Macomb A&D Intel: Fall 2026

• A&D Committee Welcome
• Priority reads
• Regional industry voices
• Upcoming events
• Articles, blogs
• Connect with us

Aerospace and Defense Committee welcome

Your first national defense show doesn't have to be a room of strangers

Exhibiting at a national defense show for the first time means walking into a hall where few people know your company. Berg Tool, a Chesterfield fabrication and machining company and a member of the Macomb County Chamber, did that this year at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Andrew Kavc, president of Berg Tool, also holds a seat on the Chamber's Aerospace and Defense Committee. The company shared the Michigan booth, arranged through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation.

Most Macomb County companies cannot staff every show or knock on every federal door, and none of them should have to carry their story to Washington alone.

"It was great to see them there," said Kelley Lovati, President and CEO of the Macomb County Chamber. "They were very excited to connect, and they had a lot of great meetings and made some great connections for work and supply chain."

Lovati described the Chamber's plan for working the floor in three steps.

Step one: Show up where your company exhibits

The Macomb Delegation includes Macomb County Planning and Economic Development, the Chamber and Macomb Community College, and this year it also brought in delegates from Oakland and Wayne counties through the Detroit Regional Defense Coalition. On the exhibit floor, the Chamber focuses on retention, which means visiting the Macomb companies already exhibiting. The delegation also meets companies that might invest in the county.

"We're here to support the business," Lovati said. "We're showing that we have that unity across different organizations to support our businesses."

Retention depends on showing up when a local company has something to show. SAPA Transmissions exhibited in its own independent booth, which Lovati described as "absolutely beautiful" and "bigger and better than last year." She said that being "a familiar face right from home" is central to the Chamber's role.

Step two: Bring the workforce answer with you

Workforce came up in many of the Chamber's conversations with companies. Lovati noted that Macomb Community College is positioned to build education programs around an employer's specific skills gap. "They have the tools, they have the education, and then they have that flexibility to adapt to those unique needs of the organizations," she said.

Step three: Carry your concerns to Capitol Hill

A concern that never leaves the shop floor never reaches a federal office. The delegation met with Sen. Elissa Slotkin's office and relayed the top concerns that local businesses face. Lovati said the senator already knows Macomb County's aerospace and defense sector, "but it's always good to hear it again." The visit reflects the Chamber's advocacy work: "connecting those local experiences of our employers and letting the federal offices hear what's going on."

What success looks like in 2027

In 2027, Lovati said, the Chamber's Aerospace and Defense Committee will build a marketing message that explains why Macomb County is a strong location for aerospace and defense companies. The Detroit Regional Defense Coalition represents the region, she noted, "but as Macomb County, we want to have our message too."

Bring us your concern

Tell Kelley Lovati which concern you want federal offices to hear at 586-493-7600 or [email protected].

Defense giants struggle with supply chains, Macomb's local suppliers can help

Large defense contractors keep running into the same obstacle: their supply chains. A Macomb County manufacturer can have exactly the capability they need and still lack the introduction.

Macomb County Planning and Economic Development works in the space between the two. Its director, Vicky Rowinski, took that work to the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., which draws more than 40,000 attendees and more than 750 exhibits. Rowinski calls it the largest Army ground-vehicle show in the United States and has attended for more than a decade. This year she met one-on-one on that floor with the C-suite leaders of defense companies that operate in Macomb County, to learn whether they are hiring, expanding or considering new facilities. The answer to each, she said, was yes.

"It's a major amount of follow-up," Rowinski said, "because these companies are growing ... and they've got a lot to do in the next couple of years."

Macomb County's role between industry and government

Macomb County sees itself as "kind of that middleman between business and industry trying to grow," Rowinski explained, helping companies "navigate the waters of government." The county also works with regional partners. The Detroit Regional Defense Coalition, for example, brings a regional approach, which is essential because the workforce for a large new employer extends beyond Macomb County.

Attracting prime contractors, strengthening the supply chain

The second day of the conference focused on attraction. Rowinski spoke with Fortune 500 companies that have no or a limited physical footprint in Macomb County, including Boeing and Lockheed, about the challenges they face. "A lot of it ties back to the supply chain," she said, and supply chain was the central topic this year.

