Aerospace Initiative December 2006 Minutes

Industry Collaboration Committee
Minutes of the 12/5/06 Meeting

The meeting convened at 10:00 AM on Tuesday December 5, 2006 at the Northrop Grumman facility in Linthicum, MD.

Next Meeting:
Thursday 1/4/07 at 10:00 AM at the Northrop Grumman facility in Linthicum, MD


Attendees: Name / Organization
Rafael Cuebas / GWIB
Dennis Faber / Time Center – CCBC
Carline Cazeau / Altimax Solutions
Charles Divine / Divine Software Solutions
Jim Polk / Technology Service Corporation
Dave Rosage / NASA / Goddard
Bob Noble / Northrop Grumman Corp
Joe Bish / Northrop Grumman Corp
Gene Burnet / Manufacturers’ Alliance of Maryland (MAM)

1. Documents Reviewed and Discussed
Bob Noble provided an updated charter (Attachment 1) that he developed with his team. Bob Noble will email this document to the team.
Dave Rosage provided an updated Vision statement (Attachment 2).
These two documents were reviewed and referenced throughout the meeting. Specific comments were provided to the text of the documents. The action items for updating these documents are reflected in the table at the end of these minutes.

2. Discussion Topic: What Type of Organization is the new Maryland Aerospace Association (MAA)
Chuck Divine indicated that Lockheed Martin has raised a question, regarding whether the new association would be a lobbying organization
Some general discussion ensued on what constitutes lobbying. The discussion also addressed the following points:
There are two potential focus for the group
As a lobbying group, which would restrict participation to industry only – no government participation
As a 501c6 structured entity, which would allow the group to perform general activities to increase the stature of the aerospace industry in Maryland as well as perform any needed lobbying
This group’s purpose is to collect information that will be provided to all the industry stakeholders.
There are other organization’s that already provide lobbying at the state level. The Manufacturers’ Alliance of Maryland (MAM) is one of those organizations. Some of the companies that are likely members of the new association, are also members of MAM. (Gene Burnet)
MAM could potentially support the Aerospace Association as needed when lobbying is required for specific aerospace related issues. (Gene Burnet)

Decision: At the end of this discussion all the members present reached the consensus that the new association is not a lobbying organization


3. Discussion Topic: Where Should the new Association Reside
Bob Noble raised the issue of whether any existing organizations could provide a home for the new Maryland Aerospace Association. The following discussion ensued:
While the AIAA has a large reach in MD, it may not be the right home. The AIAA works as a resource for professionals. It is a professional association with a goal of serving its members develop professionally. (Chuck Divine)
While we have some common interests with the professional organizations, this group is an “advocacy” group for aerospace in MD, encompassing all the MD aerospace stakeholders. (Jim Polk)
The view for this Association is as a free standing organization. (Chuck Divine)
It’s easier to incorporate a new organization within existing ones that it is to create a stand alone organization. Businesses wrestle with the issue of which organizations to support, as the membership fees continue to increase. (Bob Noble)
We need to connect the Association back to the GWIB to get the state’s support behind it
How will the new administration impact GWIB? It is not clear at this point. Though we are progressing for now, as though there are no changes.
The DOL provided a report that they are very happy with the implementation of the GWIB (in MD) and that it can be used as a model for implementation by other states. (Rafael Cuebas)

4. Discussion Topic: What is the envisioned Organizational Structure for the MAA
The MAA should act as the spokesperson for all the committees that were formed as a result of the Aerospace Summit.
Dennis Faber logged the names of potential operating committees for the MAA. These include the four subcommittees created from the Aerospace Summit and a few additional ones.
We need to determine what makes this group different from the other existing organizations. What Return on Investment (ROI) will it provide to its members? This question generated an action to evaluate fee structures used by other industry associations.
The charter should include a reference to the GWIB and to the other subcommittees formed as a result of the Aerospace Summit.
Is there a process to follow to create a formal charter? Yes, it can be done through the DLLR if we decide to incorporate
Do we want to incorporate? It would probably be premature to incorporate at this point. The issue can be re-evaluated at a later date.

