ACG San Diego | Defense Sector Spotlight: State of the Industry from SDMAC & Impressive Aerospace Rollup Story

RDML Balmert currently serves as the Executive Director for SDMAC where he encourages cooperation between the military, the local political establishment, and the business community. Prior to joining SDMAC in 2018, he served as a Strategic Senior Consulting Manager for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. Mark served 31 years in the U.S. Navy, his last command being the joint Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Strike Group 3. His military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. RDML Balmert received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and Master of Finance and Financial Management Services from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Brian is the CEO for AEVEX Aerospace, a full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions company headquartered in Solana Beach, California. Prior to founding AEVEX, Brian served as the CEO of Merlin Global Services, a leading provider of operations, maintenance and training support for the DoD intelligence community. Before joining Merlin, Brian served 20 years in the U.S. Airforce focusing on manned and unmanned ISR programs. He received his Air Force Commission and a B.S. of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science in Military Studies from Air University.

John is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Murrieta, California-based IKHANA Group, which was formed in the combination of R.W. Martin and Total Aircraft Services in 2007. John’s experience includes 35 years of aircraft modification, major repair, engineering, certification, sales, and business management across domestic and international markets. Under John’s leadership, IKHANA developed numerous innovative aircraft design changes with FAA and international regulatory approvals. John received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance) from Cal State Northridge and a Master’s degree at the University of Alaska.

Dennis is a Partner and the Co-leader of Procopio’s Capital Markets and Securities practice group and Team Leader for the Business and Technology Team at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch. Dennis has participated in more than 400 corporate finance transactions, including corporate, securities, mergers and acquisitions and venture financing. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Economics from the University of Southern California and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego.

Mark is a Lead Advisor at San Diego-based wealth advisory firm Dowling & Yahnke where he is responsible for delivering personalized investment and financial planning advice to the firm’s clients. Prior to joining D&Y in 2015, Mark served 11 years in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer, deploying six times to the Middle East and Aisa. Mark is a graduate of both the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Naval War College. He holds the Certified Financial Planner designation and earned an MBA from U.C. San Diego.