Meeting Notices

“Organizing for Growth: Creating Natural Business Units”

San Diego Chapter meeting on April 22

In today’s competitive world, companies are developing natural business units built around capabilities. This situation fosters growth and innovation through value creation.

Please join us in San Diego on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 (networking at 7:00am, meeting 7:30– 9:00am PST), when Joel Benkie, President & COO of Ducommun Inc., will discuss how this was accomplished at Ducommun.

Through its global operations, Ducommun Incorporated (NYSE: DCO) provides engineering and manufacturing services to the aerospace, defense, industrial, energy, medical and other industries through a wide spectrum of electronic and structural applications. It operates through two primary business units-Ducommun AeroStructures and Ducommun LaBarge Technologies.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until April 15). For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsdapr14.eventbrite.com.

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

The San Diego chapter was founded by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton and Frontier Associates, and is sponsored by BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Capital Edge Consulting, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, LevitZacks, and Opus Bank.

“The Changing Face of Unmanned Systems”
Los Angeles Chapter meeting on April 18

Trends in the unmanned systems (which includes but is not limited to aerial unmanned systems) market segment include explosive growth, commercialization, commoditization, increased autonomy of the platforms, miniaturization and proliferation, and regulatory pressure to manage their safe operation and address privacy concerns.

Please join us in Los Angeles on Friday, April 18, 2014, 7:30am – 9:00am PST (networking at 7:00am), when Larry Osborn, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, DreamHammer, will discuss these and other changes that are occurring in the unmanned systems market and how DreamHammer is positioned to address that market with disruptive technology and an innovative business model.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until April 18). For more information and to register to attend the meeting in person or for free via the web, go to http://adflaapr14.eventbrite.com.

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

The Los Angeles chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum was founded by Frontier Associates and the 62 Mile Club, and is sponsored by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, Moss Adams, Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Maximizing A&D Foreign Market Opportunities”
Arizona Chapter April 8 meeting (Phoenix)

Due to Federal Government cutbacks, the scaling back of wars abroad, and the uncertainty regarding sequestrations and Government shutdowns, aerospace and defense contractors are increasingly looking to the global marketplace for new opportunities. However, “going” abroad — especially in regard to aerospace and defense technology and services — has significant pitfalls for which companies should be aware and prepare accordingly. In addition, many domestic aerospace and defense companies are increasingly maximizing international supply chains.

Please join us in Phoenix on Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 7:30am – 9:00am MST, when Brett Johnson, Partner and member of the International Industry and Government Relations Groups of Snell & Wilmer, will provide an in-depth review of the benefits, risks, and challenges inherent in negotiating and performing an international agreement — including compliance with the myriad of Government laws and regulations.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until April 1). For more information and to register to attend the meeting, go to http://adfazapr14.eventbrite.com.

Click here tofor more information about and to join The Aerospace & Defense Forum.

The Arizona Chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is led by individuals from Phoenix Logistics, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Greenberg Traurig, Snell & Wilmer, and Frontier Associates.

“Improving Operations using Systematic Layout Planning”
Los Angeles Chapter meeting on March 21

Systematic Layout Planning is a tool used to arrange a workplace in a plant by locating two areas with high frequency and logical relationships close to each other. The process permits the quickest material flow in processing the product at the lowest cost and least amount of handling.

Please join us in Los Angeles on Friday, March 21, 2014, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when Marzel Neckien, VP of Operations, and Elias Tahhan, Applications Engineer, both with Ellison Technologies, will discuss the tools used in Systematic Layout Planning to design the perfect layout for your company. They will use a real case study where a company made a strategic decision to insource their parts, purchase new equipment and then created the perfect layout for their needs. Each item on their floor was systematically placed with no gut instinct or intuition used.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until March 14). For more information and to register to attend the meeting in person or for free via the web, go to http://adflamar14.eventbrite.com.

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

The Los Angeles chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum was founded by Frontier Associates and the 62 Mile Club, and is sponsored by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, Moss Adams, Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, and UK Trade & Investment. Breakfast for this meeting is being sponsored by Morgan Stanley.

“Doing Aviation Business in China”
Orange County Chapter meeting on March 6

Are you currently or planning to do business with other countries, particularly China? David Conrad has had two expatriate assignments in the People’s Republic of China working in aviation. Through these assignments he has learned critical lessons in doing business with other cultures.

