Aerospace leaders see big opportunity for St. Johns County in Florida's fastest-growing industry
Aerospace is the fastest-growing industry in Florida, and the panel at the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce's September EDC Breakfast said St. Johns County is well positioned to grow with it.
The panel included Caitlin Lewis, who leads government affairs for Northrop Grumman across the Southeast, State Rep. Kim Kendall, a former FAA air traffic controller, and Matt Chesnut, vice president of business development for Space Florida, who also moderated. The program was part of the Evolve Learning from Leaders Series.
Howard Holley, founder and CEO of Holley Communications Group, said the series is built around bringing people together to learn from one another.
"We don't just learn by reading. We don't just learn by what we scroll through," Holley said. "We also learn through dialogue, interaction and exchange. And that's what this does."
Built-in advantages
Lewis said few places can match what St. Johns County offers, from an 8,000-foot runway near the water to quick access to I-95, rail, military installations and seaports.
"What you have is an unbelievable infrastructure that is like none other," she said. "But we don't want people to know our secret."
Lewis said companies like Northrop Grumman weigh the whole community before they invest, including local government support, utility partners, chambers of commerce and the strength of local schools. She pointed to St. Johns County's top-ranked K-12 system as a major draw.
"We are looking not just at the workforce of today, but the workforce of tomorrow," Lewis said.
Some of that future workforce was in the audience. Scott Maynard, the Chamber's senior vice president of economic development and public policy, recognized students from the St. Augustine Aviation and Aerospace Academy and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University who attended the breakfast.
Made in St. Johns County
One example of that infrastructure at work is Northrop Grumman's facility at Northeast Florida Regional Airport, where the company builds the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
"Right here in St. Johns County, we have 1,200 employees, and that is set to grow," Lewis said.
The aircraft is a top-four finalist in the statewide Coolest Thing Made in Florida contest, with voting open daily through Sept. 29.
Lewis also encouraged local manufacturers to explore becoming suppliers at northropgrumman.com/suppliers.
"There's not any company that's too small or too large to do business with Northrop Grumman," she said.
A regional advantage
Florida has put roughly $500 million into spaceport development over the past 12 to 13 years, drawing almost $3 billion in private investment. Kendall said work is underway on a reentry license for Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville, which she sees as a draw for St. Johns County.
"We get to Cecil faster than half of Jacksonville," she said. "Where are they going to live? They're going to live in St. Johns County."
The technician gap
The panel agreed the biggest workforce need is skilled technicians.
"We don't have an engineering problem," Lewis said. "We need folks to go back into the trades, and we need to make that cool again."
Lewis noted that Pell Grants can now be used for skilled workforce education, following a state announcement in Melbourne the day before. Northrop Grumman also runs internships and a fabrication program with First Coast Technical College, and Lewis said 90% of its interns return or receive a full-time offer.
A member of the Chamber's attainable housing coalition asked whether housing is still a barrier to Northrop Grumman's growth. Lewis said it remains a need across Florida and is especially prevalent in St. Johns County.
"An aerospace and defense company would not traditionally be in the housing business," she said. "But it affects us."
How businesses can get involved
Panelists pointed to several ways local businesses can take part in the industry's growth. Startups and inventors can reach out to Space Florida at any stage. Chesnut said the agency helps connect young companies with investors through its partnership with the Florida Venture Forum.
"Never too early to talk to us," he said. "Sometimes you need $100,000 or $500,000, and there are a lot of investors that are looking to do that as well."
Space Florida also expects to open a call for projects by the end of September for the first round of its International Aerospace Innovation Fund, a partnership with the UK Space Agency that offers grants to companies developing new technology. Kendall noted a $40 million state grant program for maritime projects that also covers aerospace, and panelists offered to help connect businesses that may qualify.
Businesses with internship or apprenticeship opportunities were encouraged to connect with the Chamber, which works with industry and regional partners to match local talent with employers.
Coming up at the Chamber
The next EDC Breakfast, "The New Playbook for St. Johns Businesses: Competing in an AI-Enabled Economy," is Dec. 11. It will feature participants from the Chamber's first Gen AI cohort. Celebrate! 2026 is Thursday, Nov. 12, at St. Johns Golf & Country Club.
Thank you to our sponsors.
Presenting Sponsor
- Ameris Bank St. Augustine
Sustaining Sponsors
- AdventHealth Palm Coast
- Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP
Capital Sponsors
- Evolve Communications Group
- Historic Tours of America, Inc.
- Old Town Trolley Tours
- St. Augustine & St. Johns County Board of Realtors
Growth Series Sponsors
- DCCM
- HCA Florida Memorial Hospital
- JEA
- Northrop Grumman Corp.
- Waste Management