2026 Huntsville Discovery Trip presented by Lockheed Martin

Arrival

Staff Lead: Erick Macher

Shuttles will depart from Huntsville International Airport to the Trilogy Hotel at:

• 12:30 p.m.
• 2:30 p.m.
• 3:45 p.m.
• 5:15 p.m.
• 10:30 p.m.

Attendees are free to explore Huntsville on their own on Sunday.

Defense, Space & Regional Ecosystem

Attire: Business Casual (comfortable shoes)

Staff Lead: Erick Macher, Dale Anderson

8-9 a.m.
Welcome Breakfast | Trilogy Ballroom
Speakers include:

• Chip Cherry, President & CEO, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce
• Mike Ward, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce

9:15 a.m.
Buses head to Rocket City Tavern outside Redstone Arsenal

9:30 a.m.
Meet at Rocket City Tavern

9:45-10 a.m.
Enter Redstone Arsenal

10-11:15 a.m.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Marshall is NASA’s center of gravity for propulsion systems, human spaceflight hardware, and science payloads — the engineering backbone behind SLS, Artemis, and decades of human spaceflight programs. It shows delegates how a single regional economy can anchor a national space program end-to-end, from R&D to hardware to launch.

COS Equivalent: The closest parallel is Space Systems Command’s role at Peterson-Schriever as the acquisition and systems engineering hub for national security space. Marshall does for civil space what Space Systems Command does for military space.

11:15-11:30 a.m.
Travel to the FBI building

11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
Lunch will be provided at the FBI building

12:55 p.m.
Walk to FBI Kinetic Cyber Range

1-2 p.m.
Tour of FBI Kinetic Cyber Range

A live demonstration of cyber-physical threat operations — the intersection of digital attacks and real-world infrastructure consequences. It underscores Huntsville’s growing role as a cybersecurity and critical-infrastructure-protection hub alongside its aerospace identity.

COS Equivalent: The National Cybersecurity Center and UCCS’s cybersecurity programs, plus the Space Force’s growing cyber-defense mission set at Peterson-Schriever. Colorado Springs has been building the same “cyber meets physical infrastructure” narrative around its own defense and tech ecosystem.

2-2:30 p.m.
Redstone Arsenal driving tour, hosted by Lockheed Martin

Redstone is the Army’s largest tenant-based installation and home to the agencies that manage the Army’s global equipping and modernization enterprise, plus the nation’s missile defense architecture. It’s also the site under construction for a permanent U.S. Space Command headquarters.

COS Equivalent: Peterson Space Force Base / Schriever Space Force Base — home to U.S. Space Command’s current headquarters and Space Operations Command. Think of Redstone as the Army/missile-defense counterpart to what Peterson-Schriever represents for space operations here.

2:30-3 p.m.
Huntsville Ecosystem driving tour, hosted by Central Bank | Dr. Larry Lowe, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Huntsville

Explore how Huntsville has built a nationally recognized innovation ecosystem through collaboration between government, industry, and education, highlighting scalable models and direct Colorado Springs parallels, including Peak Innovation Park (Cummings Research Park), Chapel Hills Mall redevelopment (MidCity), and Weidner Field (Stadium Commons).

3-4 p.m.
Briefing on Cummings Research Park and city planning projects

Cummings Research Park is the second-largest research park in the U.S. — a dense cluster of aerospace, defense, and tech companies built directly around a research university, with UAH serving as the talent pipeline. Mid-City shows how a legacy industrial park is being reimagined with mixed-use development to keep attracting a next-generation workforce.

COS Equivalent: Peak Innovation Park — Colorado Springs’ own aerospace/defense/tech research park anchored by proximity to Schriever Space Force Base and built with the same “innovation district” model. Cummings Research Park is essentially a larger, more mature version of the same concept, with UAH playing the role UCCS plays for Peak Innovation Park.

Joint Reception

Attire: Business Casual

Staff Lead: Dale Anderson

4-4:30 p.m.
Bus to Davidson Technologies

4:30-6:30 p.m.
Joint reception, sponsored by Bryan Construction, with keynote remarks by General Stephen N. Whiting

This trip marks a historic first — Colorado Springs, the operational center of America’s space enterprise, and Huntsville, the heart of American missile defense, standing together to support U.S. Space Command and build Golden Dome. This reception brings together the leadership of more than 70 defense companies with operations in both cities — firms vital to America’s strength in space — to foster connections, share insights, and strengthen cross-market partnerships.

