on “Manufacturing Mavericks” who are industry disruptors and forward-thinking policymakers. Representatives from Tucson-based manufacturers AGM Containers and Edmund Optics participated to discuss strategies for driving sustainable growth, fostering talent and embracing emerging technologies.
Register for the Council’s upcoming Phoenix and Tucson tech events and Optics Valley optics + photonics events.