Meeting Notices - San Fernando Valley

“Winning Business in Today’s Aerospace Supply Chain: What Small Companies Need to Know”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on March 20

Small companies need to understand the changing dynamics within the aerospace supply chain. What might have worked five or ten years ago, may not win contracts today. To maximize your chances for success, it’s critical to understand not only your prospective customer’s requirements, but also the requirements they face further up in the food chain.

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, March 20, 7:30–9:00am, when Jim Simpkins, former president of Meggitt Safety Systems and Meggitt Control Systems, will share his perspectives based on selecting small aerospace companies to be part of Meggitt’s supply chain. In addition, his experience of winning business from Tier 1 suppliers like UTAS, provides a valuable perspective for small aerospace manufacturers to understand.

The discussion will cover key challenges and requirements for today’s A&D suppliers, including:
• New Terms and Conditions
• Quality and Delivery expectations (and what happens if you don’t achieve them)
• Lean – it is more about parts than charts
• Customer Satisfaction – not just scorecards
• Providing “services wrapped around products”

The meeting is free for members and $45 ($30 Early Bird until March 13) for non-members. Guests may attend twice for free. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvmar18.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“Tax Reform: What A&D Companies Need to Know”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on February 20

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act results in historic tax changes that will significantly impact aerospace and defense companies. There are many new benefits and limitations to be aware of.

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, February 20, 7:30–9:00am, when Joshua Yeargin, CPA, Partner, CohnReznick, will review the new 20% deduction for pass-through entities, increase in expensing limits for equipment purchases, limitations on business interest deductions, changes on the use of net operating losses and new opportunities to use the cash method of accounting.

The meeting is free for members and $40 ($30 Early Bird) for non-members. Guest may attend twice for free. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvfeb18.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“3D Printing Takes Flight- Additive Manufacturing in Aerospace”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on January 16

Learn more about how additive manufacturing has been helping to change the way that the A&D industry brings products to market.

With rapid technological advancements in hardware, software, materials, and processes the amount of A&D applications being revolutionized continue to grow exponential rates.

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, January 16, 7:30–9:00am, when Mark Bashor, 3D Printing Applications Engineer with GoEngineer, will review the ways in which leading Aerospace and Defense companies are utilizing the technology now, how it is changing the way parts are designed and produced, and in what ways it will continue to change the shape of our industry in the foreseeable future.

The meeting is free for members ($30 for non-members, free for guests for 2 visits). For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvjan18.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“Show Me the Planets! NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on December 12

Our galaxy is not nearly as lonely as we once wondered – and we now know this because astronomers have discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system over the past 25 years. These planets orbiting other stars are called “exoplanets”, and only in the past few years have we learned just how abundant our galactic neighborhood is: on average there is at least one exoplanet for every star in the sky. More profoundly, discoveries by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope reveal that at least one-in-four stars like our Sun harbor a rocky world in the star’s habitable “goldilocks” zone where temperatures may be just right for life (as we know it) to exist. In the past two years exoplanets have been discovered orbiting nearby stars, including the closest star to Earth. Astronomers, and NASA, are now asking with renewed incentive: what are these worlds like? And are there signs of life on these worlds?

Through the Exoplanet Exploration Program, managed by Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA is developing the technology and designing missions to search for signs of life on words within 100 light-years of the Earth. This ambitious program harnesses the very best talent from our universities, government centers and industry, assembled to answer a question of the ages: are we alone in the universe or members of a greater cosmic community?

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, December 12, 7:30–9:00am, when Dr. Gary H. Blackwood, Manager, NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology will discuss NASA’s current missions and technology breakthroughs, and how this inspirational quest is already impacting the imagination and interest of the citizens of Earth. Because by exploring a galaxy of worlds we also inspire our own.

The meeting is free for members ($30 for non-members, free for guests for 2 visits). For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvdec17.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“A New Source of Skilled Workers”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on October 17

Your business consultant says “I surveyed your employees and 50% of them have decided to retire between today and the next five years!” What now? Maybe that isn’t in your company, but in the real world it’s TRUE for the entire A&D supply chain. That reality is stacked on top of today’s crisis in finding skilled workers. This month the A&D Forum is presenting a model and tactics that will change the paradigm and keep talent flowing into your company/customers when other companies are contracting from the lack of world class employees.

