Army OSBP Newsletter - May 2014

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Article submission deadline: June 06, 2013

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U.S. Army OSBP Our Mission

• Advise the Secretary of the Army and the Army leadership on small business related matters • Spearhead innovative initiatives that contribute to expanding the small business industrial base relevant to the Army mission priorities • Leverage the use of minority serving educational institutions in support of Army science and technology programs

Our Vision

To be the premier advocacy organization committed to maximizing small business utilization in support of rapidly fielding a trained, ready, responsive and capable force that can prevent conflict, shape the environment and win the Nation’s wars.

Statement by President Barack Obama

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of our communities. They create two of every three new jobs in America, spur economic growth, and spark new industries across the country.

We will continue to create new incentives to help small business owners hire new workers, promote growth and do what America does best - invest in the creativity and imagination of our people.”

-President Barack Obama

Front Cover

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In This Issue

Calendar of Events

2 • Director’s Message: Celebrating the contributions of African-Americans and Women 3 • Women’s History Month - Army OSBP Director Honored as ‘Woman of Character, Courage and Commitment’ 6 • Army Bids Farewell to the 30th Undersecretary of the Army, Honorable Joseph W. Westphal 7 • Senior Leader Interview: LTG William N. (Bill) Phillips, a Champion for Army Small Business Utilization, Retires 8 • LTG Michael E. Williamson Appointed as the First African American Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT) 9 • Farewell to Ms. Peggy Butler-Mason 11 • Army OSBP Director Speaks at Accenture Federal Services Small Business Outreach Forum 12 • Army OSBP Welcomes New Program Manager for Subcontracting and MentorProtégé Programs 13 • C4ISR Center of Excellence Reaches Out to Industry 14 • Hampton University Graduate and First African American Appointed to Army Chief Information Officer 15 • RMOA Business Institute Conducts its First Graduation 16 • Army OSBP Director Delivers Keynote at L-3 National Security Solutions Small Business Award Ceremony 17 • OSBP Director Attends 9th Annual Stars and Stripes Recognition Program 18 • Ft. Bliss Hosts Industry Day 19 • Small Business Innovation Fuels Army Operational Energy Efficiency 20 • USACE Little Rock District Connects with Small Businesses at Industry Day • Army Mentor-Protégé Program Update 21 • USAMMA Strengthens Small Businesses 22 • USACE Buffalo District Receives Small Environmental Business Action Coalition Award 23 • Army Corps of Engineers Participates in Annual Small Business Conference 25 • USACE Louisville District Small Business Program Recognized at Open House • USACE Louisville District Small Business Program Receives Top Honors 26 • Wounded Warrior Remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 27 • Remembering the Past 28 • Defense Celebrates Black History Month 29 • Get to Know Fedbid, a Reverse-Auction Market Place Used for Army Contracts • A Salute to Women and Black History Month: Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd 30 • House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses 32 • How to Research Small Business Legislation 33 • Army Small Business Performance Changes by Industry Area 34 • Calendar of Events

U.S. Army OSBP 106 Army Pentagon Room 3B514 Washington, DC 20310 Phone: 703.697.2868 Fax: 703.693.3898 ArmySmallBusiness@mail.mil www.sellingtoarmy.com

Points of Contact Ms. Tracey L. Pinson Director tracey.l.pinson.civ@mail.mil Mr. James Lloyd Acting Deputy Director Assistant to the Director Program Manager, SDVOSB & HUBZone james.c.lloyd20.civ@mail.mil Ms. Cynthia Lee Assistant to the Director Program Manager, HBCU/MI and 8(a)/SDB cynthia.r.lee.civ@mail.mil Ms. Stacy Watson Assistant to the Director Program Manager, Women-Owned Small Business, Major Programs and Training stacy.r.watson.civ@mail.mil Ms. Pamela L. Monroe Assistant to the Director Program Manager, Mentor-Protégé & Subcontracting pamela.l.monroe8.civ@mail.mil Ms. Portia Deans Assistant to the Director Procurement Analyst portia.l.deans.civ@mail.mil Ms. Edith St. Catherine Staff Action Control Specialist catherine.e.stcatherine.civ@mail.mil Ms. Veronica Atkinson Administrative Officer veronica.d.atkinson.civ@mail.mil ....................................................

Ms. Marina Sullivan Program Manager New Concepts & Associates marina.g.sullivan.ctr@mail.mil

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Upcoming Events

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Follow Army OSBP www.twitter.com/ArmySmallBiz

Halfaker and Associates, LLC Support Contractor to Army OSBP Mr. Anthony Braun anthony.m.braun2.ctr@mail.mil Mr. Burt Stanko burt.j.stanko.ctr@mail.mil Mr. Ricardo Ruiz ricardo.ruiz@halfaker.com

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Please visit www.sellingtoarmy.com and click on “Calendar of Events”, for the most updated list.

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Army Small Business Performance Changes by Industry Area

Director’s Message: Celebrating the contributions of African-Americans and Women

rmy small business achievement has grown from 26.39 percent in FY2012 to 27.38 percent in FY2013; a total of about one percent. Below is a breakdown of the changes in small business achievement by industry area, as defined by the 16 Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP) portfolio groups (http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/ss/taxonomy.html).

A

Small business achievement grew in nine of the sixteen portfolio groups from FY12 to FY13. The Strategic Service

Portfolios (Knowledge Based Services, Electronic & Communication Services, and Facility Related Services) had a combined growth of 0.81 percent.

Submitted by: Mr. Burt Stanko Support Contractor Army OSBP

ebruary and March are great months to pause from the rigor of everyday responsibilities to celebrate Black History and Women’s History Month. While we attempt to celebrate the respective accomplishments every day, the special emphasis takes place during these two months. It is well known that women and African-Americans contribute significantly to the success of the Army and this great Nation through military service and entrepreneurship.

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Over the past five years, both large and small African-American entrepreneurs won over ten billion dollars in Army contracts. Of this amount, small business entrepreneurs received 92 percent of the contract dollars. The Army awards contracts to AfricanAmerican owned small businesses in mission-critical areas to include, but not limited to, military training, information technology, administrative support services, construction, environmental services, natural disaster response, renewable energy, custodial services, medical services, and research and development.

African-Americans currently make up 20.6 percent of the active duty Army, 13.8 percent of the National Guard, and 22.1 percent of the Army Reserve.1 Several high-ranking African-American Army leaders serve in positions directly impacting contract awards to small businesses, to include but not limited to, GEN Dennis Via, Commander, Army Materiel Command; LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; LTG Michael Williamson, Principal Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology); and LTG Robert Ferrell, the first AfricanAmerican assigned as Chief Information Officer/G-6, Office of the Secretary of the Army. I have the honor and pleasure to work with these individuals on a regular basis, and in this edition of our newsletter we spotlight some of the good work that they are doing.

In March, I spoke at Tuskegee University, the national historic site of the U.S. Army Air Corps for

Source: FPDS-NG, Small Business Achievements by Awarding Organization Report, 02/24/2014

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Newsletter | May 2014

African American World War Two pilots, commonly referred to as Tuskegee Airmen. I shared some of my experiences working with Rep. Parren J. Mitchell (deceased), a U.S. Congressman (D) who represented the 7th congressional district of Maryland from 1971 to early 1987. He was the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland and he waged a tireless campaign for the passage of civil rights laws and contract opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses.

He is the reason why billions of contract dollars are awarded to small businesses in various socio-economic subcategories. African-American History Month gives me an opportunity to talk about his historic achievements and the continuing benefits to this Nation.

As I celebrated Women’s History Month, I thought about the record-breaking achievements throughout the Army in awarding contracts to women-owned small businesses. This past fiscal year, the Army awarded over five percent of all small-business eligible contract dollars to women-owned small businesses, exceeding the statutory five percent goal for the first time in its history. Over the past five years, Army awarded an impressive 23 billion dollars in contracts to women entrepreneurs.

Of this amount, small women-owned businesses won 88 percent of the contract dollars. When President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, he further enhanced the ability of the federal government to set-aside more contracts to women-owned small businesses.

As a result, women will increasingly contribute to strengthening our economy through entrepreneurship and job creation.

Women make up 15.7 percent of the active duty Army, serving in 95 percent of all Army occupations.2 At the highest levels of the Army, you will find remarkable women.

