Meeting Notices

“Kratos: A Transformation Success Story”
San Diego Chapter August 20, 2013 meeting

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS) has undergone three transformations in successfully transitioning from a wireless telecom engineering company to a specialized National Security technology business providing mission critical products, services and solutions for United States National Security. Acquisitions, one involving a $100 million public stock offering, played a major role in these transformations.

Please join us on Tuesday, August 20, 2013, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when Ed Lake, VP of Corporate Development/M&A for Kratos, will discuss the company’s history and the challenges of performing acquisitions of this size including; hiring a management team to facilitate company transformation, key challenges along the way, how and why M&A was a critical to executing on the company strategy and stories of events that developed along the way.

The meeting will consist of Mr. Lake’s presentation and opportunities for open group discussion and networking.

For more information see the file Invitation to A&D Forum (SD) (August 2013).

The meeting is free. Click here to register to attend the meeting.

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

The San Diego chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton.

“Doing Aviation Business in China”
Los Angeles Chapter meeting on August 16

David Conrad has had two expatriate assignments in the People’s Republic of China working in aviation. Through these assignments he has been able to be a part of one of the fastest market expansions we have ever seen in the aviation industry as China literally grew from a small market opportunity to an enormous one almost overnight.

Please join us in Los Angeles on Friday, August 16, 2013, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when David Conrad, VP Sales; Marketing and Customer Support, Zodiac Aerospace, will share with us some of the “Voice Of The Customer” in a way that most people will never get to see or hear. This includes the politics behind the programs and the 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 player are doing and some ways they are winning and some strategic approaches to consider.

For more information see Invite to A&D Forum (LA) (August 2013).

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until August 8). Click here to register to attend the meeting in person. Click here to register to attemd the meeting via the web (free).

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 Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, Moss Adams, Sheppard Mullin, and UK Trade & Investment.

“”Is your A&D Company part of the $500B yearly CYBER loss?”
OC Chapter August 1, 2013 meeting

We live in a world where almost everything can be paid for electronically and where most of our communications with others are done electronically. We also live in a world where there are persistent and sophisticated efforts by foreign companies (and foreign governments) to hack into U.S. corporate information technology systems. Please join us on Thursday, August 1, 2013, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when a penel of experts will address cybersecurity challenges facing both integrators and suppliers throughout the supply chain. Our panelists are Bill Joll (President & CEO, ISC8), Stan Stahl (President; Information Systems Security Association – Los Angeles Chapter and President; Citadel Information Group), James Simmons (Director of Business Technology, Verify), and Nelson Dong (Partner, Dorsey & Whitney).

After the initial panel presentations there will be extensive opportunity for Q&A.

For more information see the file Invitation to A&D Forum (OC) (August 2013).

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members, $30 for non-members until July 25 and $40 thereafer. Click here to attend the meeting in person. Click here to register to access the web live stream.

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, Dorsey & Whitney, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Leading Sustainable Organizational Change”
Los Angeles Chapter meeting on July 19

Leading sustainable organizational change is an essential part of any business if they are to remain competitive. According to John Kotter, a well-known Harvard Business School professor and author, there are eight fundamental steps that must be followed to ensure that the desired changes stick and the organization does not snap back to the old processes and culture.

Eric Jensen, President of Stadco, has been using these eight steps successfully since 1998. Please join us in Los Angeles on Friday, July 19, 2013, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when Eric will walk us through this visionary but practical approach to executing sustainable organizational change. This includes identifying where and how even top performers derail during the change process.

For more information see Invite to A&D Forum (LA) (July 2013).

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until July 12). Click here to register to attend the meeting in person. Click here to register to attemd the meeting via the web (free).

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 Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, Moss Adams, Sheppard Mullin, and UK Trade & Investment.

“A Disruptive Technology: The XCOR Fully Reusable Spacecraft”
Los Angeles Chapter meeting on June 21

XCOR Aerospace was founded 14 years ago to bring the low cost associated with a mature system to the space transportation sector. Flight tests of the world’s first fully reusable piloted spacecraft, the XCOR Lynx Mark I, begin later this year.

