What if the popular TV game show Family Feud asked of contestants, “Around the world, what is Kentucky most famous for?”
The most frequent answer would probably be horses. Next would likely be bourbon. Cars might be on the list of a savvy contestant. But how many of our fictional contestants would mention aerospace products? Steve Harvey would probably have fun with that answer; “Can horses fly?” he might say.
But the truth of the matter is that many international companies know Kentucky for its aerospace products. In fact, in 2015, Kentucky exported roughly $8.7 billion in aerospace goods and services. That’s nearly a third of all of Kentucky’s $27.6 billion in total exports.
What aerospace products does Kentucky make and where are they made?
Glad you asked.
Kentucky workers make satellite dishes in London, jet turbines in Madisonville, helicopter parts in Somerset, orbital satellite components in Morehead, satellite experiments in Lexington, and the list goes on and on.
In fact, the list is so big that some community leaders and economic development professionals struggle to get their arms around them. The diversity of the products and the many types of companies that make up the industry make simple analysis impossible.
Given the sheer size and importance of this industry, it’s important that aerospace manufacturing entrepreneurs, economic developers and state leaders periodically come together to network and better understand our successes in the aerospace industry. In fact, doing so could lead the state to new strategies that can leverage this industry better and grow it even bigger.
This is the logic that drives the Kentucky Innovation Network to host its annual aerospace industry day: IdeaFest Aerospace.
IF Aerospace is an annual congregation of entrepreneurs, manufacturers, thinkers and visionaries who are helping make this industry an economic driver. Held in Morehead April 4-5, the event kicks off with a networking mixer at the community’s business incubator, the Innovation Launchpad. The next day, we’ll hear presentations from a wide variety of experts in this industry.
Topics that will be covered include:
* Morehead State University’s thriving space science program; it has been busy making satellites for NASA to survey the moon and being the only non-NASA asset in the United States’ deep space network.
* Exomedicine, the study of medicine in space, a pursuit that has the potential to create new cures and scientific breakthroughs that’s being pioneered by Lexington-based SpaceTango.
* Unmanned Arial vehicles, or drones; these small crafts have big potential. Some are predicting they’ll grow to be a multi-billion dollar industry over the next decade despite being in its infancy today.
* The Southwest Ohio Aerospace Region – a cluster of companies and universities in Northern Kentucky and southern Ohio that constitute a hub of aerospace manufacturing in the U.S.
* Entrepreneurship – The Innovation Network supports and promotes entrepreneurship. It’s the critical bridge between ideas and reality. We plan to celebrate it in spades and discuss strategies to encourage more of it by removing barriers, networking, better workforce training and more.
Aerospace is a critical and growing industry in Kentucky. It’s important those who want to see it grow come together as often as possible to discuss ways we can better collaborate to take it to new heights. Exhibitors, students, community leaders and the average man on the street are all welcome. To register, please go to EventBrite.com and search IF Aerospace. Or use this link.
If you’d like to learn more or to be added to our email list, please contact me, Johnathan Gay at the Kentucky Innovation Network office in Morehead: johnathan@kyinnovation.com or by phone, 606-783-9536.
Johnathan Gay is the Director of the Kentucky Innovation Network office located at Morehead State University.