FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2008

HEATH – For the second year in a row, the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority will host a contingent of local public and private officials meeting with members of the Ohio delegation to Congress in Washington, D.C. This year’s “D.C. Fly-In” as it is dubbed, will take place Wednesday, April 30.

The contingent will meet with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, U.S. Representative Zack Space, and U.S. Representative Pat Tiberi in their respective Capitol Hill offices. A briefing with legislative staff of the Ohio congressional delegation is also scheduled along with a meeting with staff for U.S. Senator George Voinovich.

An 11-person contingent is scheduled to make the trip which is set for flying in and out in the same day. Officials from major employers at The Base—Boeing, Bionetics, and Atlantic Inertial Systems—are attending along with local leaders. Expected to make the fly-in are Licking County Commissioners Tim Bubb, Doug Smith, and Mark Van Buren; Heath Mayor Richard Waugh; Licking County Chamber of Commerce President Cheri Hottinger; Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority Board Member Fred Paul; Port Authority Executive Director Rick Platt and Operations Assistant Bill Wright.

“One of the major responsibilities of the Port Authority, as owner of the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center, is to keep federal, state, and local officials informed and engaged in the successes and challenges of The Base,” said Rick Platt of the Port Authority. “It’s fitting that the story about one of Ohio’s most successful public-private partnerships will be told by an impressive public and private contingent that epitomizes The Base.”

The day is organized and funded by the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority as part of its caucus-building strategy aimed at increasing knowledge among federal, state, and local officials about the value and impact of The Base. On the agenda for the day are requests for continued support for the workloads that are key to maintaining The Base’s economic impact and updates on aerospace and defense-related industry trends, particularly those being noticed at The Base.

For more information, visit hnlcpa.com and click on DC Fly-In.

The Port Authority will continue its caucus-building efforts with a similar series of meetings in Columbus as part of Ohio Aerospace Day on May 7. Meetings that day are set with State Senator Tim Schaffer, Representative Jay Hottinger, and other state officials.