Please join us in Los Angeles on Friday, June 21, 2013, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when Lee Valentine, member of the Board of Directors of XCOR Aerospace, will discuss XCOR’s unique mechanism for funding launch vehicle development, its approach to low-cost development of aerospace hardware, the development and maturation of an engineering culture that facilitates rapid development and test of innovative concepts, and its maturing plans for a fully reusable piloted orbital spacecraft. He will discuss serendipitous events, completely unexpected, that have allowed very rapid progress toward a fully reusable orbital system. He will mention technical approaches to satellite construction enabled by this low-cost transportation that are likely to disrupt the communication satellite market and power generation markets worldwide in the next two decades.

For more information see Invite to A&D Forum (LA) (June 2013).

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members. Click here to register to attend the meeting in person. Click here to register to access the WebEx live stream for free.

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 Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, Moss Adams, Sheppard Mullin, Salem Partners, Aero2PR, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Growth Through Good and Bad Times — The SAIC Story”
San Diego Chapter June 27, 2013 meeting

SAIC was founded in 1969 by Bob Beyster, a Ph. D. nuclear physicist, who started the company with two employees and $10,000 in capital. Bill Roper was EVP and CFO of SAIC from 1990 to 2007. During this period the company grew from $800 Million in annual revenues to more than $8 Billion. The company’s growth was driven by an entrepreneurial culture and a number of smaller acquisitions that expanded its technology capabilities and customer base. Bill went on to be President & CEO of VeriSign and President of ADS, Inc.,

Please join us on Thursday, June 27, 2013, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when, based on his experiences with SAIC and other great companies, Bill Roper will share with us insights on how to grow your company through both good and bad times.

The meeting will consist of Mr. Roper’s presentation and opportunities for open group discussion and networking.

For more information see the file Invitation to A&D Forum (SD) (June 2013).

The meeting is free. Click here to register to attend the meeting in person. Click here to attend the meeting via live internet stream.

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

The San Diego chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton.

Tour of Coast Composites
OC Chapter June 6, 2013 meeting

Composites have revolutionized the way we make airplanes today. As a result of this trend, the tooling for and assembly of composite-heavy airplanes has been going through an even greater revolution.

On June 6, get an inside look at this revolution at AIP Tooling, aka Coast Composites, a leader in composite tooling during a 7:30am – 9:30am PST tour.

For more information see the file “Invitation to A&D Forum (OC) (June 2013)”.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members, $30 for non-members until May 30 and $40 thereafer. Click here to attend the tour.

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, BOBsearch, aero2pr, Dorsey & Whitney, and UK Trade & Investment.

Exchange Views with LA Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel
Los Angeles Chapter meeting on May 17

The Southern California aerospace industry has undergone dramatic changes over the past twenty-five years in response to economic and political forces. Looking ahead, both of these forces will continue to shape the industry’s role in the local economy over the coming decades.

Please join us in Los Angeles on Friday, May 17, 2012, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, for an exchange of views between the Southern California A&D industry and Wendy Greuel, Los Angeles City Controller and Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles. Not a political speech, this meeting will be an opportunity for the A&D industry to let Los Angeles government know what it needs to grow and thrive.

For more information see “Invite to AD Forum May 2013”.

The meeting is free for everyone. Click here to register to attend the meeting in person. Click here to register to access the WebEx live stream.

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 Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, Moss Adams, Sheppard Mullin, Salem Partners, Aero2PR, and UK Trade & Investment.

“”Private Equity Groups’ Pivotal Role in A&D”
OC Chapter May 2, 2013 meeting
Please join us on Thursday, May 2, 2013, 7:30am – 9:00am PST, when transaction-making executives from three well-known private equity groups share how savvy investors see the A&D industry as it pivots with the times. Our panelists are Craig Enenstein (Chief Executive Officer, Corridor Capital), Trey Sykes (Principal, Inverness Graham), and Brian Zaumeyer (Principal, Odyssey Investment Partners).

After the initial panel presentations there will be extensive opportunity for Q&A.

For more information see the file Invitation to A&D Forum (OC) (May 2013).

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members, $30 for non-members until March 28 and $40 thereafer. Click here to attend the meeting in person. Click here to register to access the WebEx live stream.

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, BOBsearch, aero2pr, Dorsey & Whitney, and UK Trade & Investment.