Approximately five percent of general officers are women, and they lead diverse missions in support of our National security. For example LTG Patricia Horoho, U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S.

Ms. Tracey L. Pinson, Director

Army Medical Command; MG Marcia Anderson, Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve and the first African American female two-star general; and BG Margaret W. Burcham, the first female Division Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Also, we bid farewell and wish well to The Honorable Joseph W. Westphal, the former Undersecretary of the Army and LTG (Ret.) William N. Phillips. They were both outstanding supporters of the small business program and we will miss them.

The Army has made progress towards diversity over the years. While we are not there yet we are trending upward.

Diversity strengthens and maximizes our ability to ‘Prevent, Shape, and Win’ the future. ■ Ms. Tracey L. Pinson Director Army OSBP 1. http://www.army.mil/africanamericans/ textonly.html 2. http://www.army.mil/women/

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Women’s History Month House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses (continued)

Army OSBP Director Honored as ‘Woman of Character, Courage and Commitment’ ASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 1, 2014) -- The Department of Defense honored three women yesterday, for their exceptional character, courage, and commitment to Army values.

Bill #

Bill Title

Issue

Date Passed

Vote

P.L.

H.R. 1105

Small Business Capital Acess and Job Preservation Act

Exempts private equity fund investment advisers from registration and reporting requirments if the fund has not borrowed and does not have outstanding a principal amount exceeding twice its invested capital commitments. In doing so, the bill removes regulatory burdens under Dodd-Frank on smaller firms that invest in entrepreneurs and in small businesses.

12/4/2013

254-159

N

H.R. 3309

Innovation Act

This bill seeks to curb abusive patent litigation, typically bought by patent assertion entities or ‘patent trolls.’ Small businesses often do not have the resources to fight frivolous, vague claims related to possible patent infringement, and such claims could threaten their IP, which may be their most valuable asset. In addition to provisions to curb abuse, the bill establishes a small business education and outreach program.

12/5/2013

325-91

N

H.Res. 114

Resolution to concur in the Senate Amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3304)

The NDAA authorizes spending for discretionary and mandatory defense programs. The bill includes provisions to increase federal procurement opportunities for small businesses that were drafted by the Committee on Small Business.

12/12/2013

350-69

N

W

Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs; Sexual Assault Prevention advocate SPC Natasha Schuette; and World War II Army veteran Ms. Alyce Dixon, were recognized at the Pentagon on the final day of Women’s History Month.

Each honoree received a Lifetime Achievement “Women of Character, Courage and Commitment” award, and a Women’s History Month certificate of appreciation.

Source: House Committee on Small Business majority.

ARMY’S TOP AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE EXECUTIVE Ms. Pinson is the Army’s highestranking female African-American Senior Executive Service member. She is a principal member of the Army Secretariat and is the highest-ranking female civilian in the Army acquisition career field.

“For her extraordinary commitment and service to our nation, Ms. Pinson was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Presidential Rank Award in 2002, and again in 2009. This award is presented by the president of the United States to only a select few career senior executives for their strong leadership and professionalism,” said Barbara Stansbury, the master of ceremonies at the Pentagon event, and a staffer with the Army’s Directorate of Equal Employment Opportunity.

“Ms. Pinson said she began working for the Army because it had the best smallbusiness program in DOD, and under her leadership, it still does today,” said Stansbury.

Ms. Pinson is a role model for all and has demonstrated exemplary character, courage and commitment to service of the nation, Stansbury said.

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How to Research Small Business Legislation Ms. Pinson receives a certificate of appreciation from Mr. O’Keefe.

“For over 10 years, her outstanding commitment to the Army’s Small Business Program, including the MentorProtégé Program, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions program, allowed many small and disadvantaged womenowned businesses the opportunity to pursue contracts with the U.S. Army,” her certificate reads.

“It really is pretty astounding what Tracey has been able to accomplish. Under her leadership, the Army has led the federal government in contract awards to small businesses for over 10 years,” said Gerald O’Keefe, the administrative assistant to the secretary of the Army.

“That’s just an amazing achievement,” he said, in presenting the award and certificate to her.

“It’s really a pleasure to be here and to share this honor with two very, very courageous women of character,” said Ms. Pinson.

She credited many people for her success.

“I share this with my source of strength and success, and those are my mentors, my family, my team members, for clearly they have made us successful, and then of course, we cannot leave out our successors, our children, our building strong shoulders for the individuals that are coming along after us,” she said.

“Thank you so much for this award today,” Ms. Pinson said.

VOICE OF ADVOCACY

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e have included a link so that you can find out more about the latest legislation that relates to small business: http:// thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php.

When looking for legislation, type in the bill number or a word/phrase that has to do with your search. Make sure you click on word/phrase or bill number. You can also select a representative or a Senator to find legislation they may have sponsored. These tips will help you navigate the site and find your legislation quickly.

Submitted by: Mr. Cameron Miles Support Contractor Army OSBP

“Spc. Schuette demonstrated one of the Army’s highest values -- personal

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Women’s History Month House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses (continued)

Bill #

Bill Title

Issue

Date Passed

Vote

P.L.

H.R. 367

Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2013

Require a resolution of approval by Congress before an exective branch agency’s major rule can take effect.

Major rules can have significant effects on competition, employment, and productivity. This bill provides an additional check against federal agencies to ensure that they do not create regualtions harmful to small business.

8/2/2013

232-183

N

Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013

Prohibits the Secretary of Treasury from implementing any provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Small busineses concerned by the implementation of health care reform would see relief under this bill.

8/2/2013

H.R. 2009

N

H.R. 1155

National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2013 (NARAB)

Creates a national clearinghouse, run by NARAB, to allow insurance agents and brokers, many of which are small businesses, to operate in multiple states.

9/10/2013

397-6

N

H.R. 2844

Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act of 2013

Requires the FCC to publish on its website and submit to Congress a biennial report on the state of the communications marketplace and deployment of communications capabilities. Requires the FCC to compile a list of geographic areas that are not serviced by advanced telecommunications capability and to consider market entry barriers for entrpreneurs and other small businesses in the communications marketplace in accordance with existing national policy favoring diversity.

9/9/2013

415-0

N

H.R. 761

National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013

Reduces red tape by streamlining the permitting process for mineral development to create jobs and develop rare earth and critical metals that are vital to both small and large US manufacturers.

9/18/2013

267-178

N

H.R. 2655

Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2013

Requires courts to impose sanctions against parties that file frivolous lawsuits. Specifically, this bill eliminates a “safe harbor” provision that allows parties to file frivolous lawsuits and then avoid sanctions by withdrawing the lawsuits within 21 days after a motion for sanctions is filed. Further, the bill requires that financial compensation be paid to victims of frivolous lawsuits. This bill helps small businesses that frequently lack the legal resources to fight frivolous suits and therefore settle lawsuits rather than litigate.

11/14/2013

228-195

N

This bill helps keep the President’s promise of being able to “keep your health plan if you like it” by allowing health insurance providers to continue to offer those health insurance plans that are in effect in the individual market as of January 1, 2013, in the 2014 calendar year. This bill could allow small business owners in the individual market to keep the same plans as they had in 2013 despite Obamacare’s requirements.

11/15/2013

The bill expands onshore energy production, streamlines permitting processes, and reduces red tape to drill on Federal land. This bill would increase the domestic energy output and lower costs for energy producers, and thereby lower energy costs for small businesses and all Americans.

11/20/2013

Requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator to submit an annual report to Congress on its performance in relation to their published goals for contracting with small and disadvantaged businesses. If the goals are not met, it requires to the TSA to identify what prevented the Agency from reaching these goals and to create an action plan on how address these challenges so that they will be able to meet the goals in the next fiscal year.

12/3/2013

H.R. 3350

H.R. 1965

H.R. 2719

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232-185

Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013

Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act

Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act

261-157

N

courage,” Stansbury said. By telling her own story of sexual assault, Schuette has urged victims -- both male and female -- not to be afraid to report crimes that occur in the ranks, Stansbury said.

Schuette was sexually assaulted by her drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, S.C., in 2012. She came forward and learned of four other female trainees who had been assaulted by the same male drill sergeant.

After reporting her attack, Schuette at first suffered retaliation at the hands of other drill sergeants in her company, and her company commander initially failed to follow up on her complaint, said Stansbury.

