Valco Manufacturing, Inc., is a supplier to commercial, defense and general aviation in both fixed-wing and rotorcraft. Valco supplies Prime Contractors, OEMs and MROs located in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, East Asia and South Asia.
Commerce sat down with Roger Valdez, president of Valco, and Henry Lehr with the Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation to discuss how Valco led the charge in bringing aerospace to southern Oklahoma.
Q: Tell us about Valco and where your customers are located.
Roger Valdez, President of Valco Manufacturing, Inc.: We are in the aerospace industry. We manufacture metal parts for pretty much every military airplane and helicopter that flies. We are classified as a disabled veteran owned business. We use aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, those kind of products. Any items that we need in the process of helping manufacture our parts, we try to buy everything in state that we possibly can. We have customers all over the United States that we deliver to. We have customers in France, Italy, India, Spain.
Q: What benefits do you have by being located in Oklahoma?
Roger Valdez: Well, first of all, I’m from Oklahoma, born and raised, and I love it here. But second, we’re centrally located across the whole United States. It’s very easy for our customers to get here and come and visit us. It’s very easy to ship out of here to all the places we have to go. It’s a real good benefit.
Q: Talk to us about the process of working with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. How does Commerce help Valco & what is that partnership like? What about partnerships with other local entities?
Roger Valdez: We have a real good partnership. I’ve always leaned on Department of Commerce to help whenever we need information. I think it would be difficult for business to operate without the Department of Commerce. Also, the City of Duncan and the Economic Development Foundation here the same way. Very instrumental, very helpful.
Q: How has Valco contributed to the economy in southern Oklahoma?
Henry Lehr, Business & Industry Specialist of the Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation: A lot of people don’t realize that aviation, aerospace is the second largest industry in the state of Oklahoma. Valco really led the charge in bringing aerospace to southern Oklahoma. They have so much specialized equipment. There just aren’t very many places in the country that can do what Valco does. Just last year, they were awarded the F-35, Special Mission Asset Award. It was a really big deal, and it was really exciting to be a part of that.
Q: What are your thoughts on the workforce in Oklahoma?
Roger Valdez: I think people in Oklahoma are hardworking people. I think they care. I think they’re dedicated. We try to do special things with our employees. We have cookouts, we may have pizza brought in, we might do ice cream things. We just try to be like a family.
Q: How has Valco contributed to the Duncan community?
Henry Lehr: Valco is a great partner throughout our community. Every year they sponsor a CO2 car race that we do to help support STEM in the community. It’s just really cool to have partnerships like that.
Q: What does the future look like for aerospace in Oklahoma?
Roger Valdez: Right now, I think the aerospace business is booming. And I think it’s going to continue to boom. I’m very excited about the future.
