Guests “get formal” to honor finalists and award recipients at the second Annual Aerospace & Defense Industry Supply Chain Awards held November 12, 2008 at the beautiful Hyatt Grand Champions Resort & Villas in Indian Wells, California.

The SEA Awards Gala recognized performance and leadership contributions of small- to mid-sized supplier companies in seven award categories.

It was a glamorous and fun-filled evening. Award presentations followed a reception and gala dinner. Looking very much like an Academy Awards ceremony, with entertainer Jon Petz serving as Master of Ceremonies, executives from both supplier companies and prime and tier-one contractors served as presenters for seven award categories.

Proud Award Recipients Included:
In the Leadership & Culture Award category, the award went to Esterline Engineered Materials Group, Kirkhill-TA Co., Brea, California

In the Workforce Development Award category, awards went to Acutec Precision Machining, inc., Saegertown, PA

In the Operational Excellence Award category, awards went to Photo Etch Company, Fort Worth, Texas.

In the Supply Chain Innovation Award category, the award went to Roberts Tool Company, Inc., Chatsworth, California.

In the Performance Award: Most Improved Supplier category, the award went to Celestica Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In the Customer of the Year Award category, the award went to Honeywell Aerospace, Tempe, Arizona.

Capping the presentations, the prestigious Richard Hall Award for Leadership Excellence were announced by the wife of the late Richard’s Hall, Micki Hall and SEA Board Chairman, Michael G. Beason.  The awards went to Kenneth Marcia, Vice President of Supply Management and Process Innovation for Dresser-Rand Group in Olean, New York, and to Cristi Cristich, Chief Executive Officer, Cristek Interconnects in Anaheim, California.

Award recipients were beaming with pride and justifiably so.  Their recognition was the result of a rigorous examination process conducted by a distinguished Panel of Judges, all retired executives from the aerospace industry, representing the SCORE organization. Out of 300 Nominations, the Panel of Judges forwarded 118 Applications to the semi-finalist stage.  Finalists were announced at the Gala. 

Preceding the Awards Gala was a Golf Event held November 11, on the famous Indian Wells Golf Resort, home of the LG Skins Game.  And, on the morning of November 12 participants gathered again for a SEA Supplier Conference. 

To See Event Pictures Click Here

For a List of the SEA 2008 Award Finalists Click Here

– NEWSLINE –

2009 SEA Officers Elected
The SEA Board of Directors elected Frank Thompson, Group Vice President of Supply Chain Management for Parker Aerospace as SEA President for 2009.  Other officers installed include Bill Hayden, Senior Director Supplier Performance Management, Honeywell Aerospace, as First Vice President, Randy Fry, President, Photo Etch Company, as Treasurer, and David Blanco, Director, Small Business Group, Supplier Excellence Alliance, as Secretary.

– UPCOMING EVENTS –

Supplier CEO Conference and Reception March, 2009
Sponsored By:
Mark your calendars!
Signup information will be sent January 2009.

Event Chair: Parker Aerospace
Event Location: Irvine Hyatt, Irvine, CA

Reception: Tuesday, Mar 10
Supplier CEO Conference: Wednesday, Mar 11
Board Meeting: Thursday, Mar 12

Attendance is free for Members – not a member?
JOIN NOW!

SEA Announces its New Supplier Registry
Available at: http://seaonline.org/Suppliers/
SEA Suppliers are distinguishing themselves by accelerating their improvement effort. When they first begin as “Members” they are educating themselves in order to choose the best path to SEA Roadmap implementation. Those who have chosen a path begin to invest, and successfully submitting their quarterly report for review by a SEA examiner qualifies them for the “Engaged” status. Those suppliers who continue their efforts achieve SEA Certification Stages 1-3. SEA Certified Suppliers are setting the bar for the Aerospace & Defense Industry.

What’s New on the SEA Website?
Miss some important news?  Here are the most recent additions to the SEA Website:

Check out our new EVENTS tab http://seaonline.org/Briefings/ where you can access the following information:

CEO Conferences*  - for everyone - Suppliers share their success stories and collaborate on integrated supply chain projects

Supplier Briefings - by Invitation Only - Non-SEA suppliers visit benchmark sites and determine how best to participate in SEA

Process Owner Forums** - Subscription Required - Process Owners study best practices and compare notes on implementation of the SEA LES

Webcasts - for Members Only  - Members learn how to prepare a quarterly report, how to implement the roadmap, and how to prepare for SEA certification.

Benchmark Site Visits - for Members Only  - Members visit benchmark supplier sites and share information

Certification Workshops* - for everyone  - Members and Qualified Associates learn to implement the SEA Lean Enterprise System
*fees apply
** subscription required

Other Important Links
SEA 2009 calendar is now available: http://seaonline.org/AboutSEA/EventsCalendar.htm
A detailed introduction to the SEA Roadmap: http://www.seaonline.org/docs/NewForward.pdf
Information about the SEA Certification is available at: http://www.seaonline.org/Training/Certification.htm
SEA Sponsorship Opportunities are described at: http://www.seaonline.org/Sponsorship/index.htm
 A bio on all officers and directors is located here: http://www.seaonline.org/AboutSEA/news/NewsDownloads/SEABios.pdf
The most up to date listing of members and alliance partners is here: http://www.seaonline.org/Partners/index.htm
The quarterly report format has been updated: http://www.seaonline.org/docs/SEAQuarterlyReport.doc

– ABOUT SEA –

SEA member companies represented on its board of directors include The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, EADS North America, Esterline Corporation, United Technologies, Inc, Parker Aerospace, Rockwell Collins, Cessna Aircraft Company, Honeywell Aerospace, Hitco Carbon Composites, Dresser- Rand, Roberts Tool Company, Cristek Interconnects, Photo Etch Company, and DRS Technologies.

SEA partners and alliances include Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC), California Space Authority.

To Join SEA Click Here

Contact Information
For further information and answers to your questions about SEA, please contact:

Headquarters: 2062 Business Center Drive, Suite 225, Irvine, CA 92612
SEA Website: http://www.seaonline.org
Main telephone: (949) 476-1144 Ext 339
Executive Director: Mickey Wiebe, Ext 307 mickey@seaonline.org
Director, Operations: Hilda Pacheco-Taylor, Ext 316 hilda@seaonline.org
Director, Small Business: David Blanco Ext 334 david@seaonline.org
Director, Outreach: Kimberly Hawkins Ext 332 kimberly@seaonline.org
Director, Outreach: Curtis Harbin Ext 304 curtis@seaonline.org

SEA 2008 Award Finalists