Kellie Johnson

Executive Committee Member

Board of Directors

National Association of Manufacturers

 

President

ACE Clearwater Enterprises

 

Kellie Johnson is president of ACE Clearwater Enterprises in Torrance, Calif. She graduated from USC in 1982 with a B.A. in international relations and joined the family business in 1984, working in all areas from purchasing to production control. At that time, the company had annual revenues of approximately $10 million, primarily in aerospace sheet metal forming and fabrication.

 

Ms. Johnson took over operations in 1985 and was promoted to president in 1989. Focusing on speed, quality and innovation, ACE Clearwater Enterprises became a preferred supplier for most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and received the highly coveted Boeing Supplier of the Year award in 1993. Specializing in complex formed and welded assemblies, the company has grown to 210 employees with current (2011) projected revenue at $35 million. Industry Week has recognized ACE Clearwater Enterprises as “One of America’s Top 25 Small Manufacturers.” In 2002, Kellie completed the acquisition of the Honeywell metal forming business, which led to a nearly 20 percent increase in revenues. ACE Clearwater Enterprises has been certified to the new ISO 9001:2000 and AS 9100B international quality standards, as well as Nadcap approvals in NDT and welding, making ACE Clearwater one of a handful of aerospace companies of its size working under this new quality standard.

 

Ms. Johnson was chairman of the Board of Directors for the California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) in 1995 and served as a Board member for 12 years. She is on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Manufacturers and is chair of the NAM’s Small and Medium Manufacturers Group. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Manufacturing Institute. Additionally, Ms. Johnson is the chair of the California Manufacturing and Technology Association. She chairs the Manufacturing Working Group for the California Space Authority (CSA) and was awarded the 2009 CSA Spot Beam Award for Manufacturing.  In 2006, she was appointed by Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez to serve on the Manufacturing Council and was recently appointed to serve on the re-chartered Manufacturing Council to serve under Commerce Secretary Locke. She served on the Aerospace Advisory Committee for the California Commission on Economic Development. In 2008, Ms. Johnson was named the 2008 California Industry Person of The Year by the California Industrial and Technology Education Association.

 

In the civic arena, Ms. Johnson is actively involved in the local school system promoting careers in manufacturing, and through ongoing facility tours, she encourages educators to promote manufacturing as a great career opportunity. ACE sponsors several local high schools in the First Robotics national competition, as well as the “Fembots,” an all female robotics team in Northern California. Her company aggressively promotes internship programs to expose young people to engineering and other manufacturing related careers. In April 2007, she was selected by the Department of Defense to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, (JCOC 73) where she visited Central Command in the Middle East.