6:30 p.m.
Buses return participants to hotel

Space, Industry & Community Alignment

Attire: Business Casual

Staff Lead: Erick Macher, Dale Anderson

7:30-8:30 a.m.
Breakfast with Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, hosted by Urban Frontier | Trilogy Ballroom

Opening remarks and interactive discussion, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and reflect on key observations from the driving tour. City Administrator John Hamilton and Economic Developer Shane Davis are also joining from the Q&A.

8:45 a.m.                         
Meet in Trilogy Hotel lobby for bus pickup

9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Attendees participate in one of two available tracks.
Refer to tracks tabs for details.

3-4 p.m.
EarlyWorks Children’s Museum tour, hosted by Front Row Huntsville

The EarlyWorks Children’s Museum is one of the largest hands-on history museums in the southern U.S. and one of the state’s top attractions for families. It recently had to raise funds for a transformational project to revitalize the museum. Delegates will get leadership insights on funding transformative projects and navigating city challenges.

COS Equivalent: The Our Spacious Skies survey, a community-driven collaborative project to identify what is important to our region and the work necessary to ensure a vibrant quality of life. The collected data determines the transformational projects our city needs. The community must determine how to raise money for them.

4-4:10 p.m.
Depart for Trilogy Hotel

4:10-5:45 p.m.
Free time

5:45-6 p.m.
Travel to restaurants downtown for small group dinners

U.S. Space & Rocket Center Track

Attire: Business Casual

Staff Lead: Erick Macher

9 a.m. 
Attendees arrive at U.S. Space & Rocket Center, hosted by Sigmatech

A globally recognized STEM and space-education institution that turns space history and human spaceflight into an immersive public experience, reinforcing community identity around the space mission and building a STEM pipeline for future aerospace talent.

COS Equivalent: Conceptually similar to what the Space Foundation and its Discovery Center aim to do in Colorado Springs — using space heritage and STEM programming to build public engagement and a future workforce pipeline.

9:30-10:30 a.m.
Groups 1 & 2: Mission Training
Groups 3 & 4: Guided Docent Tour

10:30-11:30 a.m.
Groups 3 & 4: Mission Training
Groups 1 & 2: Guided Docent Tour

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Lunch in the Davidson Center beneath the Saturn V rocket, hosted by Sigmatech

12:30-1:30 p.m.
Groups 1 & 2: Mission Experience
Groups 3 & 4: Museum Exploration

1:30-2:30 p.m.
Groups 3 & 4: Mission Experience
Groups 1 & 2: Museum Exploration

2:30-3 p.m.
Bus to EarlyWorks Children’s Museum

United Launch Alliance Track

Attire: Business Casual (close-toed shoes)

Staff Lead: Dale Anderson

9-9:35 a.m. 
Bus to Decatur, Alabama

9:35-11:05 a.m.
Tour and briefing at United Launch Alliance’s rocket manufacturing facility

ULA’s factory floor is where Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur rockets are actually built — the physical manufacturing side of the launch industry that Colorado is otherwise more associated with on the business/HQ side.

COS Equivalent: ULA’s corporate headquarters is in Centennial, CO (metro Denver), so Colorado has the company’s brain, Decatur has its hands. Our two regions are two ends of the same supply chain.

ULA security requirements: A valid U.S. Government-issued photo ID is required to enter the property (driver’s license or passport). Note: the Colorado Digital License will not be accepted.

ULA factory guidelines:

• Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Due to safety precautions, shorts, skirts, capris, sleeveless tops, and open toed/open heeled or high heeled shoes are not allowed inside the factory.
• Once inside the factory, food and drinks are only allowed in designated areas.
• Photos/recordings are not allowed inside the factory, but you are welcome to take pictures in the lobby area
• No laptops unless they are for a business need and checked through security.
• No voice recorders
• The Decatur Chemical Processing tank line is a restricted area, both from the first floor and the upper level. Any visitor access to this area requires approval from the chemical processing manager and EHS.

