Boeing

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], which develops missile defense solutions for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and other customers, has signed an agreement to mentor Wildwood Electronics, a woman-owned small business in Huntsville, Ala., that supports several of those programs.

Wildwood Electronics provides electronic components, cable harness fabrication, environmental testing and quality assurance for the Arrow, Avenger and Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) systems, and the Surface-Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) system. Boeing is the prime contractor for Avenger and GMD and a subcontractor for SLAMRAAM. Arrow is a co-production program with Israel Aircraft Industries.

Under the one-year Mentor-Protégé agreement, Boeing will help Wildwood Electronics establish "lean" processes in manufacturing and business management across the organization, improving the company's ability to compete for future defense contracts.

"We are proud to be associated with Wildwood and with this Mentor-Protégé agreement, the latest in a series that Boeing has established with small and disadvantaged companies," said Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "Mentor-Protégé agreements are a priority for Boeing because they promote the growth of suppliers and strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base."

"Wildwood is honored to be associated with Boeing as a protégé under this agreement," said Becky Owens, president, Wildwood Electronics. "This agreement will allow us to access Boeing's vast training resources and lean manufacturing assessment and assistance to help open doors of opportunity for our company and prepare us to respond to customer requirements."

The U.S. Department of Defense Mentor-Protégé Program pairs large companies with eligible small businesses to enhance their capabilities and enable them to successfully compete for larger, more complex prime contract and subcontract awards. Besides the agreement with Wildwood Electronics, Boeing Missile Defense Systems has Mentor-Protégé agreements with All Points Logistics in Huntsville, Ala.; Aleut Technologies in Anchorage, Alaska; and DK Communications in Colorado Springs, Colo.