Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
GE Aerospace will invest up to $20 million into its Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center (or “EPISCenter”) to build a new test cell, bringing to nearly $100 million the amount that has been invested into the University of Dayton campus facility in the past decade, the company said early Wednesday.
- What’s next: Construction will begin on the new cell within the River Park Drive facility this summer. It will be the center’s seventh test cell. There is room for an eighth test cell within the building, but there are no plans to build one. The building’s physical footprint will not change, GE officials said.
Zoom out: It is NASA’s partnership with GE that is driving the investment, although GE officials cautioned in interviews Tuesday that the cell will not be devoted exclusively to work with NASA.
- “This is not an announcement that comes lightly,” said Christine Andrews, leader of GE Aerospace’s hybrid electric systems team. “This has been well in the works for 18 months.”
Worth noting: GE officials did not offer specifics when asked how the expansion would affect employment at the site.
All about that base: New mission for Wright-Patterson
Credit: Ty Greenlees
Credit: Ty Greenlees
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is poised to get a new space-focused intelligence mission and 90 new personnel in the process, the Air Force announced.
- Looking ahead: Wright-Patterson is expected to host a new unit, the 76th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron, after an environmental impact analysis this summer, gaining about 90 new personnel, the Air Force said.
Why it matters: The squadron will improve and integrate intelligence capabilities with a focus on a “military advantage in space,” the service said in a release late Wednesday.
- “The expected basing of the 76th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance squadron is yet another indicator of Wright-Patt’s status as the flagship installation of the Air Force’s and Space Force’s Air and Space Intelligence capabilities,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, who is chairman of the House Select Permanent Committee on Intelligence.
🔦 Small business spotlight: Bowling center operator honored
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Winning game: A local man whose family started a small business more than 70 years ago and expanded it to include three different locations, is the 2023 Small Business Champion for Ohio.
- Joe Poelking was selected for the honor by the Ohio chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization.
🎳 He operates three Dayton-area bowling centers: Poelking on Wilmington in Dayton, Poelking Woodman Lanes in Kettering, and Poelking Lanes South in Miami Twp. The businesses employ between 90 and 95 people, said Poelking.
- “Joe is a strong advocate for small business, and he’s built strong relationships with his state legislators and other officials,” NFIB State Director Chris Ferruso said.