Senator Todd Young meets with CRDG and partners for defense roundtable

Crane Regional Defense Group (CRDG) hosted U.S. Senator Todd Young for a defense industry roundtable Feb. 21 at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park.

CRDG’s purpose for the event was to share the growth and continued success of the Technology Park as it diversifies from being largely reliant on NSWC Crane support contractors, to a Technology Park that will have near limitless development from the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, as well as hypersonics and microelectronics work, which is currently attracting OEMs to the region.

“It was a pleasure to host Senator Young and have the opportunity to bring together so many defense ecosystem partners from both public and private sectors,” said Kent Parisien, CRDG chairman. “The potential future development in our region has no limit thanks to the passion from these organizations combined with the dynamic economy and emerging technologies.”

Nearly 60 attendees were present to hear the Senator’s remarks regarding the recent CHIPS and Science Act and how it may continue to contribute to development at WestGate and throughout the region. Young noted his top priorities, many relating back to investment in core research and emerging technologies to develop prototypes and eventually partner with the private sector to discover possible uses for implementation.

Industry speakers were given a few minutes to provide an overview of their organization and how their current initiatives are contributing to the development of Crane and its surrounding region. Those speakers included:

● Jeff Quyle - Radius Indiana

● Kent Parisien - Crane Regional Defense Group

● Tina Peterson - Regional Opportunity Initiatives

● Joe Carley - Uplands Science and Technology Foundation

● Karen Plaut - Purdue University

● Mike Huber - Indiana University

● Brooke Pyne - ARI

● Carlos Gaitani - TRISTAR

● Duane Embree - Draper Labs

● Jimmy Allen - Dynetics

● David Shrenk - Everspin

● Michael Johns - Kratos

● Robert Patti - Nhanced

CRDG looks forward to hosting more roundtables with both national and state legislators as part of its mission to advocate for the defense industry and not only the protection, but the advancement of military installations.

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About the Crane Regional Defense Group

Crane Regional Defense Group is a citizen-led committee that creates partnerships between chambers of commerce, county councils, financial institutions and business leaders to preserve the strategic value of Crane by supporting local outreach and legislative initiatives that protect military installations in the region and state, and leverage the installation’s potential to bring economic growth to Southern Indiana.