Macomb County's goal is to land those companies, she said, and Boeing is the prime contractor on the F-15EX, which makes a larger footprint here a priority. Local companies fit into the same strategy. "Companies like Berg Tool can absolutely be a supplier to some of these larger businesses that have some pretty hefty defense contracts," Rowinski said.

Each conversation on the floor produced leads, and her team is following up on every one. The next step, she said, is to pursue the larger companies that showed interest.

Innovation beyond the traditional defense base

Macomb County also joined Oakland County and the Detroit Regional Defense Coalition at the Di2 summit, which Rowinski described as a place to learn how companies outside the traditional defense base can bring their technology into the Department of War. The summit centers on knowledge sharing. One session, "Inside the DEFENSEWERX Innovation Hubs: Where Industry Meets the Mission," brought together leaders from four federal innovation pathways: ERDCWERX for engineering and research, FLEETWERX for the Navy and Marines, HSWERX for Homeland Security and SOFWERX for Special Operations.

The speaker lineup delivered the learning Rowinski expected. Sessions explained how the military services find, buy and integrate new technology, and the four innovation hubs described what their mission partners are seeking and how industry can engage. For Macomb County, the takeaway is a pipeline of its own: startups and second-stage companies that can take what they build beyond their current industry and into the Department of War. Rowinski's team stands ready alongside the Macomb companies prepared to grow, and the county is dedicated to making that growth happen.

The International Landing Zone expands regionally

For more than a decade, the International Landing Zone has been a Macomb County asset. International companies establish a presence at Velocity in Sterling Heights for six months at no charge, with services that help them set up a U.S. entity, follow export rules and find workforce. SAPA Transmission grew out of the program.

In 2027, the program expands. The state of Michigan, through the Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation, awarded the Detroit Regional Defense Coalition a contract to run it as a regional international landing zone, Rowinski said. A company could use space at New Lab in Detroit or test a vehicle on the range at the Holly ORV Park. Macomb County keeps what it has, including the Velocity space and partners who sign agreements to supply the support services. "ILZ has been very good for Macomb County," she said, "and it's great that Phase 2 looks at expanding it to more of a regional asset."

Where to connect

If you are an international company ready to set up in the United States, request six months of no-cost office space at Velocity in Sterling Heights. If you are a Macomb County manufacturer that wants an introduction to a larger defense contractor, contact Todd Seibert of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development at 586-719-0349 or [email protected].

Macomb Community College launches navy-supported maritime manufacturing cohort

Macomb Community College is expanding opportunities for individuals seeking careers in advanced manufacturing through its Maritime Manufacturing Program, a focused 17-week training initiative designed to prepare participants for careers supporting the nation's maritime and defense industries.

The program's newest cohort began on October 26, 2026, providing students with hands-on technical training aligned with the workforce needs of naval shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing employers. The accelerated format enables participants to quickly develop industry-relevant skills needed for employment in a sector that continues to experience significant demand for qualified workers.

The U.S. Navy is covering tuition and fees for eligible participants. By removing financial barriers, the initiative expands access to career training while helping strengthen the pipeline of skilled workers needed to support critical national defense programs.

Students in the program receive practical instruction in manufacturing processes, workplace safety, and technical skills that can be applied across a range of maritime and defense-related industries. The training reflects the growing collaboration between education, industry, and government to build a workforce capable of meeting future defense manufacturing requirements.

The launch of the October 2026 cohort highlights Macomb Community College's ongoing commitment to workforce innovation and its leadership role in supporting the aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing sectors. Through programs like Maritime Manufacturing, the college continues to create opportunities for students while contributing to the long-term strength and resilience of the defense industrial base.

Priority reads

Small business spotlight: Spalding DeDecker sets the standard for local firms on air base projects

Every upgrade on Selfridge Air National Guard Base starts with a map. Before engineers design the rerouted road or architects size the new hangars, a survey crew has to measure the ground. Spalding DeDecker, a local employee-owned engineering and surveying firm founded in 1954, does that work for several project teams at the base. Catherine DeDecker, the firm's Senior Vice President, described surveyors as people who are "in the field first before the job starts" and "one of the last ones to leave when the job is done."