The drill sergeant eventually was sentenced to four years in jail for sexual assault, and Schuette said she is one of the few Soldiers to have a conviction against a perpetrator.

Schuette shared her story for a training video that was shown at a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, or SHARP, summit last year, hosted by Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno.

“Her actions opened the door to the problems that exist in handling reported cases of sexual assault and contributed to an increased effort by the Army to improve the response and prevention program,” Stansbury said.

The Army is making an effort at changing the culture of tolerance of sexual abuse, but it’s a slow process, Schuette said.

“I just want to say ‘thank you’ for everything and to continue to encourage victims to come forward to change this culture that we have,” she said.

228-192

416-0

N

N

Schuette said she was facing a discharge for “lack of integrity,” but found the strength to stay in the Army and continue to fight. She credits her strength to the support of her family and the other victims who came forward with her.

“A lot of times our victims don’t say anything and it gets kind of swept underneath the rug, and they deal with it by themselves,” she said.

Newsletter | May 2014

Ms. Pinson; Ms. Alyce Dixon, World War II Army Veteran; and SPC Natasha Schuette, sexual assault prevention advocate.

“The Army is making a huge change now to where you are assigned a victim advocate,” Schuette said, adding that the advocates know the regulations and are able to explain victim’s rights.

Courage is the presence of mind and spirit that allows a person to undertake challenges without fear of pain or retribution -- even though pain and retribution may be coming, said Clarence Johnson, director of the Department of Defense’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity.

“Courage is a powerful thing,” he said, in presenting the award and certificate to Schuette.

Schuette now serves as an administrative assistant to the command sergeant major of U.S. Army Forces Command, at Fort Bragg, N.C. She is working on a nursing degree for after she leaves the Army, Schuette said, and wants to continue being an advocate and helping victims of sexual abuse.

“It’s not the Army that has a huge problem, it’s something that happens in society also,” Schuette said.

“We take people from society and put them in the Army and they just don’t know how to act, but the biggest thing is that I don’t blame the Army,” she said.

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Page 5 Women’s History Month

House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses

“I just blame the people who did it, and the people who were part of it, and the people who accepted it, because the Army values don’t accept that. These were people who weren’t taught their values a correct way,” Schuette said.

113th Legislation Affecting Small Business Bill #

Bill Title

Issue

Date Passed

Vote

P.L.

H.R. 3

Northern Route Approval Act

Declares that a presidential permit shall not be required for the Keystone XL pipeline, allowing the project to move forward and create opportunities for small firms, both directly and indirectly.

5/22/2013

241 - 175

N

H.R. 624

Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act

Enables cyberthreat sharing within the private sector and, on a purely voluntary basis, with the government to provide better protection for the networks and systems Americans depend on. Almost 20% of cyberattacks are directed to small businesses with less than 250 employees.

4/18/2013

288 - 127

N

H.R. 634

Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2013

Exempts manufacturers, ranchers and small companies that buy and sell derivitives to hedge against business risk from burdensome margin and capital requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act.

6/12/2013

411 - 12

N

H.R. 756

Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013

Reauthorizes funding for established cybersecurity basic research and education grants at the National Science Foundation and enhances the Scholarship for Service program designed to recruit and train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. An estimated 20% of cyberattacks are directed to small firms with less than 250 employees.

4/16/2013

402-16

N

H.R. 803

SKILLS Act

Consolidates federal employment and training programs by replacing them with the Workforce Investment Fund to give workers and employers a streamlined system of support to help provide training for today’s jobs.

3/15/2013

215 - 202

N

H.R. 882

Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2013

States that it is the policy of the U.S. government that no government contracts or grants should be awarded to individuals or business entities with seriously delinquent federal tax debts. The government currently has a goal of awarding 23% of federal contracts to small firms.

4/15/2013

407 - 0

N

H.R. 967

Advancing America’s Networking and Information Technology R&D Act

Expands a program for coordinating R&D by various federal agencies on advanced networking and information technology, in an effort to strengthen cybersecurity protections. Almost 20% of cyberattacks are directed at small firms with less than 250 employees.

4/16/2013

406-11

N

H.R. 1406

Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013

Allows private-sector employers to offer wages or time off to compensate employees for overtime hours worked.

5/8/2013

223 - 204

N

“We worked hard and did a lot of good things,” she said.

H.R. 1960

Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2014, and includes provisions to aid small contractors by making them better able to compete for federal contracts.

6/14/2013

315 - 108

N

Dixon said she is so proud to see such “beautiful things” happening with AfricanAmerican women, and all women who are doing so much in the Army.

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

H.R. 2642

Reauthorizes agricultural programs through fiscal year 2018.

Commonly refered to as the “Farm Bill,” this bill provides aid to family-owned farms by providing price support for sugar, grain and oilseeds.

7/11/2013

216-208

N

“I’m so pleased about that; they’ve moved right on up to the top. Good for you,” she said. ■

Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

H.R. 2218

The Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013

Replaces the EPA’s proposal to regulate coal ash as a harzardous material with consistent state regualtory authority over coal ash. Deeming coal ash a hazardous material would increase costs for coal-fired power plants and threaten the reclying of coal ash, which is used in cement, concrete, wallboard, and roofing materials; there by increasing manufacturing, construction, and energy costs for small firms.

7/25/2013

265-155

N

WORLD WAR II WAC At 106-years old, Dixon has seen the nation and the world go through monumental changes. She said she was proud to be at the Pentagon receiving the award and is thrilled at the great things that African-American women and all women have achieved.

Dixon was born when Theodore Roosevelt was president, lived through the Great Depression, witnessed six major American wars, and saw 18 presidents elected, including the first African-American president, Stansbury said.

Dixon served the nation faithfully as a member of the Women’s Army Corps, or WAC, during World War II, and then for 35 years as a federal employee.

She began that service more than 70 years ago, when she was one of the first African-American women to join the WAC, said Stansbury.

Dixon has traveled the world and is known for her jokes and quick wit, Stansbury told the forum.

“Her philosophy is ‘You’ve got to laugh a little bit,’” she said.

“Ms. Dixon is truly an amazing woman of extraordinary character, courage and commitment,” Stansbury said.

“I want to say thank you very much for all those kind words,” Dixon told those at the event.

“I’m still hanging on at 106 years, and I’m very happy to be here. I joined the Army in 1943, before a lot of you were born even, and things were not good at that time,” she said.

Army Soldiers meet with Ms. Alyce Dixon, World War II Army Veteran. Ms. Dixon, who is 106 years old, was one of the first African American women to join the Women’s Army Corps.

World War II. They were charged with eliminating the enormous backlog of floor-to-ceiling stacks of undelivered mail and packages addressed to U.S. service members, said Stansbury.

Mail delivery was hampered due to dangerous wartime actions throughout Europe, and that had a major impact on morale. Another difficulty was that many packages were addressed to names like ‘Junior,’ or ‘Buster,’ U.S. Army. However, with the Soldiers’ identifying number on the letter, the mail could be sent to the correct person.

“Realizing the importance of this task, the 6888th worked tirelessly each day and cleared a backlog of mail in half the time it was expected to take. These amazing women cleared over 90 billion pieces of mail,” Stansbury said.

During World War II, Dixon served in Europe as a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

After the war, Dixon worked in the Pentagon in requisitions, where she said she purchased everything “from pencils to airplanes,” and retired from the Pentagon in 1972, after 35 memorable years, Stansbury said.

The 6888th was the only unit of AfricanAmerican women in the WAC to serve overseas in England and France during

Demonstrating her wit and good humor, Dixon had the audience laughing throughout her speech.

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“When I first went in, they wanted to send me to the hospital to be a nurse. I said ‘no, no, no. I’m allergic to hospitals, [I] can’t go there,’” she joked.

“I had a wonderful time in the service. I enjoyed it very much,” she said.

“When I joined, they asked me, ‘Why did I join?’ In 1943, I said ‘They’ve taken all the men, I got to follow them,” she said to laughter, adding: “If men can do it and help the country, we can too.”

Ms. Lisa Ferdinando, ARNEWS Reprinted from www.army.mil

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Get to Know Fedbid, a Reverse-Auction Market Place Used for Army Contracts

Army Bids Farewell to the 30th Undersecretary of the Army, Honorable Joseph W. Westphal

F

edBid is a reverse auction marketplace currently being used by Army and other government agencies to match buyers and sellers. The majority of contracts awarded in this marketplace go to small businesses and the number of contracts awarded has been growing steadily.

