Community Leader Fly-In

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More than 30,000 jobs in the Dayton Region jobs are located on three federal facilities: Wright-Patterson Air Force, Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Springfield Air National Guard Base. It is no exaggeration to conclude that the economy of the Dayton Region is largely controlled by the decisions made in Washington, D.C. That’s why the annual Dayton Region Community Leaders Washington Fly-In is so important to maintaining jobs here.

Now in its 29^th year, the annual Fly-In includes visits with senior government officials and members of our House and Senate Congressional delegation. Each year, about 120 business, civic, government, and educational leaders who participate in the Fly-In get an opportunity to learn about the federal government, interact with our elected officials, and show support for our federal installations. It is also a chance to network with other community leaders who have an interest in the federal government. Community leaders use the Fly-In to formally deliver to the Congressional delegation our regional funding priorities.

There are few communities in the country that are so dependent on Washington for jobs and prosperity. As a result, the Dayton Region has one of the nation’s largest and oldest on-going, community-wide programs to take civic leaders to Washington. The Fly-In is part of the Coalition’s advocacy program to look after our federal jobs and installations. If knowledge is power, then the knowledge gained by the community through the Fly-In is empowering to keep our federal jobs and make the federal government work for our Region.

The 29th Annual Community Leader Fly-In will be held May 19th-21st. This year, attendees have the opportunity to chose from two special sessions:

• Defense Meeting: The fiscal constraints facing the nation and specifically the Department of Defense will have a major impact on the national security and the local economy. This topic will be a major theme for the defense meetings with a primary focus on the future Air Force budget. We will also hear from senior officials on the cooperation between the military and civilian aviation officials to fly and test unmanned aerial systems, which could become a key growth area for the Dayton Region. This year’s meetings will take place at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington Cemetery.

• Exploring International Economic and Cultural Opportunities: The flow of foreign investment into the Dayton Region and Ohio has increased over the past decade and many domestic companies are looking at foreign markets for investment opportunities. We seek to leverage that interest in foreign investment and will be visiting several key foreign embassies to establish new or strengthen existing relationships. Potential embassy visits could include France, Israel, Japan, and/or Turkey.