2025 State of the Region Summit & Gamechangers Awards

About the State of the Region Summit

The half-day State of the Region Summit spotlighted emerging economic opportunities. Attendees gained insights from dynamic keynote speakers and aviation and aerospace leaders who highlighted innovation taking flight in Adams County.

State of the Region Summit Keynote Speakers:

Lynn Baca

Chair

Adams County Board of County Commissioners

Review the full presentation here

See the videos below for more updates!

Economic Development in Adams County

City View Park Ribbon Cutting

New Family Preservation Center

Dr. Tatiana Bailey

Expert economist and regional
growth strategist

Data-Driven Economic Strategies

Please contact DDES via their website, which is linked above, for the presentation or more information!

Innovation Takes Flight Panel

The Innovation Panel, featured business leaders from Advanced Space and Boom Supersonic — groundbreaking companies redefining the future of aviation and aerospace right here in our region. The speakers shared their thoughts on why they chose Adams County and what they need in terms of workforce and support to be successful.

- Advanced Space is enabling sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space through high-tech aerospace innovation

- Boom Aerospace is revolutionizing sustainable supersonic flight and conducting R&D testing of its engines at the Colorado Air and Space Port

- Click here for update from Colorado Air and Space Port, Deputy Director Will Flowers

View the Aerotropolis video by clicking here.

Brad Cheetham

CEO, Advanced Space

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Bradley Cheetham is a lifelong space advocate, highly experienced engineer, a three-time entrepreneur, and seasoned graduate-level instructor. Best known as the co-founder and CEO of Advanced Space, he leads the company in its efforts to enable the sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space by delivering mission-enabling services, technology solutions, and mission solutions to clients across the space industry. Advanced Space is the owner and operator of the CAPSTONE spacecraft, which successfully arrived at the Moon in 2022 as a pathfinder for NASA's Artemis program.

Bradley serves as the Principal Investigator for this mission, which represents the first-ever commercial spacecraft to operate at the Moon. Cheetham earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo and received his Masters in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder, there he also conducted significant research on spacecraft navigation at theMoon in support of a Doctorate of Philosophy under the guidance of the late Dr. George Born. He created and taught a graduate-level course in Commercial Spaceflight Operations at CU Boulder for seven years.

As an advocate for the space industry, he co-founded and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Future Space Leaders Foundation, is a member of the Entrepreneurship and Investment Committee of the International Astronautical Federation, and serves on the Board of Advisors and the Board of Trustees of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). As an advocate for the Colorado entrepreneurial ecosystem, Brad serves on the Board of Directors for the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network (BEN) Colorado.

Nick Sheryka

Director of Symphony, Boom Aerospace

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Nick Sheryka, in his role as Head of Propulsion for Boom Supersonic, leads the development of the company's Symphony engine program. Previously serving as Chief Flight Test Engineer, he was a member of the original team that developed and constructed the XB-1 demonstrator and oversaw the safe execution of its flight test campaign.

Nick has contributed to pioneering aerospace projects spanning hybrid-electric flying cars, next-generation fighter aircraft technology demonstrators, and subsystem development on the world's largest aircraft. His diverse technical background includes qualifications to operate three different types of nuclear reactors.

His hands-on approach to engineering extends beyond his professional work — he builds experimental aircraft in his garage and holds a Commercial Pilot license.

At Boom, Nick plays a critical role in advancing supersonic flight technology, combining his extensive flight test experience with broad aerospace systems leadership to help bring sustainable supersonic travel to reality.