According to FedBid, In FY2013, more than 17,000 government buyers awarded a combined total of more than 36,000 requirements on the FedBid Marketplace, and small businesses received approximately 80 percent of those awards.

Small businesses can find opportunities in FedBid by creating customizable email alerts that can contain opportunities from 14 of the 15 cabinet-level agencies. They can

also configure a dashboard to see all open opportunities. There is no cost to register in the system or to bid on contracts.

bid, rather than requests for quote or requests for information, and the majority of those opportunities are awarded within 30 days.

The Army has been using FedBid since 2005. In FY2013, Army awarded 5,869 contracts worth over $221M to 2,374 small businesses through the FedBid marketplace.

Twenty-eight percent of these awards were not small business set-asides.

How to Register

Across the entire FedBid marketplace in FY2013, there were 19,672 awards set aside for small businesses (4,231 were U.S. Army opportunities).

Additionally, 10,447 opportunities won by small businesses were not set aside (1,638 from the Army).

According to FedBid, all opportunities in the marketplace are invitations for

Registration is simple: 1. Ensure your company is registered with the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) 2. Then go to www.fedbid.com and click on the ‘Register as a Seller’ button Email sc@fedbid.com or call 571405-5013 with any questions.

Submitted by: Army OSBP

A Salute to Women and Black History Month: Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd

O

As the Chief Management Officer of the Army, the Army OSBP was aligned to report directly to him. Since the alignment, Dr. Westphal has been extremely supportive of the Army Small Business Program and has participated in several Army outreach events such as the small business conference hosted by AMC and the small business outreach event at the AUSA national conference.

“Dr. Westphal has been in the corner of the Army small business program from day one, his support is attributable directly to the continued success that we have had in our program over the years.

He will be greatly missed” said Ms. Tracey Pinson, OSBP Director.

On April 11, 2014, Dr. Westphal held a private ceremony for his personal staff and direct reports, to express his appreciation for what they have done to support him as the Undersecretary and to acknowledge significant contributions to the Army as a whole. Ms. Pinson received the Department of the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

This was an official commendation for meritorious performance of duty. “It was an honor and a privilege to receive this award and quite a surprise!” said Ms. Pinson. OSBP wishes the Honorable Joseph W. Westphal and his family all the best in his new position. ■

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r. Gwendolyn Boyd was recently selected as president of Alabama State University (ASU), making her the first female to serve in that position.

Dr. Boyd is no stranger to trailblazing and making history as she is the first African American female to earn a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from ASU and a doctoral degree in ministry from Howard University. Prior to accepting the position as president of ASU, she worked as an engineer and executive assistant to the Applied Physics Laboratory chief of staff at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC for 33 years.

Congratulations Dr. Boyd and ASU from Army OSBP.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh presents Dr. Westphal with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, as Dr. Westphal’s wife, Linda Westphal, looks on.

A member of the U.S. Army Strolling Strings plays during an April 14 farewell ceremony for Dr. Joseph W. Westphal, Former Under Secretary of the Army.

Submitted by: Army OSBP

Submitted by: Ms. Cynthia Lee Program Manager Army HBCU/MI and 8(a)/SDB Programs

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n April 14,2014, the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John M. McHugh hosted a farewell Ceremony for Dr. Joseph W. Westphal. Dr. Westphal served as the 30th Undersecretary of the Army from September 2009-March 2014. He has had a distinguished career of service in both academia and government. In 2001 he served as the Acting Secretary of the Army and earlier he served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works from 1998 to 2001. In March 2014, Dr. Westphal was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

GEN Lloyd J. Austin III, Commander, U.S. Central Command (far left) with Dr. Westphal.

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Senior Leader Interview: LTG William N. (Bill) Phillips, a Champion for Army Small Business Utilization, Retires

Defense Celebrates Black History Month

LTG William (Bill) Phillips, Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology) retired on April 4. In honor of his illustrious career and exemplary support of small business, Army OSBP reprints the interview conducted with him in June 2011.

research development, and the acquisition of materiel for all U.S. Army major weapon and support systems. The AAE has also delegated her authority and responsibilities as the Army’s Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) to the PMILDEP. The DACM responsibilities include managing the Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) and implementing the acquisition career management requirements set forth in legislation. As the DACM, I oversee the career development, training management, and support of more than 43,000 acquisition professionals. All of us are geared toward ASA(ALT)’s core mission of effectively and efficiently leading the execution of the Army’s acquisitions, acquisition management, life-cycle management, from research and development through test and evaluation, and fielding to disposition.

What are your thoughts on the involvement of small business contractors in the Army mission to provide the best equipment and services to the warfighter?

LTG William N. (Bill) Phillips

TG William N. (Bill) Phillips became the Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology) and Director, Acquisition Career Management on 1 February 2010.

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Commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1976, LTG Phillips later completed Airborne, Air Assault, and Aviator training. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University, Master of Science degree in Procurement and Materials Management from Webster University, Masters Degree in Personnel Management from Troy State University, and Masters of Science in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Defense Systems Management College, and Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Can you describe your responsibilities as the Military Deputy to the Army Acquisition Executive?

As the Principal Military Deputy to the Army Acquisition Executive (AAE), I provide the AAE with staff support to manage the

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Our goal is to encourage small business. I personally view our small businesses as being the center-piece of innovation within our country. As we celebrate our nations independence and fight for freedom, I am reminded of the key role that small businesses have played through our nation, including Betsy Ross, the Wright Brothers, and thousands of small businesses today who are a source of innovation. Further, I strongly support the MentorProtégé Program that engages industries to shape and expand the industrial base to support the Army’s mission and assist protégés in enhancing their capabilities to provide value-added support to the Army as it transforms itself into a force capable of dominating for full spectrum operations. The Mentor-Protégé Program was established in 1991 to provide incentives to prime contractors to develop the technical and business capabilities of eligible protégés to increase their participation in both prime contracts and sub-contracts.

Can you tell us about any success stories regarding small business participation in Army contracting?

An outstanding success story of our Small Business Programs is that our dollars awarded to various socio-economic programs continue to grow. A significant highlight comes each year during the Annual Veteran’s Conference. In July 2009, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) received 23 Champion for Veterans Awards. The MICC is in line to receive 30 additional awards for FY 2009. These awards go to installations that meet the three percent statutory goal for awards to ServiceDisabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. At Fort Jackson, Director of Contracting (DOC) held its first Industry Day on 17 June 2009. Over 200 small businesses attended the morning

Newsletter | May 2014

lack History Month got its early start as a week-long celebration known as Negro History Week in 1926. It was created to raise the awareness of the great contributions African Americans were making and continue to make in this nation.

In 1976, it was expanded to a month-long celebration.

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Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, created the celebration. Dr. Woodson was the son of former slaves, and was the second African American to earn a doctorate degree from Harvard University.

He was an amazing man and a great contributor to the history of African Americans.

Black History Month continues to be celebrated today and has synonymously come to be known as African American History Month. In response to a Presidential Proclamation to observe African American History Month, the Department of Defense (DoD) did just that. Mr. Clarence Johnson, Director, DoD Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, collaborated with Dr. Matthew Jenkins, Acting President, Tuskegee University, to host a two-day conference February 26-27 at Tuskegee University.

Tuskegee University is a historically black college and university (HBCU) located in Tuskegee, AL. The theme of the conference was “Reaching Out to Our Youth: A Strategy for Excellence”. Dr. Leland Burge, Jr., Dean, College of Engineering, Tuskegee University presided over the opening ceremony with greetings from Mr. Johnson, Dr. Jenkins and Tuskegee Mayor, Mr. Johnny Ford. Several senior leaders from DoD (civilian and military), other federal agencies, private industry, and HBCUs served as guest speakers or attended the conference. Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs, spoke on the Army small business landscape. Other topics included DoD Next Generation Workforce; kindergarten-12th grade science, technology, engineering and math programs; contract and grant opportunities; DoD research and development opportunities; and Civil Rights.

Culminating the conference was a celebration luncheon with keynote speaker Mr. Andre Gudger, Director, DoD Office of Small Business Programs. He spoke on “Civil Rights in America.” During the

Dr. Leland Burge, Jr., Dean, College of Engineering, Tuskegee University.