A hole in the dirt

DeDecker's introduction to the work came on Sundays. Her father stopped at a project site on the drive home from her grandmother's house, and to her it looked like "a hole in the dirt." The name on the firm tells part of the story, she said: "My last name is DeDecker, so that kinda tells you a little bit about my history."

She spent the summer between her junior and senior years of high school on a survey crew and enjoyed being outside the whole time. She started at the firm as a receptionist and worked through its roles to her current title. At the beginning she was the only woman in the field. "I was never uncomfortable because that never bothered me," she said. Young women entering the field today find a different scene: "They're not gonna be the only ones on site."

Seats on the Selfridge teams

On the non-airfield side of the Selfridge work, Spalding DeDecker is on the Tetra Tech team handling the reroute of Rosso Highway and the Irwin Drain. The firm's surveyors created the base maps the engineers used to design the change. On the airfield side, it is on the Mead & Hunt team, the lead on design for the runway shift. The runway moves a couple hundred feet north so the south end becomes a clear zone, which forces the road to loop around it. "I call it a loop-de-loop. It's not really a loop-de-loop, but that's what I call it," DeDecker said.

The firm belongs to teams for the new KC-46 and F-15EX missions as well, including the hangars at the south end. DeDecker said the firm handles survey on those projects and draws the maps that let engineers and architects size the improvements.

Repeat clients and shared ownership

About 85% of the firm's work comes from repeat clients, DeDecker said, and she credited every department: "I think all of our people put their heart and soul into their work." Employee ownership may add to that commitment. Everyone who works at the firm owns part of it, so they can say, "I own a piece of this, so I'm gonna give a little bit extra." Or, she added, "maybe that's just the people that we hire just have that mindset."

Her brother Mike, a survey project manager, takes the firm's hardest steel projects, where a building might climb 20 stories and the steel has to fit together "like an Erector Set." A steel client told her, "You're the only company we'll hire to do this because we know it's gonna be done right."

Hardcore means showing up

When asked what makes her hardcore, DeDecker pointed to promises kept. Being hardcore, she said, "means you do what you say you're gonna do, no matter what or how difficult it is."

Off the clock, she serves as a Marine Safety Officer with the Macomb County Sheriff Reserve Marine Division, patrolling Lake St. Clair in the summers. During one early rescue, her boat's crew thought a floating object was a deflated balloon and found four people on inflatable rafts, roughly a mile from shore, panicking after they drifted out. When one girl started to go under, a crewmate grabbed her hand and pulled her aboard. In the moment, DeDecker said, "you're not thinking. You're just in that rescue mode." Afterward came relief "that the day went well, that it was not a recovery mission, it was a rescue mission."

When she wants quiet, she photographs waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula and shoots trap beside her grandson. Back at the base, the rerouted road, the drain and the hangars each begin as a measurement, and her surveyors are in the field first to take it.

Meet the people doing the work

The Macomb County Chamber's Aerospace & Defense Committee meets monthly and brings suppliers together with area officials and other businesses working on similar projects. To join, contact Kelley Lovati, President and CEO of the Macomb County Chamber, at 586-493-7600 or [email protected].

This article is drawn from a conversation between Catherine DeDecker and host Shelly Rood on "Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self®," episode 67. Listen here. Watch now.

Tanks on the berm, Chinooks overhead: Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel on Selfridge

Every supplier eyeing work at Selfridge Air National Guard Base eventually wonders who stands behind Macomb County's pitch and why they care. County Executive Mark Hackel gave his answer in a recent phone interview with A&D Intel, and it begins with tanks on a berm.

Tanks on the berm

Hackel grew up in a housing complex built for wartime workers. "The first place we lived was kind of that housing complex area called Kramer Homes. It was built for the war efforts," he said. Workers came in to help build tanks at the arsenal, and young Hackel saw the results. "I would see those tanks, you know, up on the berm and really didn't think much about it."

The meaning arrived slowly. Hackel made more connections across the county as he got older, learned more about Selfridge, and came to see his own neighborhood as part of the Arsenal of Democracy: "We were building those tanks that helped with the war effort."