5. Discussion Topic: Operating Structure
Should there be a sliding fee structure?
Fee structure could be based on company size and revenue
The MAM, for example, operates on a flat fee based on tiers (Gene Burner)
Perhaps government and educational institutions should become members at no cost
The most important issue is to find a Champion, someone who is recognized and respected in the industry. Would need a minimum of $75K to attract someone of that stature. (Bob Noble)
Suggested criteria for selecting the champion. The Champion should be someone who is:
Established in the field
Retired
Wants to give something back to the community
Ideas regarding potential Champions:
We could potentially have an unpaid Champion, who is highly recognizable, and staff the organization with a paid executive director to implement the activities
Norm Augustine, was suggested as a potential Champion – or someone else with similar status
Explore an executive-on-loan approach, from one of the member companies, to initially fill the champion role
The association will require a staff to implement its goals. It will also require funding.
Association staffing needs:
An unpaid Champion – a high caliber person
A paid full-time executive director
Support Staff / Administrative
A discussion followed of potential structure for the board
The board could be structured with an Executive level board and a working board, similar to the structure used by the Boy Scouts Council.
As we invite companies to become members of the association, we should also encourage them to engage their employees to participate
The monograph provides good data, but we need to do more research to determine why people are not pursuing the science and engineering fields. (Chuck Divine)
The pipeline education group is planning to discuss these issues at an upcoming meeting at APL on 12/12/06 1-3PM. Those interested in the topic are encouraged to attend. (Rafael Cuebas)


6. Discussion Topic: Meetings
Meetings will be held as needed until the organization is established. Thereafter, quarterly meetings should be sufficient.







7. Table of Questions / Action Items
The group developed a list of key questions/actions that must be resolved to provide the basis for structuring the association. It was deemed that it was too early to address some of the questions. Those questions are captured in the list but are not assigned for resolution. Those questions are “Parked”.

MAA Development – Action Item List
#
Question / Action
Assigned to
Due Date
1
Update the Charter – per the discussion at the meeting
Bob Noble with redlines from all committee members
1/4/07
2
Update the Vision Statement per the discussion at the meeting
Dave Rosage
1/4/07
3
Develop a list of existing aerospace related organization. What does each provide to its members?
Chuck Divine
1/4/07
4
Evaluate various membership fee structures. Should the fees be different for industry, government, academia. Conduct a survey of association practices and make a recommendation. What is the ROI for the members?
Jim Polk
1/4/07
5
Develop an organization structure for the MAA. Identify recommended committees
Dennis Faber
1/4/07
6
What is the mechanism for the MAA to interface with the existing aerospace-related groups? Does the MAA merge into one of them? Does the MAA invite the others to become members? The goal is to avoid duplication of purpose and activities.
Parked
TBD
6
Who will officially sponsor the Maryland Aerospace Association (MAA)? Should it be the GWIB or another entity Should it be a standalone organization or should it be included in an existing organization?
Parked
TBD


Next Meeting:
Thursday 1/4/07 at 10:00 AM at the Northrop Grumman facility in Linthicum, MD
Attachment 2 – Vision Statement
November 29, 2006
The Maryland Aerospace Association
Vision

By 2011(five years hence) we are striving to achieve:

An Informed Maryland Legislature
The Maryland State Legislature is fully-informed about Maryland’s aerospace industry including its economic impact, its strengths and what legislative policy is needed to maintain industry growth and well-being.
The Maryland Aerospace Association is a recognized authority on Maryland’s aerospace industry and its intellectual capital providing comprehensive annual reports that address the state of the industry (i.e. aerospace technology, innovation research, technology transfer plus current and future workforce projections).
Making Maryland the State of Choice
The state of Maryland is recognized internationally by governments, the industry at large and the media as the place to be for conducting aerospace R&D, systems engineering, manufacturing and operations of aerospace systems.
The Maryland Legislature has instituted tax incentives and other policy initiatives resulting in further growth and prosperity of Maryland’s existing aerospace industry plus state-wide relocation incentives attracting new aerospace ventures and the personnel needed to support them. As a result, the state’s tax revenue base from this industry has doubled!
Building Bridges of Cooperation
The Maryland Aerospace Association is impacting all aspects of the aerospace community including NASA, defense, other agencies, academia, industry and commercial aerospace.
The Maryland Aerospace Association supports the aerospace industry fiscally and otherwise through industry communication, primary and secondary education programs, internships and scholarships, image promotion, public education and workforce development.
The Maryland Aerospace Association, in collaboration with the Maryland Space Business Roundtable, is a recognized leader in its ability to build partnerships and unification of all the aerospace sectors in Maryland.