45Drives, a manufacturer of open source enterprise data storage, virtualization infrastructure, and on-prem AI, announced that Chief Operating Officer Robert MacQueen will participate in the Industry Velocity Panel at the inaugural Velocity Summit on November 17 in Wilmington, North Carolina. The summit, co-presented by the North Carolina Military Business Center and The Protocase Companies, aims to address the critical national security challenge of accelerating defense manufacturing capacity.
MacQueen will join executives from Archer Aviation, Hendrick Technical Solutions, and Phillips Corporation-Markforged on the panel titled “Building at the Speed the Mission Requires.” His participation underscores the importance of practical manufacturing and delivery experience in discussions about strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base. Since joining 45Drives in 2014, MacQueen has overseen operations from product development through customer fulfillment, gaining hands-on experience in designing, manufacturing, and delivering complex enterprise infrastructure at scale.
“There's a world of difference between proving you can build something and being able to deliver it quickly, reliably and at scale,” MacQueen said. “At 45Drives, we operate in that space between engineering, production and service every day. We know how much time gets lost to supply chain constraints, inefficient processes and unnecessary complexity. I want to bring that practical experience to the discussion about how North Carolina can help America build critical defense capabilities faster.”
The summit’s significance is amplified by its high-profile speakers, including video remarks from North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a keynote address by Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley, and remarks from Lieutenant General (Ret.) Christopher O. Mohan, former Commanding General of U.S. Army Materiel Command. Senior military officials will examine readiness requirements and industrial constraints, followed by an afternoon roundtable focused on actionable steps North Carolina can take to bolster the defense manufacturing base. This gathering of government, military, and industry leaders highlights the urgency of aligning manufacturing capacity with national security needs.
MacQueen’s panel, scheduled from 12:45 to 2:00 PM EST, will be moderated by Jon Phillips, CEO of PhillComm Global. The discussion is expected to delve into how companies can overcome supply chain bottlenecks and process inefficiencies to deliver critical capabilities faster. For 45Drives, participation in the summit reinforces its role as a key player in providing high-performance infrastructure to government and defense organizations. The event also positions the company at the forefront of conversations about domestic manufacturing resilience.
The Velocity Summit takes place on November 17, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:45 PM EST at Cape Fear Community College’s Union Station Conference Center in Wilmington. The full program and registration details are available through the original release. As defense manufacturing becomes increasingly vital to national security, the insights shared at this summit could shape future collaborations and strategies for accelerating production across the industry.
