While much of the world is today commemorating the D-Day landings of 1944, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen reminded attendees this morning at the association’s Regional Forum at New York’s Westchester County Airport (HPN) that the organization was founded in New York just three years after that momentous event. As he described some of the challenges the business aviation industry has faced since, he focused on the latest.

“The reality is we have a clear challenge in front of us, and that is cultivating, attracting, and retaining that new generation of workforce,” said Bolen. “How do we, as a community, leverage our individual and collective strengths to reach out young people with the message that if you are looking for a place where your time, your attention, your passion, and your commitment to excellence is going to be valued, come to business aviation?”

He explained that the industry has much to offer today’s youth, which has grown increasingly technology-savvy. “We are in a high-tech industry,” he noted. “It is no small feat to get an airplane to fly halfway around the world, quickly, efficiently, and safely.”

Bolen urged the audience to be proactive in reaching out to prospective industry members. “One of the best ways to do that is to invite them to come in and see who we are and what we do.”