The fight to save 3,000 jobs at Sealy-based BAE Systems is continuing, with representatives from Katy and Sealy making a last-minute trip to Washington, DC to meet with a top-level Army official.
BAE EFFORT CONTINUES – Katy Area Economic Development Corporation CEO Lance LaCour reports on a trip to Washington, DC last week to meet with a top Army official in an effort to save a military contract for Sealy-based BAE Systems.
Katy Area Economic Development Corporation CEO Lance LaCour was among those making the trip last week to meet with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions Dean Potts.
Speaking at this week’s Katy EDC general assembly meeting, LaCour characterized the meeting as “powerful” and “positive.”
The group also presented Potts with three large binders containing letters of support and resolutions from local governments.
“It was a very powerful meeting, a very productive meeting,” LaCour told Tuesday’s EDC meeting. “It’s an incredible effort; a lot of people have come together in this effort.”
LaCour also said he believed the area’s effort was well-received by Potts.
“We made, I think, a very good case,” he said.
SUPPORT FOR BAE – Letters, petitions and resolutions of support for BAE Systems fill three large binders. Copies of the documents were delivered by Katy and Sealy area representatives to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions Dean Potts during a meeting last week.
LaCour also praised the work of Houston Mayor Bill White, along with a bipartisan Houston area congressional delegation, for their help. All were in attendance at the meeting with Potts.
He said White, a former assistant secretary of energy, was particularly effective.
“(White) asked some very serious questions,” LaCour noted.
LaCour also said he expects “some sort of determination from the GAO” on BAE’s appeal by next week. The Army can then either accept or reject the GAO recommendation. Regardless of the outcome, the effort to retain the BAE contract will continue into next year.
“We’ve got to keep the pressure on. This is a project with a huge economic impact,” LaCour said.
Katy EDC and the City of Sealy recently formed a joint task force to address BAE’s loss of a contract to manufacture a line of military vehicles.
BAE’s Sealy plant currently employs 3,000 people from Austin, Waller, Harris and surrounding counties, and manufactures medium tactical vehicles for the United States Army.
A key economic driver in the region, the plant and its employees contribute an estimated $500 million to the state’s economy each year through employee salaries, contractor costs and vendor partnerships.
More than 1,000 BAE employees live in the Katy area.
BAE Systems, which has been manufacturing the U.S. Army’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles for more than 17 years at its Sealy plant, learned earlier this year that a “follow-on contract” was awarded to OshKosh Corporation in Wisconsin.
BAE is appealing the Army’s decision, citing a flawed bidding process.