11:05-11:35 a.m.
Bus to Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama

11:35-12:45 p.m.
Lunch and learn at Toyota Field, home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Q&A and briefings from:

• Mayor Ranae Bartlett, City of Madison
• Joseph Bevel, Welding Instructor, Drake State Community & Technical College
• Doug Brazier, Dean of Workforce & Career Technical Education, Drake State Community & Technical College
• Joel Lamp, Sports Development Manager, Huntsville/Madison County

Highlights how a smaller municipality (Madison) is growing its own identity alongside Huntsville through workforce/STEM partnerships with a community college and through sports-tourism investment (the 2026 UCI Para-cycling World Championships) as an economic development tool.

COS Equivalent: Pikes Peak State College’s workforce and STEM partnerships play a similar role locally, and the sports-economy angle parallels Colorado Springs’ identity as home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and a growing sports-tourism economy.

12:45-1 p.m.
Bus to Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology

A genomics/biotech research campus that shows how Huntsville has diversified beyond aerospace and defense into life sciences — a reminder that a strong technical workforce and research infrastructure can be redeployed across industries.

COS Equivalent: No strong direct parallel. This is an aspirational example of what economic diversification can look like when a region leverages its existing research/talent base into a second industry cluster.

1-2 p.m.
Sixty-minute campus tour with hands-on laboratory activities

2-2:45 p.m.
Visit Lockheed Martin for a group photo with a THAAD launcher

2:45-3 p.m.
Bus to EarlyWorks Children’s Museum

Attire: Casual/Business Casual

Staff leads denoted in bold

5:45 p.m.
Depart Trilogy Hotel on foot. There will be a van driven by Dale Anderson to transport the group attending dinner at Connors Steak and Seafood.

One Eleven | 111 Washington St. NE, Ste. 1A

Sponsored by Jensen Group Wealth Management

6 p.m.

• Craig Carle
• Garrett Baum
• Jim DiBiase
• Mike Francolino
• Nolan Jenkins
• Jeff Jensen
• Beau Kelly
• Chris Meek
• Ingrid Richter
• Kathy Stout
• Jason Strickland
• Jake Wuest

Cotton Row | 100 South Side Square

Sponsored by The Aerospace Corporation

6 p.m.

• Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer
• Cory Applegate
• Brian Burns
• Greg Cerbana
• Travas Deal
• Seth Harvey
• Chris Jenkins
• Mayor Yemi Mobolade
• Holly Williams
• Wayne Williams

Connors Steak & Seafood | 345 The Bridge Street

Sponsored by The Aerospace Corporation

6 p.m.

• Dale Anderson
• Robert Beletic
• Brad Bird
• Scott Bryan
• Dean Bucher
• Ernest Campos
• Dave Donelson
• Jerome Keizer
• Christie Lee
• Lauren Nelson
• Roland Rainey
• Mitchell Rutter
• Chad Vorthmann
• Bret Waters
• Doug Woody

Domaine South | 200 West Side Square

Sponsored by Delta Solutions

6 p.m.

• Erick Macher
• Patrick Barrett
• Ginger Chinn
• Stacey DeFore
• Dave Deist
• Scott Diamanti
• Tom Dickson
• Dustin Engelhardt
• Chris Farris
• Duke Labasi
• Art Loureiro
• Joe Rice
• Mark Stafford

Mazzara’s | 102 Gates Ave. SW

6 p.m.

• Tim Seibert
• Jordon Baum
• Lesley Conn
• Jeff Finn
• Alex Kovacs
• Matt McDonald
• Laura Neumann
• Ryan Parsell
• Jeff Perkins
• Whitney Williamson
• Brian Wortinger

Purveyor | 201 Jefferson St. N.

6 p.m.

• Shawna Lippert
• Nathaneal Bryant
• Lukasz Dubaj
• Jim Harris
• Andrew Hepler
• Dan Jaworowski
• Brian Mulnix
• Sal Nodjomian
• Brad Nutting

Revivalist | 106 Jefferson St. S.

6 p.m.