Please join us in Orange County on Thursday, March 6, 2014, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when David Conrad, VP Sales; Marketing and Customer Support, Zodiac Aerospace, will share with us the “Voice Of The Customer” in a way that most people will never get to see or hear. This includes the politics behind Chinese programs and their decisions, the Byzantine nature of the airlines in China, the differences in how the Chinese view business and doing business with the way we perceive business in the west, some observations on where the market is headed in China, cultural issues that you need to be aware of when doing business, what some key players are doing, and some ways they are winning and some strategic approaches to consider.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until February 27). Click here to register to attend the meeting

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, TriVista, Hein & Associates, Value Based Project Management, Dorsey & Whitney, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Diversity Through Acquisition”
San Diego Chapter meeting on February 25

Like your stock portfolio, it is prudent to diversify your business base in order to more adequately balance out the vagaries that occur from dealing in a single product or service offering. The means by which to diversify are many and the timing of this type of strategic effort is very important.

While adding new products or service offerings can be accomplished by means of “starting from scratch,” this approach can be quite slow and costly, resulting in the company falling short of its strategic goals within the time frame desired. An alternative method is to acquire a company or companies who already possess the desired capability and thus attain the next level of growth in a more rapid manner.

Please join us in San Diego on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 (networking at 7:00am, meeting 7:30– 9:00am PST), when Dwayne Junker, Senior Advisor to the President of Epsilon Systems Solutions, Inc., who has been involved in numerous acquisitions from both sides of the transaction, will share his observations of the successful and not-so-successful results of the planning, negotiations, execution and integration related to diversification through acquisition.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until February 18). Register to attend the meeting at http://adfsdfeb14.eventbrite.com.

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

The San Diego chapter was founded by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton and Frontier Associates, and is sponsored by Capital Edge Consulting, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, LevitZacks, Opus Bank, and BNY Mellon Wealth Management.

“California Government and Its A&D Industry”
Los Angeles Chapter meeting on February 21

Aerospace & Defense has long been one of the major industries in California. Recently it has been buffeted by national and global recessions, decreasing federal defense budgets, and growing competition from other states and countries. While California’s A&D industry continues to enjoy the benefits of an experienced workforce, established supply chain, world-class engineering universities, and great weather, it is also challenged by the perception of receiving insufficient support by local and state governments.

Please join us in Los Angeles on Friday, January 21, 2014, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when Assemblymember Muratsuchi will review state government entities that have been established (such as the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace, which he chairs) and actions that have been taken (such as the California Competes Tax Credits) and are being worked on to support California’s aerospace industry. He will describe some of the business assistance programs and benefits currently available to this critical economic segment, as well as the changing attitudes in Sacramento toward A&D.

The meeting is also an opportunity for A&D companies to speak directly to a member of state government who is sincerely interested in hearing (and can do something about) the concerns of the California A&D industry.

A.T. Kearney will also make the first presentation of their 2013 California Aerospace Economic Impact Report.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until February 14). For more information and to register to attend the meeting in person or for free via the web, go to http://adflafeb14.eventbrite.com.

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

The Los Angeles chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum was founded by Frontier Associates and the 62 Mile Club, and is sponsored by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, Moss Adams, Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Arizona’s Cybersecurity Valley: Can It Become a Reality?”
Arizona Chapter Feb 11 meeting (Phoenix)

A recent editorial stated that Arizona is uniquely positioned to develop a “Cybersecurity Valley”, with real talent residing in a high-tech environment, consisting of a blend of defense contractors, large financial institutions, but also smaller firms that are developing new technologies and conducting research. However, can Arizona capitalize on these assets and make the “Cybersecurity Valley” a reality?

Please join us in Phoenix on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, 8:00am – 9:30am MST, when panelists from General Dynamics C4 Systems, SAIFE, 41Parameters, and Arizona State University will discuss emerging trends, opportunities and critical resources needed to develop a stronger and competitive cybersecurity industry cluster.

There will be significant time for Q&A.

Meetings are free until March 31 while the Arizona Chapter is in formation. Click here to register to attend the meeting.

Membership in the A&D Forum is free until March 31 for Arizona residents. Click here to join.

The Arizona Chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is managed by General Dynamics C4 Systems, the Arizona Commerce Authority, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Snell & Wilmer, Greenberg Traurig, and Frontier Associates.

“The Changing Nature of the A&D Supply Chain”
OC Chapter Feb 6 meeting

Do relationships in the supply chain matter anymore?

Aerospace and defense companies are under constant pressure to deliver quality products on-time and continuously reduce costs. As a result, the entire A&D supply chain, both inside and outside the organization, has become more integrated than ever.

Please join us on Thursday, February 6, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when a panel including Michael Pollack (Director, Global Strategic Sourcing, United Technologies Corporation) and Frank Thompson (Group Vice President, Supply Chain, Parker Hannifin Corporation) will highlight the current issues and strategies across the supply chain from the presenters’ perspectives.

For more information click here to see the file “Invitation to A&D Forum (OC) (Feb 2014).pdf”.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members, $30 for non-members until January 28, and $40 thereafter. Click here to register to attend the meeting.

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, TriVista, Hein & Associates, Value Based Project Management, Dorsey & Whitney, and UK Trade & Investment.