Bill Woolf: Hello everyone, I'm really excited to announce Space Power 26 is now live. It's the conference you want to be at if you want to connect with the US Space Force, learn more about what the Space Force is doing, and understand the mission of the Space Force. It is the largest gathering of Guardians in the galaxy, and it's the one conference you want to attend. go to attendspacepower.org and secure your tickets today. I will see you in Orlando in December. Semper Supra. Mayor Laurie Blong from Midland, Texas, and Mayor Douglas Nichols from Yuma, Arizona. Thank you so much for joining us on the Space Power Podcast. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Thanks Sarah, that's on. Mayor Lori Blong: Well thank you for having Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Thanks Sarah, that's on. Mayor Lori Blong: Well thank you for having Bill Woolf: You know, a lot of people are asking about how cities get involved in helping to create a strong space economy. So here we have two mayors, two states, one conviction that serves as one model for how to get those cities involved. This isn't a story about Midland, Texas, or Yuma, Arizona. The real question, now that space is an economy and a battle space, who decides where it lives? Increasingly, that's going to be cities. Space used to be coastal, used to be on the West Coast and the East Coast. And right now, what we're seeing is there's a lot of companies that are getting frustrated with the pace at which they can get their capabilities into space. It's not just about the commercial sector, and it's not just about the civil sector represented by NASA. It's also about the national security sector. And so the map is moving inland, and the local leaders hold the pen. You both decided it could happen in your respective cities. What made you believe it was real? Mayor Blanc, we'll start with you. Mayor Lori Blong: Well, I really have to give a lot of credit to a previous mayor and city council and and actually multiple different people who worked for a long time to be able to allow Midland to have the seat at the table. Midland, as many people may know, is the home to more than or really about fifty percent of the oil and gas production for North America from from the the 48 states comes from the Permian Basin right around Midland. And so our Our industry is largely driven, our economy is largely driven by oil and gas development. So there was a vision years ago to be able to develop other industries in our community. And space development was one that was identified as a high priority. And that's because we need the energy that is available here. We have a lot of the available airspace that makes Midland attractive to a lot of this. And we began to hear from people, as you said, on the along the coast, that there is so much congestion. in the airspace, congestion in the available launch capacity. and the existing locations. And so Midland had some things that checked boxes that needed to be checked. And so I can't take credit for the work that they did to be able to get that designation here for Midland. But it's something that I'm very thankful they had the vision and foresight to do. And during my time as mayor for the last three plus years, we've worked diligently to be good stewards of that air and spaceport designation. we're the only one in North America that is co-located with a commercial airport. And so Our air and space port designation with the commercial airport is unique in that way, but it also gives us a lot of opportunity to develop not just space technology, but also national defense technology. and so we're pursuing both of those as we go forward. Bill Woolf: Thank you, Mayor Belong. Mayor Nichols, over to you. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: so for for Yuma, you know, this started prob probably about a dozen years ago, kind of when I about the same time I entered office we had a lot of attention from around the state. You know, you'd get some some rocking companies at a Tucson, like, boy it'd be really nice not to have to go all the way to California, all the way to Florida to launch and and then we had some some military personnel like, you know, we've got great airspace here. We really can launch out of here. And so those conversations led to A kind of meeting the need that I heard coming into office. We don't have oil, we have lettuce. We grow ninety-five percent of the leafy greens that the country and Canada eat during the winter. That's a critical, critical element for people are gonna eat, right? And national securities need to grow it domestically. So it it it's a it's a very important thing, but it is a very specific part of our economy. And so how do we grow our economy? Well that's gonna grow just incrementally. but how do we make a big change? And so we were looking for another industry that we could plug in that would be compatible because we don't want to create acres and acres of solar field taking out lettuce to put in solar pan. None of that makes sense. But what could we do? And so those discussions kind of collided all at the same time where I had residents coming to me and saying, You know, I want my kids my kids want to stay here, but they want more opportunity than what we currently have. And so Mayor Lori Blong: More upward. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: our Regional Economic Development Corporation, GYDC, they they did a quick study and they reached out to rocket companies, about a dozen of two dozen of them, and said, Hey, if we had this capability in Yumo, is this something you would look to to to engage with? And it was an overwhelming yes, we were definitely, definitely interested. And that kind of kicked us down the road of saying, Okay, how does that work? Well, the military already controls our airspace. Because we've got a a huge bombing range and a huge test range and we're up against the international border. Within seconds we can launch on a southern polarly orbit and to low Earth orbit and end up over the Gulf of California. so there's really a a unique opportunity in the way our airspace is used in our international relationship to create a sweet spot, to be able to have it technically an inland launch but not have the impacts. that a lot of inland opportunities could have. And so that's kind of where it started. And we've slowly built, kind of getting through the process, talking to our elected officials. Arizona happens to have an astronaut sitting in in the Senate. So I'm I'm not gonna say that that's the only way this gets done, but it's not a bad thing to have. We've