Dr. Matthew Jenkins, Acting President, Tuskegee University.

Mr. Clarence Johnson, Director, Department of Defense Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity.

LTG (Ret.) Willie Williams and Dr. Jarris Taylor, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Strategic Diversity Integration.

Dr. George Cooper, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, President, Alabama State University.

luncheon, awards were presented for outstanding achievements in the military (CPT Darold C. Carson; Senior Master Sergeant Shawanda M. DeVaugh; LTC R. J. Smith; LCDR Martin Edmonds; LT Gen Willie Williams-Retired U.S. Marine Corps); kindergarten-12th grade (Robert E. Lee High School-AF JROTC Color Guard); small business (Future Research

Corporation), DoD prime contractor (Boeing Company) and HBCU advocacy (Oliver S. (“Bo”) Leslie).

Submitted by: Ms. Cynthia Lee Program Manager Army HBCU/MI and 8(a)/SDB Programs

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Remembering the Past

Procurement Seminar and were eager to hear and learn about “How to Do Business with Fort Jackson”, “Doing Business with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)”, “Impact of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act”, and “How to get a General Service Administration Contract”. This collaborative effort by the Fort Jackson DOC, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Administration, US Army Corp of Engineers, and the General Services Administration provided the vendors with an opportunity to hear from a panel of experts and ask questions about how to do business with the Federal Government. The seminar also provided insight into future requirements and the impact the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act will have on industry. As you can see, we have done some good work and the Army has done well in promoting Small Businesses, but we can do better!

he 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “Remembering the Past, Looking toward the Future” ceremony was held February 25 at the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill. This historical night was one for the history books. The guest speaker was The Honorable John Lewis who spoke upon how he was inspired, as a young boy, by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which be heard on a radio broadcasts.

This was the point that he decided to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement.

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HON Lewis, HON Charles Rangel, HON Shelia Jackson-Lee, and HON Danny Davis all honored the men and women of the Tuskegee Airmen “Red Tails” and the 555th Parachute Infantry “Triple Nickles.” The night ended with an inspiring poem from Elisa Solomon, a student at Mount Vernon High School, and a delightful song led by LTC Deon M. Green.

Dr. Carter’s Better Buying Power Initiatives, among other things, provide for increased small business participation in competitive acquisitions through weighting factors in past performance and in fee construct. What are your thoughts on the potential effectiveness of this initiative?

LTG Thomas P. Bostick, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers and the members of the Tuskegee Airmen “Red Tails.”

GEN Dennis L. Via, Commanding General, Army Material Command with a member of the “Triple Nickles.”

555th Parachute Infantry “Triple Nickles” with SGM Tonia Walker, The Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison.

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A number of the Better Buying Power initiatives promote increased competition and utilization of small businesses.

The Army is actively engaged in drafting policy that meets the requirements of the Better Buying Power initiatives including encouraging the contracting community to institute all competitive and non-competitive procurement actions emphasis on Small Business utilization through the use of such techniques as weighting factors in past performance and in fee construct.

Can you speak to the value and role of the acquisition workforce in the era of change and transformation? What role should the small business community play to assist?

Oh what a night.

Submitted by: Ms. Stacy Watson Program Manager Women-Owned Program

LTG Michael E. Williamson Appointed as the First African American Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT)

MG Marcia Anderson, Acting Assistant Chief and Deputy Chief, Army Reserve; and LTC Deon Green, Command Judge Advocate, US Army Northern Regional Command.

Newsletter | May 2014

The acquisition workforce is the dedicated group of professionals that are critical to leading our community to success. Our acquisition teammates are absolutely critical to executing change, transformation, as well as identifying and engaging appropriately (contracting) with our small businesses. Our workforce’s unique functional, business and leadership skills are essential during a complex environment of persistent change and transformation that we have experienced during the recent past, and which we’ll likely face in the foreseeable future. They provide the most technologically advanced, durable and competitive products in the world to our Warfighters. Our skilled and dedicated professionals execute diverse responsibilities on a daily basis to enable the disciplined management of an extensive acquisition portfolio.

The small business community provides an integral piece to accomplishing our diverse responsibilities. Our vision is a highly innovative organization of dedicated professionals transforming the Army with integrated AL&T capabilities to provide Soldiers a decisive advantage to win our Nation’s wars. The small business community has a history of innovative ideas and commitment that have continually assisted our mission success. We as the acquisition community would not want to face a challenging future without any of our key partners on the diverse team. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that small business and our acquisition workforce continue to work effectively together.

Army OSBP wishes him the best in his future endeavors. ■ Ms. Tracey L. Pinson Director

LTG Michael E. Williamson

n the Pentagon auditorium April 4, 2014, Ms. Heidi Shyu, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology) (ASA (ALT)), hosted a ceremony in honor of LTG Michael E. Williamson, who has replaced LTG William (Bill) Phillips as the Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT). In addition to his new role, LTG Williamson received his third star.

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LTG Williamson most recently served as Deputy Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He has also held a variety of acquisition-related assignments in the Army and is Level III certified in Program Management and Information Technology.

Army OSBP congratulates LTG Williamson and looks forward to working with him to enhance small business participation in Army procurement programs. ■ Submitted by: Mr. Anthony Braun Support Contractor Army OSBP

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Farewell to Ms. Peggy Butler-Mason

Wounded Warrior Remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

n January 3, Ms. Peggy Butler-Mason, Deputy Director for the OSBP, retired after 42 years of distinguished federal service. She was an integral part of Army OSBP for seven years.

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he 29th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observance took place in the Pentagon auditorium on January 16. Dr. King believed that everyone should be treated equally regardless of the color of their skin. His life’s work revolved around the fact that peaceful protests could change a nation. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 and died on April 4, 1968.

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In her capacity as Deputy Director since 2012, Ms. ButlerMason formulated and directed small business policies and procedures, managed budget matters, advised senior leaders on small business socioeconomic programs, participated in policy formulation, bundling/consolidation, strategic sourcing considerations and program execution in all areas for which Army OSBP is responsible.

During the recent observance, Mr. Michael Rhodes, Director of Administration and Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense welcomed a packed house of military and civilian personnel to the observance followed

by Secretary of Defense Hagel who shared remarks and talked about the importance of this holiday and the life of Dr. King.

Prior to becoming Deputy Director, Ms. Butler-Mason was Program Manager for Mentor Protégé and Subcontracting Programs, and the lead for service acquisitions and strategic sourcing. She worked closely with small business officials at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Army major commands as well as with industry associations and numerous large and small business firms.

Ms. Butler-Mason’s federal career involved multiple assignments in varying capacities. Before coming to Army OSBP, she was a senior procurement analyst with the Army Contracting Agency (ACA). Prior to ACA, she worked as a contracting officer with the Communications and Electronics Command Lifecycle Management Command, Acquisition Center-Washington; the Army Corps of Engineers; the Information Systems Selection and Acquisition Agency and the Fort Belvoir Research and Development Center.

The keynote speaker was COL Gregory D. Gadson, Garrison Commander, Fort Belvoir, VA. He has held this position since June 2012 and is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the post. COL Gadson has served in the Army for 24 years. In 2007, while serving in Iraq, he lost both legs above the knee and normal use of his right arm and hand due to an improvised explosive device attack. Despite this injury, COL Gadson remains on active duty.

During a retirement ceremony on December 18, Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP, recognized Ms. Butler-Mason for outstanding contributions to the OSBP and the Army as a whole.

She commented on her acquisition expertise by saying, “she knows more about contracting than I ever did and was a very valuable resource.”

During his comments he shared stories of how people still treat him differently because of his challenges. One such story involved having a wonderful dinner conversation until his tablemates realized he was a double amputee and their demeanor towards him completely changed.

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Ms. Pinson was followed by many well-wishers including family members, friends and coworkers that provided personal testaments to her service. Ms. Butler-Mason then shared her reflections on her long and distinguished career. We all wish her well in her future endeavors. ■

COL Gadson talked of discrimination, the fact that it still exists, and that we all must work harder to stamp it out.

He spoke about how many soldiers with disabilities will not mention it at work because they want to be treated like everyone else. COL Gadson said, “All of us should strive for more courage, perseverance, determination, and teamwork.”