A protective streak

Hackel began his career in 1981 as a dispatcher in the Macomb County Sheriff's Office. He spent the next 30 years working up through every rank, and voters elected him sheriff in 2000. In 2011, voters made him the county's first-ever executive. That career gave him a feel for "that public safety, that protective nature," and it shapes how he talks about the county's defense work. "What a sense of pride we have of, you know, history of making things that protect those who protect us."

That history continues as F-15EX fighters replace the A-10s. From his office window he can see Selfridge and its flight path. The Chinooks pass through, and a few F-15s have already come and gone, "even though they're not ours."

The base that said "Hometown"

Hackel said the county spent years underselling its defense heritage: "The unfortunate reality was we never talked about it."

That changed when Selfridge's generals started reaching out. Hackel recalled the message as "hey, we're your hometown airbase." The people working on the base come from the same community, and the generals wanted neighbors to know it. He traced the shift to retired Brig. Gen. Doug Slocum, who commanded the 127th Wing at Selfridge, and the county's interest in the base and its air shows kept growing from there.

When the fight to keep a fighter mission arrived, the base leaned on that goodwill. Hackel credited Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Michigan's Adjutant General, for carrying the case at the state level. "He understood the defense installations. He understood the defense industry. He understood the need over at Selfridge Air Base." Leaders from local, state and federal government, across both parties, followed. In Hackel's view, the result will keep Selfridge sustainable for "probably 50 to 100 years." He gave the credit back to the base: the people at Selfridge "owe themselves kind of a pat on the back."

The sound of freedom

Hackel lives about 20 miles from the base, and the Chinooks still fly over his house. "Every time they come out, I can't wait to hear that sound, you know, that sound of freedom, if you will," he said. He is not alone, in his telling: there are people who "wait for that noise to come about," and "it sends chills up your spine when it does."

From guarded to open

The shift Hackel values most is in how people behave toward one another. Companies, legislators, municipalities and Selfridge itself now share information they once held close. "Instead of protecting your information and being guarded, there's a willingness now," he said. He called the county's version "Macomb with everybody."

He described the result as a "trust factor" and asked suppliers to take part. Companies need to "be willing to accept that help and be willing to participate in helping the others within the industry as well."

For a small or mid-sized business, that help starts with the county's planning department. Hackel pointed to the Selfridge Mission Next website, where businesses can find project information and bid on work as it comes available. Planning and Economic Development Director Vicky Rowinski and her team, he added, are "geared up" to assist.

Beyond the Midwest

Hackel watched Huntsville, Alabama, try to claim Macomb's defense capital title, a role he said the county has owned for decades. "They were trying to replicate what we did." He wants Macomb to aim past the Midwest: "Why is it that we can't become the defense capital of America?"

In his view, the next step sits at the state level, and he is holding specifics for the next governor. Hackel said he does not know that Macomb's large share of defense contracts will shift much. He then drew his line: "Even if it did, we're okay with that as long as there's continued growth within the region and the state."

A supplier wondering who stands behind Macomb County's pitch has Hackel's answer: someone who grew up in housing built for the war effort and still stops to listen when the Chinooks fly over. The boy who thought little of the tanks now waits for the sound.

Where to connect

Macomb County Planning and Economic Development connects suppliers with Selfridge Mission Next project information and the team Hackel describes as ready to help. Obtain your next step by calling Todd Seibert (586-719-0349, [email protected]).

Michigan Adjutant General: Air base projects run ahead of schedule, but Guard recruiting needs help

Being ahead of schedule creates problems for other people, & Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Michigan's Adjutant General, enjoys that. At the October meeting of the Macomb County Chamber's Aerospace and Defense Committee, he said all five of the base's current projects are running ahead, then joked about the side effect: "I fully believe in creating problems for other people." A faster build can push the Air Force to loosen its budgeting, and the room laughed.

Where the projects stand

The runway extension now has a contractor, and crews broke ground Oct. 28. Lawmakers set aside $152 million for the project, which Rogers called a sign of Michigan's readiness. He credited the contracting and engineering teams and the surrounding community. Over the next five to six years, he expects the work to feed local restaurants, hotels and other businesses.

