New England Companies: Don’t Miss This Opportunity
David Vye, IMS Insider EditorBoston has always been a big draw for attendees and exhibitors at Microwave Week. The reason is due in part to the large number of industry-related companies in New England. I have written extensively about this rich tradition in my look back at the history of Microwave Journal and the industry it serves over the past 50+ years. Today, many engineers and the companies they work for are still located here. This is attributable to the large number of universities and engineering schools that produce new talent every year, and the many thriving local microwave companies that attract job-seekers.
Over time, many locals have had the chance to work for several New England engineering companies. There was a time when working professionals could expect to spend their entire career at one company. And then, perhaps it was in the mid-1980’s, engineers began looking for greener pasture among various employers. Alternatively, many engineers were forced to switch companies as some faired better than others during economically challenging times (yes - downturns seem to happen regularly). While jumping from Raytheon to M/A-Com to Alpha Industry benefitted engineers with a bump in pay and rank, it benefitted companies as well by allowing the engineering talent to stay local until business turned around. These companies were also well-served thanks to the infusion of new talent that came ready with real-world knowledge.
The importance of exchanging knowledge is evident in the engineering successes experienced by the companies that I mentioned above as well as other New England notables such as Hittite, Cobham, BAE (Lockheed Sanders), Mitre, MIT Lincoln Labs, MDL, Sage, Millitech, Herley and many more. With tight budgets and hiring freezes, the revolving door between companies has slowed to a trickle and yet the need to share knowledge and experience is as great as ever.
Where am I going with this? Well, without hiring new engineers, where are companies going to get fresh ideas without busting the travel budget? Where will opportunities be discovered? A local conference on the latest techniques and technology would seem to fit the bill. It would seem to be in the best interest of the Microwave companies in and around Boston, to make a concerted effort to get their engineers to Microwave week for at least a portion of the event. The material being presented in the technical sessions represents the next generation of technology that will drive and dominate the commercial and defense related business on the other side of this worldwide recession. The exhibition will be full of potential fodder for ideas and opportunities for your engineers to converse directly with suppliers and potential customers or partners. Such gatherings are also an ideal opportunity to learn more about the competition. Creativity does not happen in a vacuum.
Managers, you may be asking yourself whether you can afford to send your engineers to Boston for a day or more. I ask; can you afford not to?