• Jenifer Furda
• Alex Baum
• Rachel Beck
• Renee Behr
• Carl Beyer
• Trevor Dierdorff
• Nathan Gorsch
• Robert La Branche
• Jared May

Commerce Kitchen | 300 Franklin Street SE

6 p.m.

• Creed Spillane
• Justin Burns
• Tarah King
• James McMurray
• Mark O’Donnell
• Brenden O’Neil
• Todd Ruff
• Kevin Walker

Departure

Staff Lead: Erick Macher

Please meet in the Trilogy Hotel lobby 15 minutes before shuttle departure time.

Shuttle times

• 5:00 a.m.
• 6:00 a.m.
• 9:00 a.m.
• 1:30 p.m.

Trilogy Hotel Huntsville
707 Monroe Street SW
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801
256-489-2080 

Nearby Places

Attractions

Big Spring International Park
200 Church Street
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

Burritt on the Mountain
3101 Burritt Drive SE
Huntsville, Alabama 35801

Huntsville Botanical Garden
4747 Bob Wallace Avenue
Huntsville, Alabama 35805

Huntsville Museum of Art
300 Church Street S
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

Von Braun Center
700 Monroe Street SW
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

Restaurants/Bars

The Cozy Cow
100 Church Street SW
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

Honest Coffee Roasters
114 Clinton Ave E
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

MELT Huntsville
201 Jefferson Street N
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

Pane e Vino Pizzeria
300 Church Street SW
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

Phat Sammy’s
104 Jefferson Street S
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

The Poppy & Parliament
117 North Side Square
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

The Standard Social Market
127 Holmes Ave NW Ste 102
Huntsville, Alabama, 35801

Track 1: U.S. Space & Rocket Center Experience

• Cory Applegate
• Patrick Barrett
• Renee Behr
• Nathaneal Bryant
• Dean Bucher
• Ernest Campos
• Greg Cerbana
• Ginger Chinn
• Dave Deist
• James DiBiase
• Trevor Dierdorff
• Dave Donelson
• Dustin Engelhardt
• Seth Harvey
• Jeff Jensen
• Tarah King
• Alex Kovacs
• James McMurray
• Brian Mulnix
• Laura Neumann
• Mark O’Donnell
• Brenden O’Neil
• Ryan Parsell
• Jeff Perkins
• Roland Rainey
• Ingrid Richter
• Todd Ruff
• Creed Spillane
• Kathleen Stout
• Kevin Walker
• Holly Williams

Track 2: United Launch Alliance Track

• Alex Baum
• Garrett Baum
• Jordon Baum
• Rachel Beck
• Robert Beletic
• Carl Beyer
• Brad Bird
• Scott Bryan
• Nathaneal Bryant
• Brian Burns
• Justin Burns
• Lesley Conn
• Travas Deal
• Stacey DeFore
• Scott Diamanti
• Thomas Dickson
• Lukasz Dubaj
• Christopher Farris
• Jeff Finn
• Michael Francolino
• Jenifer Furda
• Carrie Geitner
• Nathan Gorsch
• Jim Harris
• Andrew Hepler
• Dan Jaworowski
• Christopher Jenkins
• Nolan Jenkins
• Jerome Keizer
• Beau Kelly
• Robert La Branche
• Philip Labasi
• Christie Lee
• Shawna Lippert
• Art Loureiro
• Dr. Larry Lowe
• Jared May
• Chris Meek
• Mayor Yemi Mobolade
• Lauren Nelson
• Sal Nodjomian
• Brad Nutting
• Lindsay Pack Moll
• Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer
• Joe Rice
• Mitchell Rutter
• Tim Seibert
• Mark Stafford
• Jason Strickland
• Chad Vorthmann
• Mike Ward
• Jessica Warren
• Bret Waters
• Wayne Williams
• Whitney Williamson
• Brian Wortinger
• Doug Woody
• Jake Wuest

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all sponsors of the 2026 Discovery Trip.

Presenting Sponsor – Lockheed Martin

Associate Sponsors

Bryan Construction

Front Row Huntsville

Supporting Sponsors

Central Bank

Sigmatech

Urban Frontier

Contributing Sponsors

Delta Solutions and Strategies

Jensen Group Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley

The Aerospace Corporation