AAMMC chosen as top 20 Regional Technology Hubs

The Spokane-Coeur d’Alene region in Idaho has officially been designated as a Regional Technology Hub by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). The American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC), a composite aerostructures facility, is now one of approximately 20 hubs nationwide eligible to compete for Phase 2 of the CHIPS Regional Innovation Hub grants of $50-$75 million.

The AAMMC Aerospace Tech Hub was chosen from nearly 400 applications nationwide. The 47-member Inland Northwest consortium (members are listed further below) continues to grow as they prepare for Phase 2.  

Phase 1 of this competition designated Tech Hubs in regions across the country based on consortium proposals that bring together industry, higher education institutions, state and local governments, economic development organizations, and labor and workforce partners to supercharge ecosystems of innovation for technologies that are essential to economic and national security.  

“The I-90 aerospace corridor is home to some of the fastest growing areas in the region: Spokane, West Plains, Spokane Valley, Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene,” John J. Hemmingson, CEO of Lakeside Companies (Spokane, Wash., U.S.), notes. “We have the talent, the resources and the right partnership to take this plan to the next step in creating a world-class test bed for production, commercialization and entrepreneurship.”

The focus of this testbed facility will be the development of high-rate manufacturing techniques using advanced materials such as thermoplastic composites (TPC) for aerospace structures such as ribs, beams, doors, bulkheads and stiffened skins.  The hub will advance these methods through technology readiness levels (TRL) 6-9 to help them become commercially and widely available sooner. Due to strong industry backing, the AAMMC hub is expected to achieve financial self-sufficiency within 3 years and global competitiveness within 10, meeting the standards of the EDA Tech Hub designation.  

In the next several weeks, the Department of Commerce will launch Phase 2 of the competition for applicants designated as a Tech Hub to apply for implementation funding. 

“In Phase 2, we will invest in regions that have strong potential to lead globally across a wide array of critical and emerging technologies and the people and places that make and deliver these products and services,” says Eric Smith, the Tech Hubs program director at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s EDA in a recent interview. “In most successful Hubs, we’re going to see these regions — and the industries within them — build and gain market share in particular industries. We also expect to see markers of increased innovation, increased business creation and expansion, and increased investment in these places. We’re looking for market potential — Where are there viable commercialization paths for these critical technologies? What regions are building effective interfaces between their engines of innovation and industry that will make them globally competitive and that will result in new, good jobs? We’ll ask these Hubs and ourselves these questions repeatedly as the Hubs put together their Phase 2 project proposals and as we evaluate them.”

The AAMMC consortium, in coordination with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, NASA and additional defense OEMs, is a dynamic partnership of entities from across the Inland Northwest, representing industry, research, education, government and workforce, all collaborating to achieve high-rate production goals for the next generation of aerospace manufacturing. This Tech Hub includes:

Aerospace and industry leaders

• Boeing 
• Unitech Composites Inc. 
• Electroimpact 
• Advanced Thermoplastics Composites (ATC) Manufacturing 
• Northwest I-90 Manufacturing Alliance 
• StanCraft 
• Avista 
• Continuous Composites Inc. (CCI) 
• Blue Origin 
• Raytheon/Collins 
• Lockheed Martin 
• The Composites Consortium (TCC)

Venture development

• Washington Trust Bank 
• Lakeside Companies 
• Mountain West Bank

Higher and secondary education

• Gonzaga University 
• University of Idaho 
• University of Washington 
• Eastern Washington University 
• Community Colleges of Spokane 
• North Idaho College 
• Spokane Public Schools 
• Coeur d’Alene Public Schools 
• Elevate Academy North 
• Washington State University 

Workforce development and labor

• Spokane Workforce Council 
• International Association of Machinists District 751 
• Machinists Institute 
• Idaho Workers Development Council 
• Coeur d’Alene Economic Development Corporation  

Government, tribes and economic development

• Washington State Department of Commerce 
• Idaho State Department of Commerce 
• Spokane Tribe of Indians 
• Kalispel Tribe of Indians 
• City of Post Falls 
• City of Coeur d’Alene 
• Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber 
• Spokane County 
• Greater Spokane Inc. 
• S3R3 Solutions 
• Spokane International Airport 
• West Plains Chamber of Commerce 
• Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce 
• City of Spokane 
• Coeur d’Alene Tribe 

“Being at the forefront of aerospace manufacturing in the Inland Northwest, ATC Manufacturing takes immense pride in our contribution to this sector,” Jacob Bonwell, CEO of ATC Manufacturing, says. “The EDA’s recognition, in collaboration with over 45 regional partners, underscores our collective commitment to aerospace in this region. This is more than just a designation; it’s a testament to our region’s capabilities and potential.”