Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company–Meridian’s W.M. “Barry” McKissack is the recipient of the prestigious Aero Star Award.

Ralph Heath, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, recognized McKissack during the annual Aero Star Award ceremony held May 5, at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

The Aero Star Performance Awards are an annual tradition at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. This year 63 employees, only two-tenths of 1 percent of all Aeronautics Company employees, received the prestigious honor for demonstrating extraordinary achievements that contributed to company success.

McKissack’s tenure at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company–Meridian began in 1980 when he was hired as a Production Serviceman. He was promoted to his current position of Production Planner in 2003. Barry was nominated for the Aero Star Award for his outstanding efforts in leading the Meridian facility to achieve the corporation’s first ever 100 percent accuracy measure in an assembly work-in-process audit and for helping to maintain the inventory accuracy of the Meridian facility at 99.5 percent or better. In addition, he implemented numerous inventory controls, and is currently working to earn his black belt for leading continuous improvement initiatives within the corporation.

Previous Aero Star Award recipients from the Meridian facility include Chuck Easterwood, F-22 Production Assembler and Andy Dearman, Plant Mechanic.