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AMP SoCal & CED - 2019 Year in Review

Save the Date ~ AMP SoCal Summit April 29, 2020 @ USC
We’ve had a great year at the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership for Southern California (AMP SoCal) hosted by the USC Center for Economic Development! From hosting dozens of cybersecurity workshops throughout the country to participating in exciting leadership and collaboration efforts, we are grateful for this exciting work. Click on the link here to read more about what 2019 meant for us.
Cybersecurity Workshops
In 2019, AMP SoCal and the USC Center for Economic Development held dozens of cybersecurity workshops to provide small manufacturers with the tools they need to become cyber compliant. These workshops were all free of cost and helped prepare manufacturers to comply with the rigorous requirements enforced by the Department of Defense. Some of these workshops were hosted right here in Southern California thanks to the assistance we received from our AMP SoCal partners. We also traveled throughout the country to host cybersecurity workshops in collaboration with Northrop Grumman Corporation through an Air Force Small Business Office Mentor Protégé Program. We’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to the partners who made these workshops possible.

Workshops & Webinars
AMP SoCal hosted educational workshops and webinars for aerospace and defense suppliers to assist with business growth and expansion. These workshops included the following topics:
  • Access to Capital
  • Succession Planning
  • Asset Financing & Lending
  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Innovation Forum Presentations


Outreach Events
Throughout the year, we participated in multiple outreach events to spread the word about AMP SoCal partner services. At events like AeroDef, Space Tech Expo, Navy Gold Coast, and WESTEC, we hosted exhibit booths to connect with A&D suppliers and showcase our services. At AeroDef, we teamed with SME and Aerofied to continue our B2B matchmaking role. Together, we coordinated matchmaking appointments for pre-screened A&D suppliers to meet with OEMs including Boeing, NGC, Lockheed Martin, Virgin Orbit, and many others looking for their specific services. Lockheed Martin highlighted one of the wins from this effort with the announcement that their A&D supplier match turned into a contract within five months. The goal was to help suppliers increase their business development activities and secure new contracts. Representatives from both participating suppliers and OEMs expressed satisfaction with the matchmaking opportunity.

Company Spotlights
Vinyl Technology  was involved in an OEM B2B Matchmaking event hosted by AMP SoCal and Aerofied at AeroDef 2019. This is an opportunity which matches A&D suppliers seeking subcontracting opportunities with OEMs interested in their services. Vinyl Technologies was matched with Emma Stevens from Lockheed Martin. When Vinyl Technology was included on a solicitation, they submitted a successful bid that resulted in a first time purchase order award for development of various components to create one prototype from design for all three variants of the F-35 aircraft. Lockheed Martin is building the F-35 in partnership with Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Strengthening Competitiveness Program Spotlight
AMPSoCal worked with TALSCO Manufacturing , a family-owned machine shop with fabrication specialists. TALSCO owner, Jose Castaneda Sr. was seeking a succession plan that would ensure the company remains in the family and "as healthy as possible". AMP SoCal coordinated with TALSCO to develop a plan including strategic investments, a family successor, optimization of business expenses nd buy/sell negotiations. According to the selected successor, Jose Castaneda, Jr., “The succession plan aligns the family and the business’ ideas and plans moving forward." AMP SoCal helps small- to mid-size businesses understand the succession process of identifying new leadership and what resources are available to them as they retire.

Strengthening Competitiveness is a program led by the Price School - USC Center for Economic Development, w hich can match you with university expertise in business administration, accounting, engineering or law to provide solutions. I f your company is a manufacturing business that was negatively affected by defense cuts in the past three years and located in the counties of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, or San Diego, then you might also be eligible to receive free technical assistance services from AMP SoCal.

Leadership & Collaboration Efforts
Part of AMP SoCal’s role is to participate in leadership and collaboration efforts to strengthen the region’s A&D economy. We participated in California Aerospace Days, hosted by the Aerospace States Association in Sacramento, which served to educate the state’s legislators about the regional and economic importance of the aerospace industry within California . We also attended the Association of Defense Communities' Regional Event, a two-day event to gather intelligence on the latest activities in DoD and on Capitol Hill, and the impact they have across California. However, we can’t overlook the value that our own AMP SoCal Executive Committee members played in steering our work.

2020 EVENTS
AMP SoCal Annual Summit
April 29 @ USC Tutor Conf Center
The AMP SoCal Annual Summit seeks to inform and engage small- and medium-sized manufacturers and their supply chain who want to learn more about AMP SoCal and its goal of supporting the aerospace and defense (A&D) industrial ecosystem in the 10-county Southern California region. The meeting will be hosted on the campus of USC in the Tutor Conference Center. 

Join us for keynote speakers, industry panels, B2B and OEM Matchmaking sessions with companies like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin and more!

What a year, indeed! On behalf of all of us at AMP SoCal and the USC Center for Economic Development, we thank you for your support and partnership and wish you a happy and healthy 2020!
Learn more about AMP SoCal at ampsocal.usc.edu