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Grand Forks Herald |
Summary of the Talk
1. Alexander expressed his appreciation for Grand Forks and North Dakota for their role in the company's success, stating that expansion to the state was crucial for the company's growth.
2. General Atomics operates two hangars at GrandSky Aviation Park in Grand Forks, one since 2016 and another since August 2023.
3. The company has close ties with the University of North Dakota and benefits from the unmanned aircraft training opportunities in Grand Forks.
4. General Atomics has received significant local support, including from elected officials like Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, and Representative Kelly Armstrong.
5. The company has been working on new sensors that can see up to 100 miles and use artificial intelligence to detect anomalies.
6. Alexander discussed how the company fosters innovation by regularly bringing employees together to generate ideas and update their five-year roadmap.
7. He also emphasized the importance of providing employees with interesting work and a mission they believe in to retain talent.
8. Alexander advised businesses to engage with universities through strong internship programs and to offer jobs to promising interns before they leave.
During fireside chat, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems leader discusses company's work with Grand Forks - Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, East Grand Forks news, weather & sports
GRAND FORKS — During a fireside chat Tuesday, David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, voiced his appreciation for Grand Forks and North Dakota as a whole for its role in the company.
General Atomics is a manufacturer of military unmanned aerial vehicles and operates two hangars at GrandSky Aviation Park, one since 2016 and the other since August 2023 . Alexander said things would have been different for the company if it hadn’t branched out to North Dakota.
“We wouldn’t have made it without expanding up here,” he said. “It is super important, what we have up here.”
Alexander’s chat was part of the first Future Forum event held by the Greater North Dakota Chamber (GNDC), a business advocacy organization, in celebration of the chamber’s 100-year anniversary. The event was held at Minnkota Power Cooperative and included conversations about health care, education, technology, energy, agriculture and the future of business. The fireside chat with Alexander was moderated by GNDC CEO and President Arik Spencer.
The conversation with General Atomics also follows the company’s recent action to join the North Dakota Unmanned Aircraft Systems Council.
General Atomics is headquartered mostly in San Diego, California, Alexander said, and has 78 locations around the world. Its primary customers are the U.S. Air Force, Army and Marine Corps, and Alexander said the company hopes to work with the Navy. The international side has also taken off, and crew and pilot training is building. The company is known for affordable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aviation, and counterterrorism has been a large focus since 9/11.
"If you’re Adam West, it’s hard to get different acting jobs because everyone sees you as Batman,” Alexander said. “So everyone saw us as counterterrorism aircraft.”
Recent work by General Atomics has been in new sensors that can see 100 miles. When they're all laid down, they create a common operating picture. Using artificial intelligence, strange things — such as a ship acting oddly — can be sensed.
Alexander also spoke of a deeper relationship with Grand Forks. The air space available here made it a more viable area for training, such as high latitude and cold-weather testing. The company has close ties to UND, he said, and Grand Forks has opportunities in unmanned aircraft training that is useful for General Atomics. Local support has also been big for the company, including support from elected officials like Sen. John Hoeven, Sen. Kevin Cramer and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, he said.
Local advancements in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) has included a contract between the Grand Forks County Commission and United States Department of Defense for UAS testing, development and research at GrandSky. The first task order , approved in May, is part of Project ULTRA (UAS logistics, traffic, research and autonomy), and will study how UAS can deliver military cargo.
Asked how General Atomics fosters innovation and retains talent, Alexander spoke about continuity with leaders and getting employees together regularly to think up new ideas and update the company’s five-year roadmap, continually looking at General Atomics’ trajectory going forward. He said keeping good employees involves giving them interesting things to do and providing them with a mission they believe in. He also gave advice on how businesses can engage more with universities, mainly through strong internship programs.
“If they’re good and you want them back, before they leave, put an offer in their hand,” he said.
Otto is the region reporter for the Grand Forks Herald.
Fireside Chat with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Leader
During a fireside chat Tuesday, David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, voiced his appreciation for Grand Forks and North Dakota as a whole for its role in the company.
General Atomics is a manufacturer of military unmanned aerial vehicles and operates two hangars at GrandSky Aviation Park, one since 2016 and the other since August 2023 . Alexander said things would have been different for the company if it hadn’t branched out to North Dakota.
“We wouldn’t have made it without expanding up here,” he said. “It is super important, what we have up here.”
Alexander’s chat was part of the first Future Forum event held by the Greater North Dakota Chamber (GNDC), a business advocacy organization, in celebration of the chamber’s 100-year anniversary. The event was held at Minnkota Power Cooperative and included conversations about health care, education, technology, energy, agriculture and the future of business. The fireside chat with Alexander was moderated by GNDC CEO and President Arik Spencer.
The conversation with General Atomics also follows the company’s recent action to join the North Dakota Unmanned Aircraft Systems Council.
