SC Aerospace Welcomes Four New Partners into Industry Cluster Initiative

Columbia,SC — SC Aerospace, an initiative of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, welcomes four new additions to its public-private partnership:

Lockheed Martin 
Toray
Composite Resources
Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA)

As partners, these organizations join SC Aerospace in its mission to advance and market South Carolina’s aerospace industry cluster on the global stage.

“I am excited to welcome our new partners to the SC Aerospace cluster, and am very grateful for all of the companies who are continuing to support this initiative. We have seen major achievements for the aerospace cluster in recent years, and our successes are dependent on partnerships like these with industry, academia, and government,” said SC Aerospace Director, Adrianne Beasley.

SC Aerospace uses a rigorous approach to help partners establish, re-establish, and manage relationships with suppliers, OEMs, and potential workforce. Among other things, the initiative works to grow the aerospace cluster, expand the talent pipeline to serve the aerospace cluster, and enhance research and innovation, all of which, in turn, grows the South Carolina economy.

“Aerospace in South Carolina has experienced remarkable expansion, making South Carolina one of the nation’s most competitive locations for the aerospace industry,” said Susie Shannon, President & CEO of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness. “Chief Executive magazine recently listed aerospace as one of South Carolina’s key sectors, largely due to its partnerships; and as the industry continues to grow, these collaborative efforts will become increasingly necessary to advancing South Carolina’s aerospace cluster.”

These partnerships are the first of several to officially join SC Aerospace in 2018; additional partnerships will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information about SC Aerospace, please visit scaerospace.com or contact Adrianne Beasley at abeasley@sccompetes.org.

QUOTES:

“SC Aerospace is a valued partner in strengthening and growing the state’s aerospace industry, and Lockheed Martin is proud to support the important work that it has done and will continue to do in broadening this sector, and the many different opportunities and benefits it brings.”– Leslie Farmer, Lockheed Martin Communications Lead

“Composite Resources has been in the production of composite components for the aerospace market along with several other markets for over 25 years. However, at the start of 2016, we elected to make the strategic shift to focus our efforts exclusively on the commercial aerospace market. Like many others in the state of South Carolina, we have found great success in the aerospace market. SC Aerospace has been a key part of that success. From events to networking, to recruiting, SC aerospace has created an environment for companies within the state to succeed. Given the benefit Composite Resources has received from SC Aerospace it only made sense to become a partner.”– Morgan Brady, Managing Partner of Composite Resources“

I’m proud to be from the State of South Carolina and take pride in having the opportunity to help South Carolina continue to build the architecture for such an important industry to the state’s economy.  I look forward to contributing my experience in advanced materials manufacturing and the aerospace industry in a way that will help the state of SC stay at the leading edge of the Aerospace manufacturing for years to come.”– Don Myers, Director of Aerospace Sales & Marketing at Toray

“The aerospace sector is a major driver of South Carolina’s economy. Building a healthy ecosystem supporting this high-impact cluster continues to be a key component of the Charleston region’s economic development strategy. We have supported SC Aerospace since its inception and are proud to be an official partner. Charleston is one of three places in the world assembling and delivering wide body jets, is home to Boeing Centers of Excellence for IT, Research & Technology, and Engineering Design, and is the exclusive manufacturer of Boeing’s 787-10. With an expanding supplier base, a skilled talent pool, and our region’s long-term growth strategy, we’re going to have a great future together.”– David Ginn, CRDA President & CEO