Submitted by: Mr. Cameron Miles Support Contractor Army OSBP

In conclusion, COL Gadson is a hero and continues to inspire those that have the opportunity to listen to his message. After listening to his speech and watching him move around so quickly in his wheelchair, there is no room to complain about anything. The goal should be every day to work harder, improve and get better. The Martin Luther King Jr. observance ended with the audience giving him a standing ovation.

Photos: 1. Ms. Butler-Mason receives a gift from Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP. 2. Ms. Butler-Mason receives a certificate of appreciation from the Director, DoD OSBP, presented by Ms. Linda Oliver, Deputy Director, DoD OSBP. 3. Mr. John Mason, Ms. Butler-Mason, and Ms. Pinson.

4. Ms. Butler-Mason listens as her sisters deliver remarks during her retirement ceremony.

5. Ms. Cynthia Lee, Program Manager, Army 8(a) / Small Disadvantaged Business and HBCU / MI Programs (seated); Ms. Peggy ButlerMason; and Ms. Alice Williams, Small Business Associate Director, Army Contracting Command, at the 2013 AUSA Annual Meeting Army Small Business Forum.

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Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel stopped by the MLK program to deliver remarks.

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Newsletter | May 2014

Submitted by: Mr. Cameron Miles Support Contractor Army OSBP

COL Gregory D. Gadson, United States Army Garrison Commander, Ft. Belvoir, a service-disabled veteran was the keynote speaker.

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USACE Louisville District USACE Louisville District Small Business Program Small Business Program Recognized at Open House Receives Top Honors n January 29, the Louisville District Corps of Engineers held their annual Open House in Louisville, KY. COL Luke Leonard, Louisville District Commander, provided opening remarks and welcomed over 400 participants from across the nation.

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COL Leonard recognized the District small business program.

He highlighted their recent award for being first among USACE districts in contract obligations to service-disabled veteranowned small businesses with over $77 million in contract obligations for FY 2013.

The morning session featured speakers on the following topics: architect/engineer workload trends and contract opportunities, changes in contractor performance evaluations, civil works and military program reviews and the District small business program. During the afternoon session, contractors were afforded the opportunity to meet with representatives from the contracting, engineering, construction, programs/project management, and small business offices.

Submitted by: Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, USACE Louisville District

COL Luke Leonard, Commander, USACE Louisville District (right) speaking with contractors at the District’s annual Open House.

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COL Luke Leonard, Commander, USACE Louisville District; Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, USACE Louisville District; and LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, attended the SAME Small Business Conference in November 2013.

n November 2013, COL Luke Leonard, Louisville District Commander, Ms. Denise Bush, Chief of Contracting, and Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, attended the Society of American Military Engineers 2013 Small Business Conference in Kansas City, MO. At the conference, COL Leonard accepted two awards on behalf of the Louisville District. The first award recognized the Louisville District for being first among U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts in contract obligations to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) with more than $77 million in contract obligations for FY 2013. The second award was presented for awarding 11.8 percent of contract dollars to SDVOSBs in FY2013, placing the district in eighth place overall among USACE districts. In FY2013, the Louisville District obligated more than $653 million in contracts with more than $280 million awarded to the small business community. Of that $280 million, the Louisville District awarded more than $77 million (11.8 percent) to the SDVOSB community, exceeding the district goal of 4 percent for that socio-economic category.

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“The Louisville District is committed and dedicated to not only the success of the SDVOSB program, but the success of the overall Small Business Program as demonstrated by the over $280 million that were awarded to small business concerns in FY2013,” said Ms. Gee. “I’m personally committed to ensuring we achieve all of our small business goals in FY2014.”

The Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-183) established a procurement program to provide procuring agencies with the authority to set acquisitions aside for exclusive competition among SDVOSB concerns.

Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, USACE Louisville District providing a presentation on the District’s Small Business Program.

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Submitted by: Ms. Sarah Mattingly, Public Affairs Office, USACE Louisville District

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Army OSBP Director Speaks at Accenture Federal Services Small Business Outreach Forum n January 23, Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP and Ms. Pamela Monroe, Assistant to the Director and Program Manager, Army Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs, attended a small business outreach forum hosted

by Accenture Federal Services (AFS).

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define, build and execute their future by articulating a clear and compelling client value proposition; plan and orchestrate delivery excellence and recognize talent and embrace diversity.

The purpose of the forum was to provide small businesses an overview of AFS; gain an understanding of the Army Office of Small Business Programs, and provide an opportunity for small businesses to present their capabilities and an opportunity to network with companies in attendance.

The forum began with Mr. Joe Chenelle, Senior Managing Director, Defense, AFS. Mr. Chenelle presented the U.S. Defense Portfolio FY14 Executive Overview. The overview consisted of challenges facing defense and intelligence such as preventing and deterring aggression; rebalancing and enhancing the Force by increasing cyber ops and intelligence capabilities and taking care of our people by ensuring wounded warrior care. His presentation also provided the growth of AFS which included small business teaming and focus on veterans. Under small business teaming, the focus is to industrialize AFS subcontract management and procurement organization to maximize client delivery capabilities. In summary AFS will

Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP, speaks at the small business outreach forum hosted by Accenture Federal Services.

Ms. Pinson presented an overview of the Army and the status of MentorProtégé Program. She briefed on small business performance for FY12 vs.

FY13; Army small business spends

by NAICS code and what the Army Commands buy. She discussed the FY14 OSBP Army Focus: small business participation in major systems

programs; promote greater involvement of small businesses in Army contracts for services; implementation of senior leader small business performance elements; support of historically black colleges and universities / minority institutions in the acquisition process; subcontracting plan development and enforcement; small business participation in OCONUS contracts; staffing of small business offices and development of small business personnel and maximize use of setaside authority under multiple award contracts. Ms. Pinson answered questions pertaining to subcontracting development and OCONUS contracts, the audience particularly liked the fact that senior leadership performance will reflect their involvement and support of the small business program. The business lauded Ms. Pinson for an outstanding small business program.

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Each small business provided a 10 minute briefing that covered four areas: company overview; capabilities, past performance and certifications. The forum concluded with an opportunity for the contractors to network. ■ Submitted by: Ms. Pamela Monroe Program Manager Army Subcontracting and MentorProtégé Programs

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From left to right: Mr. Keith Zuegel, Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs; Mr. Bill Loftus, Senior Managing Director - Army Client Account Lead; Mr. Joe Chenelle, Senior Managing Director - US Defense Portfolio Lead; Ms. Tracey Pinson; Ms. Amanda Lofthus, Director of Small Business and Reporting Management ; Mr. Scott Pospichel, Director of Subcontract Management and Procurement; Mr. Skip Coleman, Managing Director & Vice President - AFS Business Operations; and Mr. Nigel Stephens, Director of Government Affairs.

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Army Corps of Engineers Participates in Annual Small Business Conference

Army OSBP Welcomes New Program Manager for Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs

or the fourth year in a row, the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) exceeded its small business goal. The tremendous success in contracting with small businesses is attributable to transparent communication and training offered to small businesses across the nation. USACE maintains an open door for small businesses to come in for meetings, counseling, and training throughout the year.

In addition, USACE leaders participate in an annual small business conference designed to give the small business industry an opportunity to engage one-on-one with over 100 USACE leaders to discuss the fiscal year acquisition program and procurement forecast.

The event was hosted by the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) in Kansas City, MO and facilitated exchanges on scientific, technical and professional issues.

The industry engagement (Army engineer-to-industry engineer) results in innovative solutions for DoD technical and resource challenges for military construction, water resource management, critical civil works projects, geospatial technology and renewable energy.

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The small business conference break-out training sessions serve to remove barriers and offer transparency for small businesses maneuvering through the sometimes difficult process of doing business with the government. Hundreds of capable small business owners often avoid competing for federal contract opportunities because they lack the training and information necessary to submit competitive proposals in accordance with federal laws and regulations. Training all interested small firms on how to do business with USACE increases price competition, improves the quality

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of small business proposals in response to solicitations and builds the industrial base of small firms ready to respond to our military and engineering needs.

LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, USACE, recognized several leaders at the conference during an award ceremony. USACE commanders and civilian employees recognized for exceptional support of the Army Small Business Program included (spending data as of the time of the awards): COL Richard Gridley Award • BG C. Dave Turner, Commander of South Pacific Division ($104M awarded to SDVOSBs) Small Business Specialist of the Year • Ms. Veronica (Ronni) Kammler, Seattle District Division SB Specialist of the Year • Ms. Melea Crouse (covered both South Pacific Division and Southwest Division) Small Business Champion Awards • Dr. Reed L. Mosher, ERDC • Mr. Anthony G. Levesanos, NAN Dep Chief, Programs & Project Management • COL John W. Eisenhauer, Portland District • Mr. Ted Turney, Contract Specialist, Honolulu District • Mr. Thomas Fultz, Program Manager, Mobile District HBCU/MI (Highest Dollars) 1. COL Eckstein, Engineering Research and Development Center ($832,295) 2. Mr. Dale Stoutenburgh,

Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity ($498,524) 3. LTC Antoinette Gant, Albuquerque District ($137,726) Top Ten SDVOSB Award by Dollars 1. Louisville District 2. Los Angeles District 3. New Orleans District 4. New York District 5. Kansas City District 6. Seattle District 7. Omaha District 8. Huntsville Eng Center 9. Ft. Worth District 10. Norfolk District

$76.28M $59.26M $53.82M $41.93M $41.80M $38.42M $35.27M $32.66M $32.32M $31.34M

Top Ten SDVOSB Award by Percentage 1. Rock Island District 2. Los Angeles District 3. St. Louis District 4. ERDC District 5. Norfolk District 6. Memphis District 7. Seattle District 8. Louisville District 9. San Francisco District 10. Kansas City District

29.1% 19.2% 13.1% 12.9% 12.8% 12.4% 11.9% 11.8% 10.8% 10.7%

Submitted by: Ms. Jackie Robinson-Burnette, Small Business Chief, USACE

Photos: 1. Jackie Robinson-Burnette, Chief of USACE Small Business Program speaks at the opening plenary session.

2. LTG Bostick speaks at the opening plenary session.

3. MG Todd Semonite, Deputy Commander, USACE visits a Division Small Business booth.

4. LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, USACE recognizes Commanders with significant SDVOSB awards.

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s. Pamela Monroe assumed her new role as Program Manager, Army Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs, in November. Prior to joining the Headquarters Department of the Army Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), she was the Assistant Director for the Army Contracting Command National Capital Region (ACC-NCR) OSBP from June 2003 to July 2013. As the Assistant Director, she was the principal advisor to the ACC-NCR Executive Director, the Headquarters Department of Army OSBP, the Headquarters ACC-OSBP, and the Small Business Administration on all ACC-NCR small business matters. She successfully managed the small business program by writing and implementing agency standard operating procedures for approximately 300 contracting personnel. During her tenure at the ACC-NCR she planned and organized the first Woman-Owned Small Business and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Showcases in the Pentagon Concourse. In addition, during her tenure, ACC-NCR won several awards for exceeding the three percent SDVOSB goal.

Ms. Monroe is the first recipient of the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs “Golden Talon Award” in recognition of the dedication and efforts made toward significantly increasing contracting opportunities for SDVOSBs. Ms. Monroe’s career began as a Contract Specialist Intern at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma from 19841994. She worked as a Contract Administrator, Cost and Zero-Over Pricing Analyst and Warranted Contracting Officer for contracts administration on a major weapon system. In 1994, she was selected to enter the Advanced Copper Cap Contracting Intern Program at

Andrews Air Force Base, MD and continued the program at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC. The Copper Cap Program afforded her an opportunity to rotate into different contracting offices where she learned base, construction and information assurance contracting.

Her final rotation was an assignment at the Secretariat of the Air Force Acquisition Contracting Office. Upon completion of the intern program she worked as a contract and small business specialist until August 2000.

From August 2000 to June 2003, Ms. Monroe was the Associate Director for the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) Small Business Programs. She significantly increased small business opportunities for small business trucking companies by successfully negotiating base and option year subcontracting plans with large business freight and trucking companies. She also planned, organized and implemented the first small business conference at the annual world-wide MTMC Symposium. The purpose of the conference was to provide a forum for small business to form teaming arrangements for future requirements and become registered approved government carriers. The small business forum targeted trucking companies that move freight and household goods, small business owners of storage and warehouse facilities, and other small business transporters.

Ms. Monroe has a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree. She is Level III certified in Contracts Acquisition and is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps. ■

Ms. Pamela L. Monroe, Program Manager, Army Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs

Ms. Monroe speaks with Mr. Jim George, a small business owner, at the Army Small Business Forum during the 2013 AUSA Annual Meeting.

Submitted by: Army OSBP

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C4ISR Center of Excellence Reaches Out to Industry

USACE Buffalo District Receives Small Environmental Business Action Coalition Award

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ore than 800 business and industry representatives from across the country gathered at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for a view of potential contracting opportunities from the C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Center of Excellence.

It is the fourth time the C4ISR Center of Excellence has presented a consolidated view of opportunities as an Advance Planning Briefing for Industry (APBI) since its creation on Aberdeen Proving Ground in 2010. The C4ISR Center of Excellence consists of the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM); the Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center; the Program Executive Office, Command, Control, and Communications Tactical; the Program Executive Office, Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors; and the Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground.

These C4ISR Center of Excellence commands presented 77 potential contracting opportunities worth an estimated $21.8 billion over the next five years.

This presentation of potential C4ISR opportunities was part of an installation-wide Advanced Planning Briefing for Industry held December 2-6. The event brought private sector representatives from large and small businesses to a forum where government representatives provided information about potential, future contracting opportunities from the installation’s major focus areas of C4ISR; testing and evaluation; research and development; chemicalbiological defense; and medical research. The Baltimore District of the Army Corps of Engineers participated as well discussing both

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civil works and military construction contracting.

Mr. John Nerger, Executive Deputy to the Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command, kicked off the event with a situational overview.

Despite news of budget reductions and drawdowns, he said, “The Army is not going out of business.” That small bit of humor did not detract from serious nature of his theme that the Army is facing challenging times and that it needs industry partnerships

to ensure the capabilities necessary to support successfully the joint warfighter.

“We need to redouble our efforts to work with each other,” Mr. Nerger said, “and we are grateful for what you (private industry) bring to the partnership.” According to Mr. Nerger, the Army Materiel Command will now begin to hold annual industry forums like the one that is held annually at Aberdeen at its other primary installation locations of Detroit

ach year, the Small Environmental Business Action Coalition (SEBAC) hosts an annual reception and recognizes an agency for excellence in its prime contract awards to environmental small businesses.

SEBAC researched procurement data specific to NAICS 562910 (Remediation Services, size standard 500 employees) and 541620 (Environmental Consulting Services, size standard $14 million).

Criteria for SEBAC’s Excellence in Awarding Small Business Prime Contract Awards are:

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• Ability to meet or exceed projected goals for the fiscal year; • Quality and quantity of small business awards; and • Progress towards improvement in attaining goals (either a percentage increase or proven improvement).

LTG Robert S. Ferrell, former Commanding General, Army Communications-Electronics Command, addresses industry at the C4ISR APBI.

Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Army Communications and Electronics Command addresses small business attendees at the C4ISR APBI.

Mr. John O’Brien, Associate Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Army Research Development and Engineering Command (center) offers advice to small business owners at the C4ISR APBI.

Newsletter | May 2014

The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been a recipient of the award many times. This year, SEBAC approached their award decision a little differently. Instead of recognizing an individual agency, they went deeper and chose a major subordinate command (MSC). The rationale for the revised decisionmaking process was that USACE Buffalo District awarded an amazing 99.9% of their environmental awards to small businesses.

Mr. Dennis Morgan II, SEBAC President, and Ms. Pam Mazza, managing partner at PillieroMazza PLLC presented the award during their annual networking reception and awards ceremony to COL Owen Beaudoin, Commander, USACE Buffalo District, and Ms. Sherrie Plonski, Small Business Specialist, Buffalo District at the Kansas City Convention Center on November 20.

COL Owen Beaudoin, District Commander, USACE Buffalo District; Ms. Sherrie Plonski, Small Business Specialist, USACE Buffalo District; Ms. Pam Mazza, Managing Partner, PillieroMazza PLLC; and Mr. Dennis Morgan II, President, Small Environmental Business Action Coalition.

