I believe innovation ignites the flame of progress. It mobilizes change and sparks breakthroughs that travel from sector to sector and nation to nation. In manufacturing, it is the ultimate force multiplier—accelerating advancements in medicine, advanced materials, submarines, and spacecraft. This tradecraft of our best and brightest minds carried America through 250 years of growth and leadership, and it will keep us setting the pace for the world in the next 250.
As Philadelphians, our ancestors built the workshop of the world. That label faded, but our DNA hasn’t. We are a city of creators, forging novel ideas into great companies and real jobs. Like our beloved Rocky Balboa, we take the hit, beat the odds, and win the fight. Working together, we can turn grit into growth and make Philadelphia the innovation launchpad for the world.
Today, America is asking more from its manufacturers than ever before. It’s time to reimagine our role and build the capacity to deliver.
At DVIRC, we accelerate competitiveness by modernizing small and mid-sized manufacturers with advanced technology, AI, cybersecurity, talent pipelines, and the resiliency needed to power our economy and reinforce national security. We close the skills gap and shatter misconceptions by uniting industry, government, academia, and community partners—forging one operating team where innovation truly comes alive.
Our momentum inspired the Manufacturing Moonshot: a playbook and mobilizing force that moves critical infrastructure from conversation to real throughput. It creates clear on-ramps and true modernization across shipbuilding, power generation, life sciences, and food production—the very industries that anchor America’s strength and will define our region’s competitive edge. The Moonshot is not another report on a shelf; it is a living blueprint that turns “we should” into “we are.”
As a leader, I move with urgency on the hard things because delay itself is a risk. Expanding innovation across our industrial base is challenging, but it is exactly how we will thrive.
In Philadelphia, icons like the Frankford Arsenal, Baldwin Locomotive, Disston Saw, and the NavyYard once lifted families into the middle class and planted the American Dream. As America celebrates its 250th, let’s put innovation to work in manufacturing once again. Let’s rebuild capacity, restore the dignity of making things, widen pathways to prosperity, and pursue our Manufacturing Moonshot to build the future our region deserves.
