FROM THE ROCKFORD AREA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL:
ROCKFORD – The growing aerospace cluster in the Rockford region has formed a LinkedIn group to help aerospace companies and their supply chain communicate more quickly about new business opportunities.
“Adding this service through LinkedIn gives aerospace businesses in the upper Midwest a social media tool that allows us to connect, learn and promote our ‘instant supply chain around the world,” said Eric Voyles, Rockford Area Economic Development Council Vice President of National Business Development. “The networking capabilities will ultimately make us more competitive in the global marketplace.”
By visiting the LinkedIn website (www.LinkedIn.com) and the Rockford Area Aerospace Cluster (RAAC) LinkedIn group, businesses can network; learn about upcoming supplier symposiums, training and business development offerings; and discuss other industry news and opportunities.
TO JOIN ROCKFORD AREA AEROSPACE CLUSTER (RAAC) GROUP
Aerospace businesses within an approximate 75-mile radius of Rockford are invited to join the RAAC LinkedIn group. Log-in to LinkedIn and request admittance to the group.
RAAC ADVANTAGES
Reg Gustafson, program manager for Clinkenbeard & Associates and administrator of the RAAC LinkedIn Group, said RAAC members will learn about business opportunities they may not otherwise access. “Let’s say Lockheed Martin needs an assembly and no single company can do all the operations. We can band together as a group and provide it, rather than have the business go to California. This LinkedIn group will have that kind of information, and more,” he said.
RAAC members will also be able to communicate with each other. “If one company gets a Request for Proposal for a part and they can’t do all the work, they can go to our LinkedIn group and ask who might be interested. They can do that instantly, rather than manually call companies or pass up the opportunity,” added Gustafson. “In effect, the LinkedIn group becomes a database of local aerospace companies and their capabilities.”
WHY THE ROCKFORD REGION FOR AEROSPACE
* The greater Rockford region is home to five tier-one aerospace companies. It has a strong cluster of about 200 supply chain partners in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, including Boeing’s, United and AAR’s international headquarters in Chicago.
* The Rockford area has three times the U.S. average in transportation manufacturing, technical and engineering talent. Local companies have more than 4,000 engineers, 50 percent more than the Illinois average and 30 percent more than the U.S. average. There are more than 36,000 engineers working in the 12 counties of northern Illinois.
* The Rockford area has a highly dedicated workforce with strong Midwestern values, work ethic and value-added per worker.
* There are more than 75 colleges and technical schools within the greater Rockford region, including TechWorks, Northern Illinois University’s School of Engineering and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide Campus-Rockford. This assures access to professional training for engineering, machining, masters and doctoral programs, as well as other manufacturing careers.
Learn more about the Rockford Area Aerospace Cluster by contacting Eric Voyles, RAEDC Vice President of National Business Development at 815.969.4256 or evoyles@rockfordil.com.
Tags: aerospace, engineering, linkedin, manufacturing, raedc, rockford, rockford area economic development council, rockford illinois, social media