FARNBOROUGH, England — Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield and the Alabama economic development team begin a second day of appointments at the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow amid plenty of competition for new aerospace industry investment and jobs.
Secretary Canfield and Bob Smith, the Alabama Department of Commerce’s point man on aerospace, engaged in a full day of scheduled meetings Monday at the trade show, which attracts high-level industry decision-makers and government leaders from around the globe.
“We had a very successful day speaking to companies that have an established presence in Alabama, and we uncovered a couple of potential opportunities that could play out in the longer term,” Secretary Canfield said.
“In addition, it’s always special when you encounter a surprise in a meeting that could end up being a very positive development.”
While at Farnborough, the state working team is connecting with many of those aerospace leaders, including Boeing, Airbus, GKN Aerospace and United Launch Alliance. All have substantial — and growing — presences in Alabama.
Today’s schedule includes appointments with defense contractor Kratos, Raytheon and others.
“Our mission at Farnborough is straight-forward — we’re here to advance Alabama as the ideal location for growth projects in aerospace and defense,” Secretary Canfield said.
“We have robust capabilities in this industry, and we can offer the world’s top aerospace companies everything they need to turn a new investment into long-lasting success.”
COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
Meanwhile, business recruitment teams from around Alabama are conducting their own scheduled meetings at the Farnborough venue.
All these business recruiters are facing intense competition for aerospace growth projects at Farnborough. No fewer than 14 other states are represented within the U.S. Pavilion, a cavernous space packed with displays of aerospace components and eye-catching exhibition booths.
Among the states on site: Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Farnborough’s pavilions are also filled with foreign aerospace organizations.
