After nearly 15 years with aerospace giant General Electric, Brittany Isherwood had gotten adept at understanding industry trends.
So, when she transitioned to Farmington-based Burke Aerospace, a family-owned supply chain company that provides electric discharge machining and milling services for the aerospace, industrial gas turbines, and defense industries, she knew the company would need to upgrade its technology.
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Jason Howey
Then COVID-19 hit, sending airline passenger traffic into a tailspin, reducing it by as much as 90% in the early days of the pandemic.
The situation foreshadowed trouble ahead for Burke, which relied on commercial aerospace for 80% of its business at the time. We never thought people would stop flying and we d all be walking around with masks on, said Burke Aerospace President Brittany Isherwood.
But instead of panicking, Isherwood and her team pivoted into more stable sectors.
She hired a Washington, D.C., consulting firm that helped her figure out how to attract more defense business, which has remained strong during the pandemic. It won her company new work from existing clients.