News Summary

Fairborn, Ohio — New programs coming to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are creating a wide array of job opportunities for Clark County and the Dayton region.

The strategic success of the new programs' implementation and any future opportunities hinge on members of the regional business community partnering with Wright-Patt to provide goods and services, said Joe Zeis, vice president of aerospace and defense with the Dayton Development Coalition.

Zeis and others discussed the opportunities at the Dayton Business Journal's Regional Defense Forum held Tuesday, May 6, at the Hope Hotel at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Considerable opportunities available for Clark County exist in two areas: developing new systems and capabilities and sustaining existing systems such as aging aircraft.

High-tech firms such as Avetec and Logistics Support Management Group are already on board.

The base's specific needs from outside contractors bodes well for Springfield and its manufacturing base.

"Materials and manufacturing is the core mission for the research laboratory and the surrounding communities," said Joe Sciabica, executive director of the Air Force Research Laboratory.

As a result of the nation's base realignment and closure decisions made in 2005, Wright-Patt will gain about 1,100 jobs by 2011.

There will be new positions, but more importantly, an aging, highly experienced workforce will need to be replaced. Available jobs will include behavioral scientists, electrical engineers, business management and general contractors.

Partnerships with area small businesses are the key to success, Sciabica said, adding many people do not realize the amount to work done in locations other than on Wright-Patt grounds.

"What's lost on people...is that the footprint for the sensor directorate (for example) actually goes outside the walls of the base," he said, which creates jobs for regional contract companies.

Sciabica's budget lands, in large part, "outside the fence." For every dollar he receives, he said 80 cents goes to contracts.

Partnerships with universities and colleges are also underway to train new employees and retraining unemployed workers.

Ultimately, long-term regional success will come from "the ability to develop the advanced academic pipeline in the region," Zeis said, so jobs at and associated with Wright-Patt can be filled with people interested in living and working in the region.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.

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