Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority: 2011 DC Fly-In

2011 DC Fly-In
A public-private delegation from the Aerospace Center flew to Washington D.C. on February 16 to brief Ohio's Congressional delegation on initiatives at the Central Ohio Aerospace & Technology Center and our future plans.

Background Info
  Facebook Photo Album
  Economic Impact Fact Sheet
  Ohio Delegation Briefing
  News Release
  2010 D.C. Fly-In

News Clips
2/12/11: Newark Advocate
2/14/11: WNKO Radio

February 16, 2011

A delegation representing the public-private partnership that epitomizes the Central Ohio Aerospace & Technology Center flew, for the day, to Washington D.C. to meet with key members and staff of Ohio's Congressional delegation.

With many new faces in the powerful Ohio delegation, February 16 was, for many, an introduction to the importance and impact of the Aerospace Center.

The contingent met with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and with Congressmen Pat Tiberi, Bob Gibbs, Steve Stivers, and Bill Johnson. Meetings were also held with staff of U.S. Senator Rob Portman, Speaker John Boehner, and Congressmen Steve Austria, Jean Schmidt, Mike Turner, and Marcia Fudge.

The Aerospace Center's largest customers include Boeing, Bionetics, Goodrich, and the U.S. Air Force. The defense-related workloads at the Center are crucial to national defense.

The participants from Licking County were:

Charles Dutch, Boeing

Mike Cadenhead, Bionetics

Al Bonacci, Goodrich

Hon. Tim Bubb, Licking Co. Commissioner

Hon. Brad Feightner, Licking Co. Commissioner

Hon. Mark Johns, Mayor, City of Heath

Cheri Hottinger, Licking Co. Chamber

Ron Sheldon, Port Authority Board

Erin Grigsby, Port Authority

Rick Platt, Port Authority

This was the fifth year of a Port Authority-led fly-in. The day is organized by the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority as part of its caucus-building strategy aimed at increasing knowledge among federal, state, and local officials about the value and impact of the Aerospace Center. No tax dollars were used to cover the costs associated with the visit and no lobbyists were involved in any aspect of the visits. The 20-hour day was a "no frills" event. Participants flew coach and rode mass transit.