General Atomics is headquartered mostly in San Diego, California, Alexander said, and has 78 locations around the world. Its primary customers are the U.S. Air Force, Army and Marine Corps, and Alexander said the company hopes to work with the Navy. The international side has also taken off, and crew and pilot training is building. The company is known for affordable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aviation, and counterterrorism has been a large focus since 9/11.
“If you’re Adam West, it’s hard to get different acting jobs because everyone sees you as Batman,” Alexander said. “So everyone saw us as counterterrorism aircraft.”
Recent work by General Atomics has been in new sensors that can see 100 miles. When they’re all laid down, they create a common operating picture. Using artificial intelligence, strange things — such as a ship acting oddly — can be sensed.
Alexander also spoke of a deeper relationship with Grand Forks. The air space available here made it a more viable area for training, such as high latitude and cold-weather testing. The company has close ties to UND, he said, and Grand Forks has opportunities in unmanned aircraft training that is useful for General Atomics. Local support has also been big for the company, including support from elected officials like Sen. John Hoeven, Sen. Kevin Cramer and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, he said.
Local advancements in unmanned aircraft systems has included a contract between the Grand Forks County Commission and United States Department of Defense for UAS testing, development and research at GrandSky. The first task order , approved in May, is part of Project ULTRA (UAS logistics, traffic, research and autonomy), and will study how UAS can deliver military cargo.
Asked how General Atomics fosters innovation and retains talent, Alexander spoke about continuity with leaders and getting employees together regularly to think up new ideas and update the company’s five-year roadmap, continually looking at General Atomics’ trajectory going forward. He said keeping good employees involves giving them interesting things to do and providing them with a mission they believe in. He also gave advice on how businesses can engage more with universities, mainly through strong internship programs.
“If they’re good and you want them back, before they leave, put an offer in their hand,” he said.
Photo: Greater North Dakota Chamber CEO and President Arik Spencer (left) speaks with David Alexander, President of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, at a Future Forum event Tuesday, June 4, 2024. – Grand Forks Herald
Source: Grand Forks Herald
During a fireside chat, the leader of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems discusses the company’s work with Grand Forks
June 5—GRAND FORKS — During a fireside chat Tuesday, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems President David Alexander expressed his appreciation for Grand Forks and North Dakota as a whole for their role in the company.
General Atomics is a manufacturer of military unmanned aerial vehicles and operates two hangars at the GrandSky Aviation Park, one since 2016 and the other since August 2023. Alexander said things would have been different for the company had it not moved to North Dakota.
“We wouldn’t have made it without expanding here,” he says. “It’s super important what we have here.”
Alexander’s chat was part of the first Future Forum event held by the Greater North Dakota Chamber (GNDC), a business advocacy group, in celebration of the chamber’s 100th anniversary. The event was held at Minnkota Power Cooperative and included discussions on healthcare, education, technology, energy, agriculture and the future of business. The fireside chat with Alexander was moderated by GNDC CEO and President Arik Spencer.
The conversation with General Atomics also follows that of the company recent action to participate the North Dakota Unmanned Aircraft Systems Council.
General Atomics is headquartered largely in San Diego, California, Alexander said, and has 78 locations around the world. Its major customers are the U.S. Air Force, Army and Marine Corps, and Alexander said the company hopes to work with the Navy. The international side has also taken off and the training of crew members and pilots is increasing. The company is known for its affordable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aviation, and counter-terrorism has been a major focus since 9/11.
“When you’re Adam West, it’s hard to get different acting jobs because everyone sees you as Batman,” Alexander said. “So everyone saw us as a counter-terrorism aircraft.”
Recent work from General Atomics involves new sensors that can see 100 miles. Once they are all laid out, they create a common operating picture. With the help of artificial intelligence, strange things – such as a ship behaving strangely – can be detected.
Alexander also spoke about a deeper relationship with Grand Forks. The airspace available here made it a more suitable area for training, such as testing at high latitudes and in cold weather. The company has close ties to UND, he said, and Grand Forks has capabilities in unmanned aircraft training that are useful to General Atomics. Local support has also been strong for the company, including support from elected officials such as Sen. John Hoeven, Sen. Kevin Cramer and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, he said.
Local developments in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are included a contract between the Grand Forks County Commission and the U.S. Department of Defense for UAS testing, development and research at GrandSky.
The first task sequence approved in May, is part of Project ULTRA (UAS logistics, traffic, research and autonomy) and will investigate how UAS can deliver military cargo.
When asked how General Atomics drives innovation and retains talent, Alexander spoke about continuity with leaders and regularly bringing employees together to generate new ideas and update the company’s five-year roadmap, constantly looking at General’s future trajectory Atomics. He said keeping good employees means giving them interesting things to do and giving them a mission they believe in. He also provided advice on how companies can collaborate more with universities, especially through strong internship programs.
“If they’re good and you want them back, put an offer in their hand before they leave,” he said.
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