NDIA Greater Indiana Chapter holds first in-person meeting at Terre Haute Regional Airport post COVID

In an effort to resume pre-COVID meetings, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Greater Indiana Chapter held its first in-person monthly chapter meeting in West Central Indiana.

Director of the Indiana Defense Network Jesse Carlton, Acting Chairman of the Indiana Defense Task Force Jim Tidd, and numerous state legislators from across the state were in attendance.

Guest speaker Major General Clif Tooley, President of Defense Development at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation discussed the state’s defense strategy.

Indiana has a goal to triple the state defense spend capture by the end of 2024. In order to do this, the number of vendors that do business with the government needs to increase. Since 2010, the number of businesses with Department of Defense contracts has dropped from 92,000 to 54,000, and small business contracts have decreased by 70%. NDIA Greater Indiana brings businesses, stakeholders, and defense professionals together to help positively change these statistics for the state of Indiana.

“It’s energizing to come together with various public and private defense leaders from across the state to discuss how we can collectively work to advance the state’s agenda in defense development,” states Rachel Leslie, President of the NDIA Greater Indiana Chapter. “Indiana’s best in the industry are here today and our Chapter members are ready to be at the table for dialogues in moving these strategies forward.”

The Terre Haute Regional Airport hosted the meeting to showcase some of the assets the facility offers to West Central Indiana and the state’s defense industry. Leslie also holds the role of President of the Terre Haute Regional Airport Board and encouraged NDIA members to connect with the airport for future opportunities.

The Chapter looks forward to hosting future meetings across other areas of the state to further showcase Indiana’s defense assets.