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, October 17, 7:30–9:00am, when David Goodreau, Chairman of the Small Manufacturers Association of CA and President of the Small Manufacturers Institute (SMI), will present a regional solution that engages growing manufacturers in a sustainable talent development process. This framework, being created by SMI, Goodwill SoCal and Hope Street Group, is centered around a new Manufacturing Innovation Hub in Los Angeles with micro-regional manufacturing councils throughout LA County. The heart of the Manufacturing Hub will be the large-scale credentialing of world-class entry level workers capable of fast track learning and retention.

This framework restores leadership to industry associations and groups such as the Aerospace and Defense Forum to sustain and create value through this collaboration of industry, academia and private business resource providers. We hope you will join us in a glimpse of new opportunities from connecting growing manufacturing companies with the employees that will empower the economic changes that are coming.

The meeting is free for members ($30 for non-members, free for guests for 2 visits). For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvoct17.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“Leading and Managing Change”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on September 19

For A&D companies, “change is the only constant.” Forces include lean manufacturing, composites, additive manufacturing, pressures for price reductions, the challenges of a global marketplace and global competition, difficulties in accessing a skilled workforce, economic changes, and changes in a company’s customer base to name a few.
AeroVironment, founded in 1970, has faced almost all of these forces.

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, Sept 19, 7:30–9:00am, when Shawn Webb, Director of Operations, AeroVironment, Inc. will discuss the changes the company chose to implement and why they were necessary. He will discuss the growth potential of the company and how it differs from their previous core business and the investment methodology AeroVironment uses to drive growth.

Shawn will discuss why the missile products business unit was chosen for the transformation due to the growth potential. He will describe the Innovation and Best Practice strategy the company developed, how they approached the process, and the steps used to meet their vision of becoming a World Class Missile Producer, including the company’s definition of World Class and Best Practices and how they lead and manage the change.

This presentation will help you deal with the changes challenging your organization.

The meeting is free for members ($30 Early Bird for non-members). For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvsept17.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“Persistence: The Value of Taking the Long View”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on August 15

Exploring space with robots and humans requires persistence and taking the long view; it is not uncommon for mission objectives to take many years, even decades to accomplish. Although the timescales may be different, important objectives in business, and life for that matter, also require that we are persistent and take the long view; constantly taking steps to move in the direction that we want to go.

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, August 15, 7:30–9:00am, when Garry Burdick, Manager, Human/Robotic Mission Systems, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will share some personal insights into our nation’s space program that might suggest some possibilities with broader application, particularly in your business.

For those interested in becoming suppliers to JPL, Garry will answer questions and make suggestions.

The meeting is free for members ($30 Early Bird for non-members). For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvaug17.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“The Challenges for Small Companies in Doing Business with Big Companies”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on July 18

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, July 18, 7:30–9:00am, when David Sharp, Senior Manager of Procurement and Subcontracts, Orbital/ATK, will provide a brief overview of the challenges small companies face in doing business with large companies and steps that can be taken to mitigate those risks.

He will provide information about recent changes in the regulatory and business construct that influences how companies can establish and develop a relationship with a large global company in the ever evolving defense industry.

David will elaborate on the recent FAR changes regarding technology and data security and how it applies to a small business and steps to be prepared to handle information and information transfers in a digital age.

The meeting is free for everyone. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvjul17.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

“Managing Three Aerospace Companies in 50 Hours/Week”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on June 20

Join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, June 20, 7:30–9:00am, when Steve Cormier, CEO, Global Aerospace Technology, CEO, Pacific Western Aerostructures, and VP Finance, Space Vector Corporation, will address the executive challenges of juggling three aerospace companies at once.

Steve was deeply involved with the 2006 management buyout of Global Aerospace Technology, and as CEO now owns 58% of the company. Likewise, he was involved with the 2009 buy-out of Space Vector Inc. and now as CFO owns 10% of that company. In 2015 he added Pacific Western Aerostructures Inc. to his duties and as CEO owns 100% of this company.

These companies serve different aerospace markets. Global is one of three companies that sell aircraft cargo loading systems, mainly into the passenger to freighter conversion market. Space Vector engineers and produces a variety of products used on rockets and spacecraft. Pacific Western Aerostructures is an aerospace job shop that machines, fabricates and assembles complex mechanical assemblies used on aircraft and various space vehicles.

Interesting approaches to acquiring companies will be summarized, including how these companies were acquired and how they are currently doing operationally.

In these executive roles, time management is very important. Key is the ability to multitask without getting bogged down into a projects that might be assignable to someone else within the organization.

The meeting is free for everyone. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvjun17.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.