Prestigious Award Recognizes Achievement in Dedication to Advancement of Manufacturing Technology
Blairsville, Pa. — May 3, 2017. The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) proudly announces that, at its annual SUMMIT event, it awarded its highest honor, the Lawrence J. Rhoades Award, to Peter P. Black. NCDMM awards the Lawrence J. Rhoades Award to an individual who shares Mr. Rhoades’ tireless commitment, futuristic vision, and unwavering dedication to the defense manufacturing industry.
On April 30, 2017, after a more than 30 year distinguished Government career at the U.S. Army Missile Command in Huntsville, Ala. in the Engineering Directorate’s Manufacturing Technology Division, Mr. Black retired. He was the Chief of the Manufacturing Technology Branch, responsible for leading a team developing advanced, lower cost manufacturing processes to fulfill the needs of the Aviation and Missile Command’s (AMCOM) Program Executive Offices. Additionally, Mr. Black’s team was also a participant in the exciting new Manufacturing USA Institutes, functioning as the Program Manager for the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII).
In summarizing Mr. Black’s remarkable career and his many accomplishments, NCDMM President and Executive Director Ralph Resnick said, “Since NCDMM’s inception nearly fifteen years ago, Pete has been an involved and active champion of our organization. He understands NCDMM’s mission, our collaborative model, and our value and expertise as a leading organization delivering and implementing advanced manufacturing innovation solutions to defense organizations and their industrial base. We have had the great honor and pleasure of working with Pete on all three of our Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts with AMRDEC. He was also influential in NCDMM’s involvement with many ManTech projects.
“A finer man, leader, contributor, mentor, and friend, you will not find,” continued Mr. Resnick. “While we will miss Pete’s guidance, presence, and daily interactions, his retirement is well earned. Therefore, in recognition of his tireless commitment, steady leadership, dedication, and actions on behalf of the defense and national manufacturing community and the mission of NCDMM, we congratulate Mr. Pete Black as the 2017 NCDMM Lawrence J. Rhoades Awardee.”
NCDMM established the Lawrence J. Rhoades Award to honor the memory of Mr. Rhoades whose entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to the advancement of manufacturing processes was known industry-wide. Mr. Rhoades was one of the founding fathers of the NCDMM, and an inaugural member of the Board of Directors where he served until his untimely death in 2007.
Throughout his career, Mr. Black developed and co-developed, evaluated, and managed approximately two dozen Small Business Innovation Research projects related to missile and aviation manufacturing technology, as well as Manufacturing Technology projects, such as the “Wafer Applied Seal for PEM Protection” coating project for missile and aviation electronics, with articles in trade journals, including Army RD&A, and the COTS Journal. Mr. Black was awarded the Tibbetts Award in 2002 for the developments in high speed non-contact PWB photopatterning. The Tibbets Award is presented by the Small Business Innovation Research Program, recognizing accomplishments where, in the judgments of those closely involved and often most immediately affected, the stimulus of SBIR funding has made an important and definable difference.
Mr. Black was part of the team that helped stand up the Electronics Manufacturing Technology Subpanel of the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP). Mr. Black served as Electronics Subpanel Chairman from 2001-2003.
At various conferences, Mr. Black presented and co-chaired many electronics sessions, which included the creation and associated tri-service coordination on the RF Module Manufacturing Workshop. He also served as session chair for the Conference on Military and Space Electronics (CMSE).
Additionally, Mr. Black served as Missile Command technical lead representative for the Electronic Packaging Research Center activities at Georgia Tech, interfacing with multiple faculty and industry members on a regular basis on advanced packaging, micro-jet thermal cooling, and high density PWB manufacturing science. He also represented the U.S. Army at the yearly Executive Advisory Board meeting for the PRC.
Mr. Black holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the Lawrence Institute of Technology in Southfield, Mich. He resides in Huntsville with his wife, Susan, of more than 32 years, and is the proud father of a grown daughter and son. Mr. Black is also an active and long-standing member of his church and the chairman of its Missions Committee, which is involved in trips to Costa Rica and Honduras, as well as leading such local Huntsville missions as Habitat for Humanity and CASA (Care Assurance for the Aging and Homebound).
###
About NCDMM
NCDMM delivers optimized manufacturing solutions that enhance the quality, affordability, maintainability, and rapid deployment of existing and yet-to-be developed defense systems. This is accomplished through collaboration with government, industry, and academic organizations to promote the implementation of best practices to key stakeholders through the development and delivery of disciplined training, advanced technologies, and methodologies. NCDMM also manages the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3DP printing (3DP), America Makes—the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. For additional information, visit NCDMM at ncdmm.org.