worked really, really close with our Mexican partners because we still well we'll probably be in international airspace as we hit the border. we still want good relationships with with them and and our economies are tied together. So it was kind of all these things coming together. a lot of people, to the mayor's point, it's it's never just one person. there's just so many people working on this. and and now we're we're at the in the application process and and working through that. Bill Woolf: Thank you both for that. Now, what I'd like to do is I'd like to spend just a few minutes talking about the relationship between the city, county, and the state leadership. So both Texas and Arizona both have a space commission. And so how important is that to get leadership buy-in from the state level to support at the local level? Mayor Belong? Mayor Lori Blong: Yeah. So and and I think that's a really important way for us to focus our conversation here. There is so much that is a combination effort between the county and the city, also the state and the federal government. we've had a lot of advocacy since day one of folks that have wanted to see this advance together. we have a local board that exists to be able to work to advance some of these and our Midland County and our city of Midland both have delegates to that board. and then we're working With our Texas Space Commission to be able to make sure that we're falling in line with some of the vision for how these projects will advance throughout the state. Some of this has become somewhat competitive in the state of Texas. interested in having those relationships at this at the city and at the state level. And so we've tried really diligently to build those relationships out to make sure that we are answering questions. But in some cases the city of Midland has been willing to make some investments into this. This ultimately space development is not a municipal Lift, right? These are very costly projects that are more than a local city government can afford. But we also recognize that these are incentive packages sometimes that can bring massive investment for the future development of the space industry. And so the City of Midland and the Midland Development Corporation have made some strategic investments in real estate where we've been able to provide lease abatements and other things to allow these expanding businesses to locate and stay here in our community. We've had some other projects where we've had some some test sites that different in particular for some national security firms to be able to test some of their technologies because we have the wide open spaces of West Texas, we're able to bring them here, we have a friendly regulatory environment. and so to be able to to let them be here and see the opportunities, but experience those opportunities themselves. And so as those things are playing out, we're in direct communication with the Texas Space Commission and with some of our federal partners to say, see this is what we can do. in Midland, Texas. and we want to see additional businesses locate and stay in our community. And so I I think that the the big vision from where I sit is that we provide those opportunities that Texas is famous for, but we provide them specific to these space businesses and national defense contractors so that they can find a friendly opportunity to develop, expand, and stay. And I would also say for the horizontal launch and the vertical launch capacities, those are the things that get into study dollars, feasibility dollars, and then ultimately development dollars that are greater than what our city can afford to do by ourselves. And so we do rely on the Texas Space Commission and ultimately probably the federal government to fully develop out some of those facilities. But we want Midland to be at the forefront of those conversations and so we're partnering on those right now. Bill Woolf: Thank you for that. Mayor Nichols? Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Yeah, so these conversations started at the state level, so that was kinda a a good segue for us. We do a lot of coordination throughout the state of Arizona. We're we're not we don't have the the same incentive environment that Texas has. So we have to think of of new and creative ways to to bring industry to the state. And so when the state legislature actually resurrected our state our space commission, it it was in existence earlier in this century and then was sunset, and now they brought it back and the governor made sure that Yuma was at the table. Somehow I missed the notice. But she reached out and made sure that there was a seat waiting for me, which I was very grateful for. But from a overall aerospace environment, not to have launch capabilities would have been a whole. And so I think from a statewide discussion, that's kind of where this Yuma pulls into the picture. the city of Yuma though, we are spearheading the permitting process. We're working with the private industries to to find the gap on the actual once we get the permit, what's the the ability to to construct and operate, maintain those kind of things. I don't envision a city of Yuma spaceport or a space commission in the city of Yuma. It's more of a ability to help incentivize that industry to get started here. but the state's been pretty instrumental because one of the FAA requirements for us is that we've had a ha we need to have great connections with Mexico. Well the Arizona Mexico Commission, which is a a governor appointed agency, has a a sister agency in Mexico, essentially the Sonora US Commission, and they made it one of their priority projects for economic development. So we got that international connection where just this month, beginning this month, we signed an agreement with the state of Sonora, the city of Yuma Sign the agreement with the state of Sonora with the state of Arizona on as a witness that we are gonna work together to build the aerospace industry throughout this region. So it now became be through state engagement, is now become a binational effort that will be attracting both sides of the border but definitely focusing upon this capability of launching and that the the industries at Mexico's got got their own program. they want to launch their their last satellite for their first constellation out of Yuma, if we can get our timing right. So th those kind of relationships you know, they build upon each other. Federal agencies are also in the middle of all that discussion, but really Talking about it as a statewide asset is more important than talking about it as a City