Economic Development Forum to Focus on Defense Technology Companies

The defense technology industry has taken flight in the Triangle area, with more than 60 identified companies. What lures such ahigh number of defense organizations to this region are such factors as:

1) Its educated and constantly growing population.

2) Its proximity to each of the eight military bases in the state, as well as the accessibility to the leaders of the military in Washington D.C.

3) Three of the nation’s leading universities are within 30 minutes of each other, offering a plethora of fresh talent for the companies to utilize.

The defense technology industry’s growing involvement with the Triangle is the focus of the upcoming Economic Development Forum on Tuesday, April 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at the Marbles Kids Museum (Zanzibar room) at 201 E. Hargett St. Industry experts and panelists will discuss a wide range of topics, including: the defense technology cluster as a whole, how the Triangle stacks up against global competition, how to position the region for future recruitment of this expanding industry and how local companies can secure federal funding.

The panel will be moderated by Vince Sadd, director, global marketing, LORD Corporation. Featured speakers include:

• James Reese, chief executive officer, TigerSwan

• Joan Myers, director of cyber security, Applied Research Associates

• Walter Skinner, partner, Williams Mullen

• Diane Zanetti, senior vice president and senior client manager, government contraction group, Bank of America

For more details and registration information, visit the event pageon the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Web site.