NextFlex News – April 2019 Newsletter
Great Partners, Great Progress
We’re off to a great start in 2019, with lots of project activity and member engagement. Earlier this month, Boeing hosted a fantastic workshop at several of their locations in the Seattle area, including a tour of their Everett manufacturing center. It was an amazing experience to not only see the massive manufacturing operation, but to consider how it all comes together from a logistics perspective. I sincerely thank the Boeing team who made the workshop possible; we couldn’t have accomplished all that happened (see the article about the workshop later in this newsletter) without strong support from both the Boeing and NextFlex teams working closely together. Our friends at Boeing know what it means to be a great partner.
Another great partner, Lockheed Martin, will host our next workshop June 12-13 at their facility in Arlington, VA. This workshop will resemble the one held last May, with a focus on FHE applications for defense applications, but will have updated themes and sessions. Alongside this workshop we will hold another FHE PRO professional development program, and a teaming activity for PC 5.0. Be sure to take advantage of this next opportunity to get the FHE community together.
Finally, I would be remiss if when talking about great partners I didn’t mention our workforce development partners Evergreen Valley College (EVC) and the San Jose Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD) for their important contribution to the creation of a deep and diverse talent pool for the advanced manufacturing community in Silicon Valley. Under the leadership of SJECCD Chancellor Byron Breland, EVC President Keith Aytch, and EVC Dean of Workforce Development Dr. Maniphone Dickerson, EVC has launched a comprehensive and innovative series of initiatives designed to provide important career opportunities for the Advanced Manufacturing sector locally. Their vision is enabling companies to thrive in the 21st Century and is a great model that can be adapted to other geographic ecosystems. Let me know if you’re interested in hearing more about it.
These are but three examples of great partnerships at work in support of the NextFlex mission. It takes a strong community to advance an industry, and with your help we will continue to make progress. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our members, who inspire us every day with passion, commitment, and collaboration. As always, please let us know how we can improve our service to you.
Sincerely,
Malcolm J. Thompson, PhD
NextFlex, Executive Director