Here’s Why Ohio Is a ‘Powerhouse’ in the U.S. Aerospace and Defense Industry

Ohio is a “powerhouse” in the national aerospace and defense industry, with Dayton as a key player in this effort.

That’s the view from Joe Zeis, aerospace and defense advisor for the state of Ohio. He elaborated on this outlook at the Dayton Business Journal Aerospace and Defense Forum Oct. 10, serving as a panelist alongside Col. Parker Wright, commander of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; Timothy Sakulich, director of materials and manufacturing directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory; and Angela Fronista, president and CEO of BTAS.

Zeis said the aerospace and defense industry is critical to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s initiatives for the state, as there are many key players in the national industry located in the state of Ohio. He highlighted local players, such as Wright-Patterson that has generated a $16 billion economic impact; NASIC, which provides leading logistics services; along with the Air Force Research Laboratory, implementing groundbreaking research initiatives.

He broke down the governor’s priorities for the industry into four pillars:

Recruit and retain young talent in the STEM field.
Increase Ohio’s research portfolio.
Attract new jobs within the manufacturing and defense sector to the state.
Work to support and increase the local workforce.

In order to achieve these visions, Zeis outlined a three-part strategy:

Getting to know the local educational sector and understanding what the pipeline looks like at universities and colleges;
Building on the state’s economy by attracting new businesses;
and Seeking advantageous alliances to grow the state’s aerospace and defense reputation are among the essential initiatives.

Once these initiatives are achieved, Ohio’s aerospace and defense landscape will continue to climb with success.

“We need to spread Ohio’s story to the rest of the nation,” Zeis said. “There’s a wonderful story of accomplishment here and we can help tell that story.”