PARIS — Alabama economic development professionals completed Day 1 of meetings at the 2023 Paris Air Show encouraged that the talks advanced relationships with aerospace companies and could pay off with future growth projects.
Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said his working team engaged in a half-dozen scheduled appointments today, along with other impromptu meetings with representatives of aerospace companies.
“This is the first time we’ve been back in Paris in four years, and we had a productive first day that included meetings with companies that have operations in Alabama and explored what their growth plans look like,” Secretary Canfield said. “We also opened discussions with some companies that are having workforce challenges with their other locations.
“We’re looking forward to making more progress on Tuesday,” he added.
Secretary Canfield and his team also made promising new contacts today, including talks with a managing director of the Swiss Aerospace Cluster who plans to bring a group of aerospace companies from Switzerland to North Alabama in August.
“We discussed the fact that Alabama has established itself with a significant foothold in space, defense and commercial aerospace, making us a state that is capturing the attention of the European aerospace industry,” he said.
Other Commerce business development specialists working at the 2023 Paris Air Show are Bob Smith, the department’s point man on aerospace, and Christoph Dörr, who directs the department’s European office in Stuttgart, Germany.
‘ENERGY LEVELS’
Alabama economic developers attending the air show said they believe their efforts will help clear the way for future growth within the sector, bringing new industry investment and jobs to their communities.
“Day 1 is always exciting for everybody as it’s the kick-off of the air show, and it gets everybody’s energy levels high,” said Thomas Tyson, an economic development representative for PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.
“We have meetings set tomorrow that we’re excited about — we’ve done our due diligence on these companies, and we think they have promise,” he added. “Getting in front of these executives at this show obviously gives you a lot of exposure, and that’s why we’re here.”
Philip Dunlap, director of economic development for the City of Auburn, said he hopes to extend the positive results of Day 1 of the Paris Air Show as a second day of appointments unfolds.
“We had a meeting with an existing company this morning that went extremely well — it was very positive,” Dunlap said. “For us, being here face-to-face, we get a lot accomplished, which we can’t always do at home.
“It’s a great opportunity.”
TALENT PIPELINE
The capabilities of Alabama’s universities were also on display during Day 1 of the 2023 Paris Air Show through a panel discussion titled “Made in Alabama: Tapping into the Aerospace Workforce Pipeline,” held in the The Forum in the U.S. Pavilion.
The moderator for the event was Dr. Kimberly Robison, director of Huntsville’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center, with panelists Dr. Chuck Karr, president of the University of Alabama in Huntsville; Todd Shackett, president of Southern Union State Community College; and Dr. Steven Taylor, senior vice president for Research and Economic Development, Auburn University.
The educators outlined programs and initiatives that are preparing the students at these institutions for careers in aerospace and other fields. This includes coordination with local high schools to build a ready-made workforce.
“No matter where you locate in Alabama, you’re going to have a four-year university close to you, you’re going to have a community college close to you, and you’re going to have people in the academic setting who understand just how important it is for us to continue to work with the aerospace industry,” Dr. Karr said.
