Alabama outdoes Washington in Air Show hoopla

PARIS — Last Sunday, on the eve of the Paris Air Show, a glamorous reception in the Eiffel Tower boasted a beautiful view of the city. The host was the state of Alabama, which has emerged as Washington state's key rival for aerospace business.

Gov Bob Riley and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., attended, as did Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, President Obama's personal representative to the show and chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

Alabama has joined forces with Mississippi and Florida in Paris to promote the growing aerospace cluster in the South, one that threatens to grab new business such as the U.S. Air Force tanker contract, and is not above trying to tempt away aviation business already in Washington.

The Alabama state delegation in Paris for the show numbered more than 100.

By contrast, Bill King, Europe program manager for the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, led a small delegation of a dozen private companies and state organizations.

Still, said King, "this is twice what we've ever been able to do in the past."

Asked about the stark contrast in marketing power, King said an expensive reception "may not be the perfect solution" for promoting the state. His delegation's one-on-one business meetings have gone well, King said.

At the state's stand in one of the display halls Thursday, an impressive unmanned aerial vehicle made by Boeing-owned Insitu in Bingen, Klickitat County, hung from the ceiling.

The stand also displayed drill bits and small precision-cut pieces of cast metal, the products of small companies such as SeaCast, which employs 250 people in Marysville.

SeaCast's director of business development, Ty Ueland, had his marketing style cramped when the airline on the flight over lost his baggage with all his business cards and promotional materials.

Otherwise, members of the delegation seemed content with the show's networking opportunities.

Meeting 'right people'

"We're not taking orders but we're meeting the right people," said Scott Dean, vice president of operations at Pacifica Engineering in Mukilteo, near Boeing's wide-body jet plant.

He said prearranged meetings and networking events are essential to a successful show. The big companies have large "chalets" along the edge of the Le Bourget airfield, but those are invitation-only sites, with security staff guarding every door.

"You can't get in," said Dean.

That makes it essential for smaller companies and state officials to arrange meetings in advance and to network at social events such as the one put on by the U.S. trade group, the Aerospace Industries Association.

The networking goes both ways.

Dean said Mississippi officials approached him to lay out the incentives available if Pacifica opened a facility there.

"They are aggressively pursuing companies like ours," Dean said.

Pacifica designs aerospace tooling, the large fixtures that hold structures in place during manufacturing. Its 30-person work force does the engineering design, but the tooling is built elsewhere — so the company could be highly mobile.

Lately, as Boeing's development programs have been delayed and matured, tooling business from the jet maker has dried up.

So this year Pacifica made a successful push to win non-Boeing business, including a tooling contract for the new Honda business jet to be built in North Carolina.

"If we have work from Boeing Commercial Airplanes, it's very good to be in Washington," Dean said. "But if we have a contract with (Airbus parent) EADS or HondaJet ... it makes sense to have a presence" elsewhere.

He said Boeing's globalization of the 787 supply chain has changed the business. Pacifica has been contacted to make tooling for a Chinese 787 supplier, but "competing for price is going to be tough."

College sends a rep

The Washington delegation also included Cyndi Schaeffer, executive director of Edmonds Community College's business and training center.

Why is she in Paris? Just like her colleagues, Schaeffer is talking to companies, looking for business.

"We have customized training we deliver to aerospace companies," ranging from courses on leadership to aerospace-specific skills such as drilling composite materials, said Schaeffer.

She said the college sends trainers out to provide on-site courses.

That includes company facilities in other states, including Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts and New Mexico. Schaeffer said about 10 percent of the training requests are from outside Washington.

This year in Paris, has she had any promising inquiries from outside this state?

Yes, she said. Among others, an aerospace company in Florida needs some training.

Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com