An eight-bay hangar for F-15EX fighters has a contractor too, along with one or two smaller buildings.

The money still to come

Rogers expects $200 million in federal investment next year if events unfold the way he anticipates, and he expects the full $300 million from Washington within three years.

The risks Rogers is watching

His tone turned to threats. Rogers asked the incoming governor to stay vigilant in protecting the base. Closer to home, he described Air National Guard recruiting as an often unseen threat to everything the base is trying to do, and he said recruiting needs community support.

Michigan's pull beyond the base

Rogers recently traveled with the governor to Grayling, where the National All-Domain Warfighting Center has kicked off. Overseas, he said, about 80% of the conversations in South Korea and Taiwan about moving companies to Michigan include access and testing. Eight Taiwanese companies want airspace testing and are looking to build a technology park for drone and robotics manufacturing.

He closed with a cautionary thought on global competition: "Sometimes when you partner, you're solving a problem for your competition."

Mark the calendar

The Michigan Defense and Aerospace Summit, hosted by [host], runs March 31 to April 1.

Regional industry voices

Base community council shows civilians how to serve the mission without a uniform

You pull into the lot at work, and before you reach for your coffee, your eyes go looking for one particular car. If you catch yourself scanning for it, you already know something about that person that you have not said out loud.

Are you looking for their car because you're excited for a day of collaboration? Or are you looking to see if they're where they're supposed to be? That glance may be a small version of a bigger problem.

If you lead a team near Selfridge Air National Guard Base, you want your work to count for the mission, and you cannot always tell which people will show up when it matters. You may also wonder how a civilian can be impactful when it comes to life around the base.

John Stolz has lived both questions. He is a part owner of a precision machining company and president of the Selfridge Base Community Council, he has spent about 40 years in manufacturing, and he has never worn a uniform. He learned the answer to the first question "the hard way probably multiple times."

Step one: Run the parking lot test

"If you're pulling into the parking lot at work in the morning and you find that you have to look for so-and-so's car to see if they show up, you're not trusting that person," Stolz said. A leader surrounded by the right people feels the difference. In his example, he knows his production lead will be there "and I know he is gonna be doing the right thing. I don't even have to look for his car."

He wants that standard at every level of a company, because "every position is a key position."

Step two: Trust a few people, then step back

Trust costs something, and Stolz does not pretend otherwise. Betrayal hurts, he said, and a leader still has to extend trust: "You still have to take the risk." He held himself to the same standard when he became a part owner about five or six years ago. He compared the decision to marriage and said partners have to share values and ethics.

Korea taught him the rest. His employer, a German automotive company, sent him with three colleagues to turn around a struggling plant, and nearly every meeting document was in a language he could not read. The habit of micromanaging stopped working, so he leaned on two or three people he trusted to tell him the truth. After two years the plant turned a profit and secured jobs for hundreds of workers. "Surround yourself with a few people you can trust and then get out of their way," he said.

Step three: Serve without a uniform

A council member invited Stolz to join the Selfridge Base Community Council years ago, and he said yes. The council's mission, he said, is to improve and maintain the relationship between the base and the community, and it gives people who never put on a uniform a way to serve. He works alongside base personnel on the open house and air show and described them as people who "have got their act together." The sacrifice they and their families make leaves him humbled. "It's intimidating and humbling at the same time," he said.

His machine shop ties him to the mission as well. It makes parts for firearms optics, defense, aerospace and industrial customers, including powertrain components for ground vehicles and engine parts for single-engine aircraft, and the people on the line know it. "The guys on the line are so proud that the part they're making is gonna go into whatever the end product is," he said.

What skipping the test costs

Without trusted people, the work lands on the leader. Before Korea, Stolz said, "this old John" worked 14 hours trying to micromanage everything and was "totally ineffective." Betrayal, he added, "could be catastrophic if you don't control it."

The air show carries a version of the same risk. It runs every other year, so the people in place change between editions, and Stolz stressed that "it's important to have a continuity book" and "a really good handoff."

What success looks like

The open house and air show returns in 2028, and the show's website says plans are already underway. Stolz said organizers like to start about three years out, and requests for the major demonstration teams go in two to two-and-a-half years ahead.

