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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.