of Yuma asset because of that reach and the ability to, yes, funding is important and at some point that'll be in the commission's request is to help fund the Yuma development. But, you know, without the state together, the feds are not going to care. And we need to have them on board. Bill Woolf: Yeah, thank you for that. Now let's talk about what's actually happening today. You know, it's not just a future vision, but the steps have already been taken. So, Mayor Blong, what has already been done in the city of Midland in terms of the spaceport of spaceport development, the relationships with commercial sector. And again, you've already talked about the relationship with the government and how important that is. So talk a little bit about what's going on in Midland. Mayor Lori Blong: Well, I mentioned previously that we have some real estate that the Midland Development Corporation and the city have have worked together to get those things so that we can have lease abatements and opportunities. one of those facilities now houses AST Space Mobile and that has been a very successful partnership for the city of Midland. several hundred employees, jobs that have been created, and the growth and expansion that a lot of people in the space industry are watching closely. and so there's there's that exact existing relationship and and a lot of opportunity for additional expansion just with them specifically. We also have various different national defense contractors like AS or I'm sorry, like Firehawk and Castellian who have some testing facilities here in our area. these are groups that we really do see the the long-term benefit not just here for us locally but truly f on a national and global scale. They are providing services and products that the world needs. And so we're thankful to get to be a part of some of the work that we're doing. We're also working with Tex Dot, the Texas Department of Transportation, on additional infrastructure that's needed to grow industry in Midland. We do some of the areas that are being developed are currently underdeveloped. And so we need to make sure that we have road infrastructure All of the amenities that are necessary for these facilities to be built out. Midland has a strength in getting permitting and processes handled quickly, but sometimes our infrastructure is not quite there yet. And so we're working at the state level to make sure that those things are available when we need them. And I would also say the licensing for the Spaceport Business Park. So we we're building this out as its own little enclave around our airport spaceport so that there are dedicated properties where there can be additional expansion and growth of the industry. we we believe that there's a lot of, you know, a rising tide lifts all boats sort of scenario in the space industry. And so as we're building out some of these successful companies and relationships, we're trying to think ahead. How can we see future expansion with the properties that are available? So that we don't put something in there that's going to be landlocked in just a few years. And so making sure that we're staying ahead of some of that growth and development is a priority for us. We are also very interested in expanding into vertical launch cape capacity. That is not something that's available to us right now at our existing facilities because we are in a more populated area where those are taking place. But we have some areas around West Texas that are proximate to our spaceport business park. where it makes sense to have those vertical launch facilities out away from any potential population centers, but close enough in where this development can take place here in Midland and then have a launch facility, you know, proximate to it. So that's I I hit you with a lot right there, but those are some of the things that we're doing today in the way that we're trying to position ourselves for the future growth. Bill Woolf: Thank you, Mary Blanc. Yes, SFA Texas headquarters is located right there in Midland, Texas, in that spaceport development park that you were talking about. One of the other technologies that I that I'm sure you're going to talk about is the hypersonic capability in the hypersonic corridor. And with Starfighters, a commercial capability located there. How important is that for national security? Mayor Lori Blong: Yeah, so Starfighters is has a ongoing conversation about hypersonic, supersonic ultimately, potential travel. And so making sure that we are developing out that corridor between Midland and Spaceport Americas. You know, we have dark skies, truly dark skies as part of West Texas, but also we have some clear airspace. And so this has been a project that's been in the works for many years. And it has had federal participation as we've had different folks looking at this clear airspace for the high speed travel. so Starfighters has identified Midland as uniquely helpful to them for the things that they're testing because they want to be overland. They need to be overland to be able to test some of the things that they're working on. And so there's just not very many places in the United States that really are well suited for that. And so our geography and and and our sparse population in West Texas really helps us to advance that. They're looking to expand their fleet here in Midland over the future years and so we're we're looking forward to growing with them. Bill Woolf: Thank you for that. And Mayor Nichols, I grew up in Yuma, Arizona. I went to the good school, Kofa High School. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Yeah. that's debatable. Mayor Lori Blong: No. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Very debatable. Yeah. Bill Woolf: Not the other one at the time when there was only two in the city. But I remember riding through some of the landscape there in Yuma. You know, I'd I'd go on bike rides through Yuma Proving Ground. So talk a little bit about the military infrastructure that's already set up there in Yuma. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: So we do have two major military installations here. So Yuma Proving Ground is an army facility and their job is to break everything so the the soldiers can't break it when they get into the field. In other words, reliability. They've done everything from just the the last space flight, the the the straps on the return module with the parachute, testing that to make sure that all those astronauts could come home safely. But tanks and vests and and everything that anyone would need to. So it's kind of a a unique asset to already have here. So when you come to to testing for other things, we prop can provide that resource. There's 2300 engineers and technicians out at YPG. They don't just test military equipment, they test private industry equipment, and they can do an amazing amount of work. But not just in the desert environment, they have an Arctic facility. in Alaska and a tropical facility in Panama and Suriname. So there's really a capability to really test a lot of different scenarios in in that arena. But their airspace goes up to the 85,000 feet level. So they're pretty much unrestricted airspace there. Well fully restricted I guess is really the way you want to look at it. And then next to next to that is the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. It is the busiest air station the Marine Corps has anywhere in the world. They do pretty much every marine pilot comes through Yuma at some point for testing and training. It's immediately adjacent to the Barium Goldwater range, which stretches from Yuma all the way to Phoenix pretty well to to Gila Bend pretty much. it's one of the it's the second largest test training space in the continent. So we get 5,000 different pilots come through here every year. training in that airspace and the new generation fighters they're they're using every inch of that airspace. They they get it and so they've got great control over that. And so those two elements really provide an interesting opportunity here because they're both very high secure, high technology and doing things that most of the military doesn't do. and so working with the those we're exploring right now, with U of A, University of Arizona and Space Force and are there opportunities here really to help with the like immediate response should something happen and and new satellites need to get into space quickly. We've already kind of got the military assets and the ability to launch right away would be a a definite add to that environment. So those are the things that make Yuma unique as well as the the six mile distance to the Gulf of California. and the pretty much undeveloped path between here here and there. So the immediately south of the site in the trajectory is already federal land that's protected. it's immediately adjacent to the Barium Goldwater range, which again has a lot of flight restrictions, so there's not going to be errant errant vehicles coming through. It it's a unique opportunity that doesn't really exist anywhere else, but for different reasons than than Mayor Blong Express for West Texas. Bill Woolf: Thank you for that. You know, plenty of cities have land and they have an airport. If you have a government that knows how to move, that's the argument. You know, what Mayor Lori Blong: Okay. Bill Woolf: leadership actually does, the parts not that's not in the press release, clear regulatory runway, absorb early risk, stay committed through the quiet years. So, and by the way, there's plenty of skeptics out there. You know, they don't quite understand what this is. And so For the audience, could you just describe what this looks like when it's successful? Mayor Blong Mayor Lori Blong: Mm-hmm. Bill Woolf: and and to those people who who say, Hey, is this just a a passing phase or you know, what's the impact or what's the potential impact for the city? Mayor Lori Blong: Yeah, I I think you raised several really important things and and I think first we have to give kudos to President Trump for lifting the ban on supersonic flight over domestic airspace. that really did open up opportunity for Yuma and for Midland and various other places. but we need that sort of opportunity for testing. that we are in a a geopolitical environment where other nations are testing these technologies and there is massive application for these things not just in our national defense but also in just our technological advancement as a cum country. And so, you know, I don't I'm a competitive person by nature and I want to make sure that we are well positioned as a nation, well positioned as a state and as a local community to address some of those things. So we absolutely need the the military, airspace training, testing We we also need that capacity for commercial use and we need to be able to address both the military capacity and the commercial use. And Midland, and it sounds like Yuma as well, both have that opportunity. and so we're trying to press into those things. But I also think something that you said, Bill, is important to recognize there's a huge portion of the population that does not understand what we're even talking about. they roll their eyes when we talk about a spaceport designation and they wonder if we're talking about the Jetsons or something like that. that's not what we're doing here. We're working on true technology that our nation requires of us. And so when we're talking about high speed flight, when we're talking and the high speed corridors that are necessary to test that flight, we have to have local communities that are willing to say yes to that. when we're talking about testing of different military weapon systems that are more cost effective, it we've we've just in the last several months of the war with Iran and and or the conflict with Iran and all of the things that have gone along with that, we have exquisite weapon systems and we need those, but we also need more readily dispatchable weapon systems that can be developed more economically, they can be developed more quickly, and they can get weapon systems to our troops on the ground as they are required. Midland and Yuma and places like us are going to afford those opportunities to the nation because we've said yes to that development, to that testing, and to that industry right here in our communities. Midland is a very patriotic place. We are supportive of those things as a community, and I know Yuma is as well. But when we start to talk about spaceport development and national defense contractor development, these are the things that we have to focus on, whether that's with our citizenry or with higher-level government officials. We see the need and we're ready to respond to that need. I will also say we need the workforce training. We need the partnerships with our local universities and our colleges. We need the the as we're building out university programs at a at a local and a state level, we need to be focusing on making sure that kids are getting the training that they need to be the employees we're going to need for this. I'm so impressed with some of the young people that we already are are working with through Castellian, Firehawk, AST. Starfighter, all