SpeedNews, a unit of Penton's Aviation Week Network Announces New Leadership Award Honoring Legacy of Industry Pioneer & SpeedNews Founder Gilbert W. Speed

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At today's 28th Annual SpeedNews Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference in Beverly Hills, CA, Penton's Warren Bimblick, senior vice president, strategy and business development, announced the company's new award initiative.  The Gilbert W. Speed Award honors the legacy of the man who founded SpeedNews, the aviation industry's newsletter of record, in 1979 and established its annual suppliers conference in 1987. Penton purchased SpeedNews from Mr. Speed in 2006.

Gil Speed began his career in aviation as a student apprentice in 1952 at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, now part of BAE Systems.  In 1957 he moved to Eastern Airlines as a development engineer.  Following an engineering stint at Pan Am, he founded Transequip, now part of Telair International.  Speed was a supporting member of ISTAT since 1983, and recipient of the 2010 ISTAT Award.  During his 60+-year tenure in the aviation industry, he was a well-respected industry partner and touched many lives.  Speed passed away in January 2014 at age 81.

In his honor, the Gilbert W. Speed Award will recognize outstanding leadership and collaboration across the global aerospace and defense supply chain.  The award will be presented annually at the conference he created, to an individual who is a leader and active collaborator around supply chain relationships in aerospace and defense, thus furthering the vision and values embodied by Speed.  Winners must exhibit the qualities of entrepreneurship, vision, leadership, and inspiration to future leaders. 

In addition to the award, ISTAT has established the Gilbert W. Speed Memorial Scholarship Fund as a way to recognize the many industry contributions and friendships Speed made during his career.  Penton will contribute $10,000 annually to the fund, which will be awarded to students interested in aviation careers.

"Through knowledge transfer and community, Gil Speed made the industry more successful and collaborative, and we all owe him our deepest gratitude. This award and scholarship will secure his memory and legacy in the industry, and carry his vision forward," said Bimblick. "He was also an extraordinarily nice man."

Details and call for nominations for the first Gilbert W. Speed award, to be presented in March 2015, will be available at www.aviationweek.com and http://speednews.com/.  For more information on the Gilbert W. Speed Memorial Scholarship, visit http://www.istat.org/.

About Aviation Week Network
Aviation Week, a division of Penton, is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. The product portfolio includes SpeedNews, Aviation Week & Space Technology, AC-U-KWIK, Aircraft Blue Book, Airportdata.com, Air Charter Guide, Air Transport World, AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week Intelligence Network, Business & Commercial Aviation, ShowNews, Fleet and MRO forecasts, global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tradeshows and aerospace & defense conferences.

About Penton
Penton is a professional information services company. We engage and inform millions of professionals every day, helping them decide how to grow and solve their most critical business challenges. As a leading provider of workflow solutions and insightful content, marketing services and networking via in-person and online events, we help businesses do business. We focus our industry expertise on five core growth markets - agriculture, transportation, natural products/food, infrastructure, and industrial design and manufacturing.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Elizabeth Sisk
Aviation Week
212.904.4625
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SOURCE Penton