Reflections from the Front Lines of STRIKEWERX
As BIZ Magazine marks the five-year anniversary of STRIKEWERX, I want to offer a personal reflection—not just as a community observer or publisher, but as someone who has had the unique opportunity to be part of their process.
For the past 18 months, I’ve served as a Design Sprint Facilitator for STRIKEWERX, helping guide teams through a structured, time-boxed innovation process designed to solve real problems. (Full disclosure: yes, I’m involved, but I believe it gives me a front-row seat to something extraordinary happening right here in our region.)
And let me tell you, I’ve learned a lot.
First, innovation is hard. It’s not just about good ideas or flashy presentations. It’s about getting the right people in the room, aligning them around a challenge, and doing the hard work of asking “What if?” and “Why not?” over and over again until real solutions start to emerge. It’s messy, nonlinear, and often uncomfortable. But it’s also absolutely critical to any organization that wants to move forward.
Second, the power of collaboration across boundaries cannot be overstated. When you bring together people from different backgrounds—military personnel, industry experts, academics, and local leaders—who are all focused on the same goal, something remarkable happens. They challenge each other’s assumptions, spark fresh thinking, and feed off each other’s energy. In that environment, ideas become more than just whiteboard scribbles. They become real.
Third, structure makes all the difference. One of the most surprising lessons I’ve learned is that creative collaboration thrives within clear boundaries. STRIKEWERX’s Design Sprints aren’t open-ended brainstorming sessions. They’re guided, focused, and intentional. When people know what’s expected, what comes next, and how their contributions move the process forward, they’re more willing to take risks and stay engaged.
But perhaps the most important realization is this: coming up with a solution is just the beginning. Taking that idea and turning it into a viable prototype, and then transforming that prototype into something usable in the field, takes time, patience, and a lot of follow-through. Innovation is not a one-time event. It’s a discipline.
What STRIKEWERX has done over the past five years is more than just help Air Force Global Strike Command stay at the forefront of innovation. It has created a model for public-private collaboration, a launchpad for regional economic impact, and a hub where creative problem-solving thrives. STRIKEWERX doesn’t just serve the mission of AFGSC. It serves academia. It serves industry. And it serves our entire community.
We should all be proud that something like this exists in Northwest Louisiana. STRIKEWERX is proof that when government, business, and education work together with intention, we don’t just imagine the future. We build it.
Here’s to the next five years of progress, partnership, and purposeful innovation.
David A. Specht Jr. is the publisher of BIZ Magazine and president of Specht Newspapers, Inc.