of these organizations are bringing really brilliant young people into our community, into our workforce, and they're building those things out. And so As I'm talking to different community groups or trying to help continue to advance this narrative here in Midland or in Austin or DC, I'm highlighting those points that we are doing a job that the world needs and it's our honor, it's our our joy to be able to participate in those things, but we have to have buy-in from local participants, from local constituencies, from our state and from our federal leadership as well. And we're thankful that we've we've received that in recent years. Bill Woolf: Yeah, you hit on that that workforce piece that we've been talking about as a nation now for years. we're gonna have a bathtub of workforce capabilities if we're not careful. And are there's gonna be other countries out there that are gonna pass us by if we're not deliberately creating the workforce of the future that we need. So that is a a tremendously important point. Mayor Nichols, how are you expressing this narrative to locals and describing how important this is to the future seven hundred? billion dollar space economy. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Well, I it is a it is a difficult thing because a lot of us day to day life, although it is touched by space technology, we don't know it. And so it seems like this very much pie in the sky, Jetsons kind of discussion. I get every once in a while when we first started talking about it, it's like, Are you serious? I'm like, Yeah, no, this isn't just a crazy engineer 'cause I'm an engineer by trade. I'm just not a crazy engineer trying to launch rockets into space. It's really legitimately one of the fastest growing economies in the world, why would we not want to to try to be part of that? And so for instance, when I was in Hermosel this Arizona Mexico commission trip, we deliberately went to a Ford plant. Not because it's anything to do with space, but what I wanted to see was okay, here's something that transformed the community of Hermosel. Forty years ago, forty years ago they had the vision, let's bring in Some automotive manufacturing. They didn't have they didn't have any specialty into it at all. Well now, 40 years later, there's 5,000 employees on site, there's 5,000 employees outside. It's totally transformed the community. They've built parks, they've built schools, they've really changed the the educational system there. And and that's kind of the hopefully where we're at in the forty years after this is it's the transformation of of being able to bring in industries. Not just launching rockets, because at the end of the day, there's a very limited impact, if you would, on on that. Because you only launch so many rockets and things, but but building the industries around it. And that's what I try to focus on with the community is we're not talking about one company launching a rocket every other day. We're talking about companies building components for rockets, building components for satellites, testing, assembling, all the technology, all the engineering that goes on with with those elements. That's that's the mission. That's the vision. That's it's not just hey we're gonna launch rockets and stop. It's we're gonna use that as the way that we we lift the the different elements of our community. we do have a need for d not just workforce development but training of d degrees really is what it is. We don't have a local full university, we have the state universities are participating, we have an an amazing Community College, Arizona Western College. but all those programs need to come to bear here. Arizona's got a great history in our academia of space involvement from the very beginning all the way through. And they're all involved in the space commission and that has helped bring some of those elements to Yuma in support of this effort. So when you're talking to the people, it's it's a big picture. And and when I first got in office a long time ago, I was So surprised how hard it is to get a message out. people want to know more, right? And that's kind of the big push right now. You're not telling us everything. Well, we're trying to tell you everything, and it's not being absorbed. And and I get it. you know, everyone's working day to day, they're trying to feed their family, take care of life as it rolls on for them. What happens 10, 15 years in in the in the future, maybe not their immediate. Need, but now it is 10 to 15 years in the future, and it takes a lot a while. And that's the other narrative that is is hard, is people want things right away. And just getting a license isn't one of those things that happens right away, but there's there's so many of those other components that take take time. And what you see when a rocket's launched sounds like it just happened yesterday, but it happened 20 years ago, and that's really where it get today and so getting the the public and and other elected leaders to understand this is a marathon it's not a sprint we're gonna take our time we're gonna do it right but it's gonna take some time that we're gonna need to be patient and committed to making this happen and so if I was to express like if this was a therapy special session I was expressing my frustration that's where I spend all my time is is I I understand but just Let's work together, let's commit to this vision and so we can get there. We can be Hermesio forty years later after Ford opened its plant and is producing Broncos now. let's be that place forty years from now, or probably not nearly that long, because the industry's gonna move very fast. But it's not tomorrow. It's gonna be ten, twenty years. And so I I guess that's my my therapy session. Thank you very much. Send me a bill. Bill Woolf: You bet Nick Mayor Nichols, we're here for you. And if you ever Mayor Douglas Nicholls: I appreciate it. Bill Woolf: need to talk, sir, we we'll we'll be in here. Now, Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Okay. Bill Woolf: what you did you you both brought up a really good point, and that is you have to invest in the local economy at the same time that you're investing in future mission. And so it's not just one or the other, it's both and meaning you have to develop the infrastructure to recruit talented people and companies to move in so that. You can create the capabilities that you're talking about, which is, you know, horizontal launch currently in Midland, future is going to be vertical launch, vertical launch in Yuma, Arizona. So how do you describe to city council members who may