Happy Holidays… From the Desk of Executive Director Larry Brown

From the desk of Executive Director Larry Brown

It is that time of year again, a time to look back at 2017 and all that has been accomplished, while also turning an eye to 2018 and the opportunities which lay ahead.

2017 was as momentous as we expected at this point last year, culminating with the ribbon cutting on the LIFT High Bay in October.

Some of the highlights from 2017 include:

• Launching and completing a project with Ricardo Defense, LLC to help optimize its anti-lock braking and electronic stability systems for Humvees, which will better protect our men and women in uniform.
• Kicking off Operation Next as a pilot program at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, which will provide better opportunities for separating military members to earn credentials, enabling a better opportunity to work as civilians immediately in some of the most in-demand metal related jobs.
• Successfully taking 50% of the weight out of a cast iron light truck component which will have impact throughout the casting industry.
• Developing an ecosystem where the shipbuilding industry is learning how to improve its processes by listening to the auto industry sharing best practices.
• Launching our LIFT Off webinar series to provide a platform for our small and medium-sized members to talk about their innovations in lightweighting technologies.
• Assembling a team of expert educators to make recommendations on how college and university curricula can and should be improved to better prepare students to work with new technologies being developed at LIFT.

As I have noted from the creation of LIFT nearly four years ago, we are, and continue to be, a team. None of our accomplishments could have been achieved without the commitment of our members and the dedication of our staff.

I am humbled and blessed to lead this organization and work with some of the best people in their respective fields.

I look forward to all we are going to accomplish in 2018.

Until then, I hope each of you have a joyous and healthy holiday season and a happy new year.