Pierce County and the Economic Development Board (EDB) for Tacoma-Pierce County will host the second annual Aerospace Summit next month in an effort to offer local businesses updates from experts in manufacturing technology and workforce training as the region continues its push for a larger stake in the global market.

The summit, which will be held on Weds., July 17 at Clover Park Technical College, located at 4500 Steilacoom Boulevard SW, will feature a presentation by Michelle Burreson, who leads Boeing’s workforce development team supporting manufacturing and quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“Pierce County is home to a Boeing plant and more than 80 companies that work in the aerospace supply chain,” said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, who co-chairs the Tacoma Pierce Aerospace Partners, a group comprised of local business leaders, policy makers and experts in workforce training and higher education. “We will continue to connect companies with each other and with the community resources that can help them compete for the production of tens of thousands of airplanes that are needed in the coming years. There is room for this industry to grow in Pierce County.”

The summit is just one piece of Pierce County’s strengthening aerospace strategy. McCarthy and EDB President and CEO Bruce Kendall will join Gov. Jay Inslee’s Washington State delegation at the Paris Air Show this month. McCarthy and Kendall will focus on marketing Pierce County to aerospace firms from around the world to recruit them to open facilities here or to introduce them to key contacts in the area’s supply chain.

Last year’s inaugural summit connected 150 people representing aerospace suppliers, government agencies, banks and schools.

More information is available online here.