be skeptical about this to say, hey, how is this really going to impact us? How is it going to benefit our city? Mayor Lori Blong: Well, To s to start with Midland's perspective on this, we had some early false starts, some things that were partnerships that did not go as well as some of the things that we've talked about. And I think there was a need for consistent messaging from some of the people who really did already have the vision to say, Okay, we're gonna pivot and we're going to use these things we've already invested in. Those particular things were related to the real estate, so we still had the real estate, to be able to bring a different group in and to be able to provide that opportunity in that way. But there there had to be consistent messaging. There had to be people with the vision to be able to stay the course and to say no, we are going to keep our heads down. We're going to continue to pursue this because we believe that there's an opportunity long term. And it I think it takes those key visionaries who are willing to stay in the game and do that. And I'm really thankful for some of our staff people and some of our elected officials and and some community members who had an early vision for what this was would look like. And so I really I do believe that that's a key component of this. the other thing is I think we've now come and I would not have said this when I was first elected in twenty twenty, but today I can stand sit here before you and say we we're we're in a place where it is going to happen. It's just where is it going to happen? I don't think in twenty twenty we could say this is this is for sure going to advance. I think it still felt speculative to a lot of people, but today we can say that high-speed corridors are going to be developed overland. We can say that a A lot of these weapon system designs and and you know, just testing facilities. Those are going to go somewhere. Where will they go? We can say that vertical and horizontal launch is necessary. These satellites are coming online and they're going to launch somewhere. And so this is not a a prospective thing or a hypothetical thing. This is now a certain thing and it's will we be at the seat in a seat at the table? and the answer for Midland is yes. We want to have a seat at the table. We want to pursue these things. We want to identify the competitive market and continue to stay competitive. And so For me that's that's really the advantage that we've had is that continuity and that pressure forward. there's just not a lot that is worth doing that's very easy. And that certainly applies to this industry as well. but I do think it's necessary and for those of us who have a vision and an understanding for what national defense really looks like, we will pursue this with everything we've got as a nation or we will get left behind. And that is not that is not me being a doomsday prepper type. That is that's the reality of the world that we live in. There are other nations that want to harm us and they are working with everything they have to advance their technologies. We should be doing the same thing. And I believe that with everything that's in me. Bill Woolf: And Mayor Blong, I really what I what I appreciate Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Yeah. Bill Woolf: in Midland is the infrastructure that's going in, the new housing that's going in, the affordable housing that's going in. I am I'm thoroughly impressed with how the city continues to develop out those capabilities to recruit and retain talent there in the city. It's it's very impressive. So Mayor Nichols, how important is this to Yuma as you continue to scale and create these capabilities to Increase infrastructure to increase capability. It's like this cycle that constantly goes on. How do you how do you express that? Mayor Douglas Nicholls: It i it is it is difficult. I've I've been very blessed after my little therapy session to to recognize I've got a great city council and I've had a great city council for quite a while that have that have seen the vision and have the patience to get down the road. we're still kind of as as we mentioned at the beginning, we're a little bit earlier in the process than Midland. so we haven't done the hard investments yet as far as infrastructure. We're still on that pre planning phase. We're working on the the the licensing the land is is with the state of Arizona State Land Department, so we're we're getting that acquired. So all that's still coming together. and and it's really I guess the best thing to do is to keep focusing on the bigger mission. And I I love the the narrative that Mayor Blong has put together. it it makes a lot of sense and it and it is truly the mission for for our country beyond just just Yuma and and so I appreciate so probably the best thing to do is get on a really good podcast and let them help them educate you on on on everything. So but it's it's one of those things that it to help educate, it's gotta come from more than just me. It's gotta come from sources outside the community that are giving independent verification of the things that we're talking about. It's gotta come from other elected leaders that that see the vision. that really understand, hey this is this long game is is worth playing and we need to make sure that we're committed to it. So those are the things that I think really we're gonna be impactful moving into the Bill Woolf: Thanks, Mayor Nichols. And kind of staying on that topic of national security and workforce, Space Force actually stood up a command in Arizona this year, you know, recently. How much of Yuma's future is economic and how much of it is national security? Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Well, Yuma at its base level is national security. I mean between growing food and providing training and testing, I don't know how much more national security we could and th let's not forget being on an international border. I I really don't know how much more we could do from that perspective except add the space component. And so I think it fits in quite well with what currently exists, whether people think of it that way or not. You know, when you're when you see the fields and the lettuce coming on to the trucks that get on the freeway and all that other funds, you don't really think of it as, well, feeding the nation is national security. When you see the jet fly overhead, yeah you might a little bit, but that's just part of what we experience day to day, sometimes minute to minute here in in the Yuma area. But remembering that we play a very critical role, as a lot of communities do, but Yuma plays a uniquely critical role in national security. And that's extremely important and it's at the heart. of our community. We too have been been we are a very patriotic city. Last year we were just named one of the defense communities and I'm trying to remember the total title, but it's a defense community designation that only 52 other cities have throughout the country. it's the way we treat our veterans, it's the way we treat our active duty, and it's the openness the community has to to making sure the military can get their mission sets completed while they're here. Bill Woolf: Thank you, Mayor Nichols. And Mayor Blong, you already made the case that this is bigger than jobs and how it's good for the country and not just Midland, Texas. And I've had the opportunity and privilege, honestly, to speak in both of your respective cities about the Space Force and help educate young people about how critical the Space Force is in underpinning the future space economy. So, from your perspective, what does this mean for a twelve year old growing up in your city right now? Mayor Blong? Mayor Lori Blong: Well, I have just such a twelve year old living in my own home. So, I have a twelve year old son, a seventeen year old son, and a twenty-year-old daughter, who is in the military as well. And so we are our family is very committed to this, obviously, just because of the just the perspectives that we have had and the things that we are interested in. But I do believe that we have kids that are growing up with a narrative surrounding national defense and f surrounding public service that is different than what it was even when I was. growing up. And so I think that creating this These kids are looking for something that is greater than themselves. And they want to participate in something that contributes to the security and safety and future of the people are around them. And so I'm really thankful for the work that has been done in our community through various different groups for education of kids through different STEM programs, through different space programs. We have a rocket launch competition that takes place here that our Midland Chamber of Commerce helps to host. and so I I think that there are a lot of ways that we can introduce kids to the opportunities that exist for them. when you live especially in Midland where we have such a singularly focused economy on oil and gas development, we have to be intentional about the way that we educate kids on other opportunities. And so we're we've got the groups that are are doing that now. I think there's still room for improvement to to expand those offerings more. But making sure that kids are aware of these things, you know, the other thing is our kids are looking for things that are AI proof. that's something that my own children talk about. They want to choose careers and jobs that are AI proof. And I think that AI is certainly going to play a role in future space development, whether that's national defense or that is just the more commercial space economy. But I think that there will always be a need for innovative thinkers and people who understand the mechanics and the engineering of these things. I have three engineering-minded kids. I think they will all kind of pursue those things, but they need to know that there's an opportunity beyond oil and gas engineering. And so we are doing that here in the Permian. to make sure kids understand that. And we're gonna continue to press forward on it even more. We do have a four-year university, University of Texas Permian Basin, and then we also have two community colleges, one in Midland and one in Odessa. And there are some transferable skills and certifications that we are funneling kids towards to say these are opportunities that are attainable for you. And these are things that are achievable here in our community. The other thing I would say So far, everything that I have seen in the companies that we have brought here, these are well-paying jobs. We're talking about full-time equivalent compensation packages of $80,000. and so for for kids that are coming out of school and who are looking for what their next opportunity is, that's a great opportunity to to get started and then to build a career into whatever you want it to be. the the not to be too cheesy here. But the sky is literally the limit on what we're doing with a lot of the job opportunities. And so we have to be the ones who give that vision to our kids and then they're going to leapfrog over us in their ability to innovate and develop. Bill Woolf: Mayor Nichols, when I was twelve years old growing up in Yuma, I could never expect to be talking to the mayor of Yuma about space. So for young kids coming up in Yuma, Arizona right now, what are you telling them? Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Well, funny enough, when I was twelve years old, because we're we were twelve at the same time, I never thought I'd be mayor. So I mean that's fair enough, Mayor Lori Blong: Ha Mayor Douglas Nicholls: right? but we're we're talking about exactly that. those I still remember having conversations with parents when I first got elected about my kids wanna stay, and I mentioned this earlier, they wanna stay, but they don't wanna do what's here. They wanna they wanna have other opportunities. And so that's the message to the kids today is there are other opportunities and Guess what? You get to help create them. You it's not just about the I gotta take the job my father took because that's what we do. It's about, you know, what what's new for you in in your generation that doesn't exist in my generation. I remember watching this the space shuttle go up. I mean, that that was all encaptivating when I was growing up. and I in college thought I'd really get into material silence of science of building on the moon, but the aerospace industry at the time just wasn't what I was looking for. It wasn't as robust as it is today. Well those are reality jobs today. Those are things that that you can and experience regularly. And so getting those experiences where they can see it, they can touch it, they can taste it, they can be part of it, is really where the the vision is when we're talking about STEM, which is really what what we're talking about. getting into the classrooms even before twelve, getting them to envision those things and then one of the things we're also working on is an innovation hub where we're gonna house the the space commission out of or the space agencies out of, but also provide the opportunity of hey I have an idea