Paula Derks gave the annual AEA State of the Association address on Tuesday, March 26, at the 56th AEA International Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nev.
During her speech, Derks applauded the work ethic of the AEA member companies during the industry’s depressed economy in the last few years and said, “We are still here, and we are all still working.” A continuing theme of the speech noted that despite the recent challenges faced by the general aviation industry, the hard work of staying in business and finding innovative ways to keep the doors open did not stop. The speech also set the tone for the rest of the week during the convention, and many AEA members shared their best practices and ideas that are working for their respective companies.
In addition, Derks announced the brand new AEA Avionics Market Report. This report was created to reflect the dollar value of the avionics market. No such market report has previously existed. The AEA Avionics Market Report will report total aviation electronics sales figures as communicated directly from participating avionics and instrument manufacturers. The information gleaned from this market report will be used in the AEA’s legislative and regulatory activities to spread the word to elected officials on the value of the avionics market and the economic importance it contributes not only to the U.S. economy, but around the world.
Watch the entire State of the Association address: