CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV Information) — Regardless of pandemic-related hardships affecting economies throughout the planet, West Virginia’s protection business continues to remain sturdy.
To place into context what the protection business consists of, it pertains to a large internet of contractors and producers that produce items of many varieties for the army sector.
“In West Virginia, after we speak concerning the protection business, we speak concerning the items and companies that contribute on to the protection business,” stated David Satterfield, director of asset growth for West Virginia College (WVU) and board member of the West Virginia chapter of the Nationwide Protection Industrial Affiliation (NDIA).
Satterfield
“I might say that for the final 5 to 10 years in West Virginia, this sector of the financial system has grown, and it’s grown fairly properly,” Satterfield stated.
The explanation for this development throughout in any other case difficult occasions is because of the truth that protection purchases are sometimes contract-based.
“With federal contracting, you’re usually blessed with having long-term, multi-year contracts. So we survived the nightmare fairly properly. We had no COVID points within the firm. We had been very, very cautious, and we got here by it simply tremendous,” stated Craig Hartzell, president and CEO of Azimuth, Inc., which is predicated in Morgantown.
Hartzell
“If you consider the protection business, it’s not pushed in a number of the different ways in which a number of the different sectors within the financial system are pushed,” Satterfield stated. “The purchaser of those companies are the U.S. army or militaries world wide now,” Satterfield stated.
This makes for an business that’s a lot tougher to disrupt, though there have been nonetheless unfavorable results from the pandemic.
“It’s not like a few of our different commodities and sectors which can be as disrupted or as impacted by the pandemic or different issues like that. We nonetheless have provide chain challenges and sourcing and issues like that and the pandemic, however I might say that it is a extra steady sector of the financial system,” Satterfield stated.
“The truth that we couldn’t journey to satisfy present and potential prospects, that was an enormous unfavorable for us,” Hartzell stated. “It hit primarily for my firm and just about everyone else that’s not clustered round main army exercise or have illustration or an operation within the nationwide capital area.”
Azimuth, Inc. focuses on manufacturing and prototyping for army functions.
“We’re primarily (working in) fast prototyping, design, large-scale manufacturing in some circumstances. We’ve completed an amazing quantity of producing of merchandise which can be both designed by us or others,” Hartzell stated.
“The majority of our work is concentrated on protection exercise. We’ve completed some actual attention-grabbing work with the FBI as properly,” Hartzell stated.
Azimuth additionally produces biometrics know-how and sheltering.
“We’ve been in biometrics for a lot of, a few years. We’re the corporate that manufactured the biometric identification system for entry in Iraq. We manufactured the tactical forensic laboratories for Afghanistan,” Hartzell stated.
Azimuth’s prowess in biometrics know-how has taken their merchandise and software program abroad, corresponding to biometric identification know-how utilized in Iraq.
“We’ll construct element components, smaller objects, but additionally we’ve completed numerous large-scale manufacturing — shelter techniques and specialty units that go right into a shelter for the army,” Hartzell stated.
One other firm of word for West Virginia’s protection business is Northrop Grumman, who Satterfield says is the state’s greatest army contractor.
“Once you have a look at Northrop Grumman, they’re above and past, clearly the primary entity in our state, and they’re rising and they’re doing a superb job,” Satterfield stated.
“They make issues for rocket motors. They make projectiles. They make parts for shouldered air missiles. They make all types of various components and parts and techniques that immediately help the army,” he stated.
Northrop Grumman manufactures high-performance rocket motors for the US army’s AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
“Northrop Grumman is a tier one provider, which provides the Division of Protection immediately. They’ve numerous different suppliers that make up the protection business in our nation and in our area. The extra that that may develop, the extra that our smaller corporations can develop and the business can stay sturdy,” Satterfield stated.
This development has been helped by efforts from the NDIA to develop and herald contractors.
“Primary, we wish to help and strengthen incumbent corporations within the business. So as an illustration, if we have now a small firm in Clarksburg who’s offering items to the provision chain, we wish to be sure that we are able to do every part we are able to to encourage them, to help them and to supply new alternatives for them,” Satterfield stated.
“The second factor we do after we assist our incumbents is we attempt to get different individuals concerned in that. So what occurs is we have a look at it from a functionality standpoint and attempt to assist people who have capabilities that may match into the provision chain,” Satterfield stated.
Generally suppliers can transition into the protection business, bringing totally different items than what is usually related to the army.
“A part of what we’re doing at West Virginia College in addition to with the NDIA is we’re making an attempt to encourage different corporations who could by no means have been a part of the protection provide chain to affix us and attempt to be a part of that provide chain,” Satterfield stated.
“That’s the place the event workplace has been serving to an incredible deal to help this sector, the NDIA nationwide workplace has supported this sector and everyone sees this as a possibility for development and diversification,” Satterfield stated.
Except for efforts from the NDIA, Hartzell had excessive reward for Vantage Ventures and the WVU Analysis Company.
Officers additionally famous that the state authorities has been notably useful to the protection business lately.
“The state authorities is far more in tune with bringing in what can be thought of overseas corporations. Not nationally (overseas), however not integrated in West Virginia. But in addition supporting corporations like mine which can be integrated within the state. So the state authorities has been very, very supportive, greater than ever,” Hartzell stated.
Nevertheless, numerous the credit score has to go to the parents making it occur within the workforce, in response to Hartzell.
“The factor with West Virginia specifically, so far as I’m involved, the people that native corporations and the businesses which can be shifting in (are hiring), the workforce is so strong and gifted,” Hartzell stated.
“Normally we’re underestimated by competitors from out of state, however we work tougher and we come out on high many occasions primarily due to the work ethic and the loyalty that West Virginians usually have for the corporate that they’re working for,” Hartzell stated.
Satterfield additionally famous that West Virginian staff assist maintain the protection business thriving.
“Folks really feel very invested on this business. … We’re a really proud and patriotic state. We’re a people who like to present again and help our army and help the beliefs of this nation,” Satterfield stated.
“I believe it’s the form of factor that in some ways, it’s a pure match for West Virginia and it’s one thing that might assist an incredible deal to diversify our financial system,” Satterfield stated.
Diversifying the financial system with protection contractors is one thing that Satterfield suggests may assist substitute jobs misplaced in different markets.
“The protection business has nice potential right here in West Virginia. … Once you say, ‘How can we substitute the metal jobs or the coal jobs or a number of the manufacturing jobs that we’ve seen decline in all of America?’, this actually could possibly be the answer,” Satterfield stated.
Contemplating the entire positives, specialists level to the continued development of the protection business in West Virginia.
“I predict there shall be an uptick in protection and simply common, across-the-board federal contracting,” Hartzell stated.
“There’s potential right here. There’s alternatives that exist for individuals to draw new markets, for corporations to draw new prospects and for corporations to develop a few of their attain and their capabilities a bit extra in order that they will have ongoing and good prospects sooner or later,” Satterfield stated.