where can I go with this? How can I develop this and and engaging with the people that can help with that? All of those things when you support our our youth growing up as they grow up, they grow up into very, very productive adults. If you kind of if there's no mentor, there's no guidance, there's no opportunities presented to them. Very, very few will look and and grab a hold of of an opportunity that they kinda have to find on their own. So I think those are the th those investments into youth and they're happening all over the community and they're happening at in our formal academic environments and in our in our companies and throughout through just boys and girls club and things like that. Those are the things that Well hopefully we'll have the the future generation where I can then retire and I'm not have to worry about AI taking taking over the mayor position. Bill Woolf: Mayors, I tell you what, the concept that we have glommed onto and talking with folks in various states is factories on the moon and cities on Mars. And all young people that I talk to today, it's funny. I always get the same answer. I say, if you had the opportunity to go to space today, would you? They always say yes. The kids are excited about this domain. And all our job is, I think, collectively is to create an opportunity for them to get involved. So you both are doing that at your respective locations. What SFA has been working on is we partner with the Space Force Cadet Corps. This is K-12. Folks who are interested in learning more about space. So the Space Force Cadet Corps provides that. At the university level, we've created the Space Professional Society in partnership with the I-5 program out of the Air Force Academy. And so this is. students who are at the at the universities who want to learn how to start their space careers and kickstart their space careers, which that's kind of what we're talking about here today is your both of your respective cities are working on creating a pathway for folks to start their careers. And the and the companies that you host there in the cities allow that transformation to take place. So a really tremendous job that you both are doing. Two independent cities with a very specific vision for how you're gonna lead in the future space economy. Mayor Blong, any final thoughts? Mayor Lori Blong: Well, I just want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to be with you and to talk through some of these things. you know, I I'm looking for more opportunities to share and to talk about what Midland has going on. I think it gives us an opportunity to get the word out to other prospective companies that might want to locate in Midland or in Yuma, but it also helps us to begin to just shape the narrative as it is being organically shaped, not just in our own communities, but more broadly than that. so anytime I have the chance to talk about this stuff I want to and so I really thank you for the invitation and look forward to further potential future partnerships and other opportunities together. Bill Woolf: And Mir Blanc, if I'm a commercial company and I want to learn more, what's the process by which I learn more about what Midland's doing? Mayor Lori Blong: The Midland Development Corporation really has taken the lead on a lot of the development and manages a lot of our real estate opportunities and other packages that that we have done with other groups. So I would just encourage folks to reach out to the Midland Development Corporation. Sarah Harris is the executive director. they have a really great website. so reach out there and we would love to to speak with all comers and and look for opportunities to partner together. Bill Woolf: And we will put that website in the comments below. Mayor Nichols, any final thoughts from you, sir? And how do folks reach out to learn more about what's happening in you? Mayor Douglas Nicholls: I w again thank you for for this opportunity to get together. Just I think it's indicative of mayors that we'll talk about our communities forever. I when I first started again in the office I couldn't speak in front of a camera and now you'll never can't give me to shut up. So I Mayor Lori Blong: Yeah. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: appreciate you giving me the wrap up cue. But at the end of the day, there's gonna be a change and a transformation in the world economically. I feel I would be dismissive of my job if I didn't try to prepare my community for that. And that's that's part of the the vision and the messaging going on in my head when when things get tough and things timelines get stretched out and and opportunities don't materialize. that's what I keep keep reminding myself. And so from that perspective, reach out to my office. Yumaaz.gov is the website. Just go to the mayor's page. that email goes straight to me. if you call the number you get to talk to Kathy Moon, my my chief of staff, we will get you hooked up with the right information. we want we want to show what we've got coming down the pike. We we need great partners. We we've got some some great partners already, but there's always a lot of work to get done. And so we're already talking in some companies, but there's there's time and really an opportunity to really explore this and make it an asset for the country. So I appreciate your time and we'll be coming back next month, right? This is a monthly thing, right now? Mayor Lori Blong: Here we Bill Woolf: We're setting up a series. That's what I just heard. Mayor Lori Blong: go. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: that's what I heard. Yes, yes. And and and Bill, I know we have different alma maters, but you're you're a pretty good guy. So I'll I'll take the the stigma off of you. So thank you. Yeah. Bill Woolf: I'm glad we got that on record. Thank you so much. Mayor Laurie Blong, Midland, Texas, Mayor Douglas Nichols out of Yume, Arizona. Thank you for your leadership there at the local level and doing all the great work you're doing to advance the space economy. Until next time, have a great day. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Thank you very much. Mayor Lori Blong: Thank you so much. Mayor Douglas Nicholls: Thank you very much. Mayor Lori Blong: Thank you so much. Bill Woolf: Attend spacepower.org, the website you want to go to to learn more about the largest gathering of Guardians in the galaxy, the Space Power Conference. Early bird pricing is now live. Go there, secure your ticket, secure your hotel room now before they disappear. I will see you in Orlando in December. Until then, Semper Supra.