At the last show, school STEAM events drew engagement "10 times what we thought it would be," and every school the council approached said yes. The show is free, so "if we don't lose money, it's a pretty successful air show." His favorite moment came afterward, when his younger son told friends his dad helped put it together.

By the time the gates open in 2028, the show will rest on the test Stolz uses at work, and the people worth building around will already be there.

Where to connect

Follow plans for the 2028 open house and air show at teamselfridge.com. Click HERE to read more about the Selfridge Base Community Council, and to see if joining as a member makes sense for you.

This article is drawn from a conversation between John Stolz and host Shelly Rood on "Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self®," episode 40. Listen here. Watch now.

Gov. Whitmer announces launch of Space Innovation Hub to cement Michigan as national leader in space economy

Michigan launched the Michigan Space Innovation Hub, a first-of-its-kind statewide network designed to accelerate growth in Michigan's space economy. Supported by a nearly $1.2 million one-year grant from the Michigan Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation (ODAI) at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the new hub will be anchored at Newlab Detroit within the Michigan Central Innovation District.

The Space Innovation Hub will accelerate growth in Michigan's space economy by serving as a cohesive space ecosystem, connecting manufacturers, startups, researchers, investors, workforce partners, and federal agencies. It will provide members with access to advanced testing and manufacturing capabilities, a digital resource platform, supplier readiness and commercialization support, talent development pipelines, and collaborative workspace at the Michigan Central innovation district.

"Michigan is reimagining the Arsenal of Democracy, drawing on our legacy of industrial strength and modern capacity for innovation. This Hub is the current cornerstone of our space strategy, which is in its second year of execution," said Col. John T. Gutierrez, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), Executive Director of ODAI at the MEDC. "In that time, as evidenced by our Michigan Space Forum, MEDC and ODAI have earned a reputation of leading Michigan with unity of effort in participating in and capturing value from this high-growth, high-value market, becoming the Arsenal of Innovation for the next generation of defense and dual-use technologies."

In addition to Newlab, Michigan Central's core partners include the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) and the National Advanced Mobility Consortium (NAMC). The Space Innovation Hub will be managed by Kevin Cronin, Michigan Central's new Executive Director of Aerospace, and will also draw on a senior advisor network that includes former SpaceX, Raytheon, NASA-affiliated, Department of Defense, and commercial space leaders, bringing deep industry expertise and national relationships to Michigan's manufacturing, research, and innovation ecosystem.

Key initiatives will include Sprint to Supply Space, designed to expand Michigan's space-qualified manufacturing capacity, as well as year-round industry programming and the annual Michigan Space Summit. Through coordinated communications and national industry engagement, the Hub will elevate Michigan as a premier center for space innovation and support long-term ecosystem growth.

"Michigan has built a robust aerospace industry that's an important driver of our state's economy, and space is a big part of that," said Aaron Johnson, president of the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan (AIAM). "Michigan companies are already contributing to major space programs today, and there is tremendous potential to build on that foundation. The Space Innovation Hub is an exciting opportunity to bring these strengths together and accelerate Michigan's role in the growing space economy."

Today, the aerospace industry includes more than 900 companies in Michigan employing roughly 30,000 workers, according to AIAM, contributing to a space economy that accounted for $142.5 billion of total U.S. GDP in 2023.

Content used with permission provided by MI.gov: Gov. Whitmer Announces Launch of Space Innovation Hub to Cement Michigan as National Leader in Space Economy

Upcoming events

Here is the list of upcoming Aerospace and Defense related events in and around Michigan and around the country ...

If you have an event coming up in 2026, please contact us and we can include it in an upcoming newsletter.

Articles, blogs

• Michigan: Forging New Pathways

• Selfridge base groundbreaking ceremony

Connect with us

Macomb County Planning and Economic Development
Macomb County's economic development team serves as representatives for the aerospace and defense industries in our community. We therefore invite you to contact us to learn more about what we're doing to support our A&D business and how we are connecting them to programs that help them grow. You can also follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Macomb County Chamber
You can also get in touch with Kelley Lovati and her team at the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce, or follow them on Facebook for more news and information.

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