Paris Air Show puts Rockford back in the mix

By Thomas V. Bona

BusinessRockford.com

The region’s aerospace industry is looking to soar onto the world stage.

A trip to the Paris Air Show by local and state economic development officials gained seven “hot leads” from European companies looking to locate in the United States. They could bring as much as $100 million in development and 700 jobs in the next two years.

“Most people (at the show) already knew Rockford, and it was more of a sense of ‘You guys should have been here already,’” said Eric Voyles, vice president of national business development for the Rockford Area Economic Development Council.

RAEDC and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shared a booth at the signature industry event, where top-level executives meet to talk about the future.

“It was kind of already known that Rockford was a good location, but since we were never waving our hands, jumping up and down, saying, ‘We want your business,’ there were plenty of other places who were. That’s kind of the reason we weren’t seeing more activity in that sector.”

Meanwhile, several area companies that work for the aerospace industry had representatives in Paris.

Major industry suppliers Hamilton Sundstrand and Woodward Governor usually go to the air show, held every two years, and came back this year with billions in contracts. Leading Edge Hydraulics and Clinkenbeard also made the trip, mostly to make contacts with customers and potential customers.

Self-promoting the city
Kaney Aerospace is a finalist in helping develop a prototype of a new class of seaplane and collaborated with Tigerfish Aviation of Australia and the RAEDC to display its technology at the show. GE Aviation, which has a Loves Park facility, had a corporate presence at the air show.

“Rockford needs to self-promote. ... Rockford has a wealth of talent and expertise as it relates to the aerospace industry,” said Reg Gustafson, project manager for Clinkenbeard, a rapid prototyping and manufacturing firm.

“It’s one thing to communicate this in letters and brochures. It’s more effective to communicate this in person to the companies we want to bring to Rockford or do business with.”

Rockford has more than 90 companies in aerospace and aviation; Chicago Rockford International Airport, home to United Parcel Service’s second-largest U.S. hub; and a satellite campus for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“If we’re not out there telling people that Rockford has a work force that can go to work for them, that Rockford has infrastructure that can be utilized ... that’s what North Carolina and Connecticut and Missouri and Florida are saying” about themselves, Voyles said.

“If they’re all doing that and they’re all getting in front of these decision-makers, someone has to tell the person, ‘Hey, don’t forget to think about Rockford.’”

Rockford leaders will continue talks with companies and explore “sister region” agreements with aerospace areas in Ireland, Belgium and Singapore, Voyles said. Such regions could direct companies to other parts of the world that have strong clusters.

There’s work yet to do
Voyles said aerospace companies are looking at the U.S. because they do a lot of business in dollars and want to cut the risk of volatile exchange rates. They like working in “cluster regions” because they can get projects done in one area and don’t have to make multiple trips to chart progress.

Even if it’s a short-term down cycle for the industry because of the global recession, long-term prospects are strong, Woodward Governor spokesman Scott Davis said. Developing nations need more planes, and airline and government fleets will need to be replaced over time.

“I was a little bit surprised that it was not as gloomy or as quiet (because) I expected it might be compared with other years,” Davis said.

“There ... remains such a strong backlog of demand that long term, we are confident that the industry is going to recover, and we and the other players are going to be able to respond to the demand.”

Contact staff writer Thomas V. Bona at 815-987-1343 or tbona@rrstar.com.