NDIA West Virginia Chapter

Mission Statement:

Support national security by growing and enhancing the defense industry and federal contracting in West Virginia through networking, collaboration, and increasing opportunities for business development.

Chapter Focus:

Recruitment of members, advancement of innovation, through educational and awareness opportunities and convening to support the U. S. Warfighters and those activities that protect the United States.

Background:

In 2016 West Virginia University, along with our lead partner, TechConnect West Virginia, received a grant from the Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment (under CFDA 12.617) to enhance its capacity to assist West Virginia communities, businesses, and workers that may be affected by reductions in Department of Defense (DoD) spending.

The overarching goals of the work associated with the first phase of this proposal were to:

• Create the information and linkages to resources to help defense manufacturers and our communities limit the potential impact of defense-related spending cuts and identify new opportunities for economic diversification.
• Stimulate collaboration between regional, statewide, and local adjustment and diversification efforts in the wake of defense procurement reductions and economic development.

The OEA grant allowed us to identify a network of defense industry companies located or doing business in West Virginia (place of performance).

Additionally, our work helped identify requirements needed to sustain and grow the defense industry in West Virginia. Our work indicated existing defense industry companies are performing well but have the capacity and desire to grow and increase contributions to the nation’s defense. Through our NDIA association and chapter, we will collaborate on programs to support and grow. One specific new chapter initiative involves working with defense industrial base companies to identify unmet requirements and help establish new, innovative companies to bolster the defense sector as an important economic contributor in our State.

Challenges we discovered include a need for more effective networking, and enhanced opportunities for business development focused on topics/areas that support incumbent members of West Virginia’s defense sector.  This makes NDIA membership the right choice for promoting West Virginia defense capabilities.