Economic Development Commission Chair Joe Mayer Appointed to FloridaMakes Board of Directors

Mayer has 41 years of experience in government and community relations

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Joe Mayer of Lockheed Martin, and current chair of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, has been appointed to the statewide Board of Directors of FloridaMakes.

FloridaMakes is a statewide, industry-led, public-private partnership operated by an alliance of Florida’s regional manufacturer’s associations, including the EDC’s Regional Manufacturing Association of Florida’s Space Coast, with the sole mission of strengthening and advancing Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity and technological performance of its manufacturing sector, with an emphasis on small and medium-sized firms.

Through Florida’s regional manufacturer’s associations and participating partners, the network provides technology adoption, business growth and talent development services that are customized to meet the needs and opportunities of individual companies.

In addition to his role as EDC Chair, Mayer has 41 years of experience in government and community relations, national security affairs, and U.S. space exploration policy in Washington, D.C., Texas and Florida.

He worked previously for The Boeing Company, Rockwell International, the Senate Intelligence Committee and U.S. Senator Jake Garn (R-UT).

Mayer is Chairman of Citizens for Space Exploration, a national grassroots organization advocating U.S. leadership in space exploration.

He is also a Board member of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, VISIT FLORIDA and the Florida Defense Contractors Association.

“As EDC chair, Joe is an engaged and sincere leader on behalf of the people of Brevard County and Lockheed Martin,” said EDC President and CEO Lynda L. Weatherman.

“We are confident he will bring those qualities and energy to the board and mission of our partner FloridaMakes.”

“The EDC is leading the charge on manufacturing development in Brevard working with the broad spectrum of companies that comprise this critically important sector of our county’s economy,” said Mayer.

“I am pleased to serve on the Board of FloridaMakes, and look forward to working with colleagues throughout the state to advance the cause of manufacturing in Florida, promoting tech workforce initiatives, creating new business opportunities, and expanding manufacturing capacity. Working together as business partners and with our elected officials, I am confident that growth in manufacturing will help drive our recovery from COVID and chart a path to long-term economic success for Florida.”

“We are excited to welcome Joe to our board,” said Kevin Carr, FloridaMakes CEO. “His background and experience in Florida’s aviation and space industry are a valuable addition to our organization as we continue to support the manufacturing sector’s growth in Florida.”

The FloridaMakes board is comprised of representatives from across the state, they are:

▪ Ray Aguerrevere, Vice President, Custom Metal Designs, Inc., Oakland, FL;
▪ Abe Alangadan, Senior Manager, PPM, Deliver, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Inc., Jacksonville, FL;
▪ Bayne Beecher, Sr. Manager Supply Chain, New South Window Solutions, North Venice, FL;
▪ Larry Bull, President and CEO, Createch Machine & Design, Lakeland, FL;
▪ Kevin Carr, CEO, FloridaMakes, Orlando, FL;
▪ Andra Cornelius, Senior Vice President, Business & Workforce Development, CareerSource Florida, Tallahassee, FL;
▪ James Hodge, Plant Manager, CEREX Advanced Fabrics, Cantonment, FL;
▪ Chip Howison, Vice President of Operations, Barrett Outdoor Living, Brooksville, FL;
▪ John F. Krug, Economic Development Manager, Niagara Bottling, Inc., Groveland, FL;
▪ Betsy McGee, President, ADI Metal, Fort Lauderdale, FL;
▪ Jerry Parrish, Chief Economist and Director of Research, Florida Chamber Foundation, Tallahassee, FL;
▪ Bob Provitola, Division Vice President, Manufacturing & Repair Global Collaborations, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc., Orlando, FL;
▪ Roy Sweatman, President, Southern Manufacturing Technologies, Inc., Tampa FL.

FloridaMakes is the official representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network in the state of Florida, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

To date, Florida manufacturers who received services through the FloridaMakes network have reported a combined total of over $1.6 billion dollars in measurable economic impacts and created or retained 10,207 manufacturing jobs since the program started delivering services in 2016.

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

Similar Stories