COL Beaudoin stated “there is always room for improvement,” when he accepted the SEBAC Award for Excellence in Awarding Small Business Prime Contracts on behalf of the Buffalo District. When asked about what lends to Buffalo District’s success, Ms. Plonski replied “The Buffalo District Contracting Chief, Jeff Ernest is a strong proponent of the small business program in his district and encourages maximum participation by small business in all of their acquisitions. He makes my job easy. He actively engages me in acquisitions prior to their solicitation and gives me the opportunity to comment and shape them, giving small business the opportunity

to participate, either as prime contractors or as subcontractors.

The environmental remediation work done by the Buffalo District lends itself well to small business and I will continue to encourage Jeff and his great team of contract specialists to keep on doing great things in the small business world. I can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Submitted by: Ms. Sharon Morrow, USACE Deputy for Small Business Program Execution

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Arsenal, MI; Rock Island Arsenal, IL; and Redstone Arsenal, AL.

USAMMA Strengthens Small Businesses he Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) is the Army medical materiel developer with responsibility for medical research, advanced development, and medical logistics. USAMRMC expertise in these critical areas contributes significantly to the health care of our military service members, as well as their families, our veterans, and the general public.

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Two major subordinate commands supporting the USAMRMC mission are the U.S. Army Medical Research and Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) and the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA). Both of these organizations are strong advocates supporting the Army Small Business Program.

USAMRAA recently awarded eight multiple-award, indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity (IDIQ), total small business set-aside contracts totaling an estimated $99 million.

The contracts are to support the USAMMA mission requirement better known as the USAMMA Professional and Administrative Support Services (USAMMA PASS). Partially due to these awards, USAMRMC exceeded its FY2013 small business goals.

The USAMMA is a unique, multifaceted organization globally managing strategic medical logistics contingency programs; medically equipping the Active Component, Army Reserve, and National Guard forces; and providing technical solutions at the U.S. Army Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF). The mission of the USAMMA is to develop, acquire, provide and sustain world class solutions and capabilities to enable medical

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readiness globally. This readiness level depends on the government’s procurement capacity, and proper acquisition strategy executed by the USAMRAA contracting professionals.

The USAMMA PASS contracts were expeditiously and efficiently planned, formed, awarded, and administered by a team of military and civilian medical logisticians at USAMMA, the acquisition workforce at USAMRAA, along with the advanced acquisition planning which involved the USAMRMC and Fort Detrick Office of Small Business Programs.

All three organizations are strong advocates for the Army Small Business Program (SBP), as well as competition in contracting.

Historically, many of USAMMA contract requirements have been met by small businesses, and USAMMA desired to continue that trend by re-competing this requirement under the SBP. One strategy being considered early in the procurement cycle was the use of an existing IDIQ known as TEAMS. This approach was rejected due to the lack of a sufficient number of competing small business prime awardees in that family of contracts.

After considerable market research,

and considering critical contract requirement needs at USAMMA, the decision was made to set aside the procurement as a total small business set-aside.

The USAMRAA issued the solicitation in March 2013 and received 19 proposals.

Understanding the efforts and costs that the small businesses invested in the proposal preparations in response to the solicitation, the government source selection evaluation team carefully reviewed and evaluated every page of all 19 proposals. The result was a comprehensive and detailed evaluation and the recommendation to the Source Selection Authority of eight awardees. As a result, the small businesses received contract awards for a base plus four 12-month option periods to support the USAMMA and any subordinate commands under the USAMRMC. The USAMMA PASS IDIQ contracting process is a successful medical logistics and acquisition story between the USAMMA, USAMRAA and USAMRMC Office of Small Business Programs. Early engagement among requirements and contracting activities and industry promotes collaboration, team work and better understanding of the requirement.

Submitted by: CPT (Promotable) Tam Rushbrook, Contracting Officer/Chief of Contract Management Division, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, USAMRMC, Fort Detrick, MD; and Mr. Barry Sayer, Chief of Service Branch 4/ Contracting Officer, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, USAMRMC, Fort Detrick, MD.

Newsletter | May 2014

LTG Robert S. Ferrell, former Commanding General of the Army Communications-Electronics Command, echoed those sentiments in his remarks. The Army relies on healthy relationships with industry and small business to accomplish our missions, and the Advance Planning Briefing for Industry is absolutely essential to building and maintaining those relationships, he explained.

“APG truly serves as the center of gravity for many of the missions that support our joint forces.”

The theme of this year’s APBI was “Where Innovation Thrives,” and Mr. Jesse Barber, Ombudsman for the Army Materiel Command used that theme to emphasize the value of public-private partnerships. “These events are crucial for the future of our Organic Industrial bases and allow us to show case how we can partner to reduce capital outlay cost,” he said.

Barber explained that there are many capabilities at Army arsenals and depots of which the private sector is unaware but that linking the Army’s organic industrial capabilities with private sector capabilities will bring the “biggest bang for the buck.”

“The APBI provides transparency of potential business opportunities provided by the Army at APG,” explained Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director of Small Business Programs for CECOM. “The APBI provides an environment

where companies providing service, products, and technologies are informed of anticipated contracting opportunities. This event gives every business, large or small, access to the same information at the same time,” he explained.

The Army is statutorily required to provide projections of all anticipated contract actions above $100,000.

An event such as the Advance Planning Briefing for Industry meets this statutory requirement for sharing information.

In fact, a number of local small businesses made this event a huge success, according to Ms. Linda Edwards, who led the logistics support for the event from the post’s Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Program. In order to create an efficient registration experience, she contracted the registration process and web site to a Baltimore, MD, small business. Local small businesses also provided the buses which transported the attendees from parking lots to the post theater, the fest tent in which the food was served, the food caterer, the signs, the decorations, and the porta-potties.

Hampton University Graduate and First African American Appointed to Army Chief Information Officer

All of the presentations and briefings of potential contracting opportunities and accompanying video will be posted at: https://sec.cloud.army.mil/ OSBP/. ■ Submitted by: Mr. Bob DiMichele CECOM Public Affairs Officer

LTG Robert S. Ferrell

TG Robert S. Ferrell began his duties as the new Army Chief Information Officer/G-6 on January 6. A graduate of Hampton University, Hampton VA, a historically black university, LTG Ferrell is the first African American to hold this position. He replaced LTG Susan Lawrence who retired.

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Army OSBP congratulates LTG Ferrell and looks forward to working with him to enhance small business participation in Army procurements. ■

Small business owners network at the C4ISR APBI.

Submitted by: Mr. Anthony Braun Support Contractor Army OSBP

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RMOA Business Institute Conducts its First Graduation MOA Business Institute (RBI) conducted its first graduation ceremony of RBI Fellows (students) on Saturday, March 1, at the Country Club of Woodmore, in Mitchellville, MD. The class was made up of seven new business owners, including three veteran-owned, two service-disabled veteran-owned and two womanowned small businesses.

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Below is a list of the graduating Fellows and their business names.

• Mr. Omar K.P. Stephenson, President, Cube Root Corporation • LTC Jay Hall (Retired) President, Generation V • Ms. Kathleen Moore, CEO & Chief Creative Mind, BrewtonMos LLC • LTC Allan R. Thomas (Retired), President, Thomas Solutions, Inc. • SSgt Steven Ross (Retired), President, Triad Consulting • Ms. Michelle Ware, President Strategic Global Advantage Associates, LLC • COL Terry D. Hodges (Retired) Included in the graduation ceremony were Mr. Frank Francois III, RMOA President; Mr. James T. George, RMOA, Chairman, Ways & Means Committee; Mr. Mark Brown, RBI Program Manager and Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs. During the presentation of the certificates to the graduates, Ms. Pinson stated: “It was gratifying to see a training program such as RBI get off the ground. I am very supportive of

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programs that increase the number of small businesses, especially veteran-owned and women-owned businesses”. Also in attendance was Mr. James Lloyd, Deputy Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs.

Families and friends of the RBI Fellows listened intently as the keynote speaker, Ms. Cheree Warrick, discussed her five-step approach to writing “fundable” business plans that get the attention of bankers and investors.

Autographed copies of Ms. Warrick’s book were presented to the graduates as gifts and additional books for sale to the audience were sold out immediately.

RBI was established in 2013, by its parent organization The RMOA Business Association (formerly The Retired Military Officer Association) to assist Veterans and other interested individuals become business owners with a specific focus on expanding and increasing the US industrial base and the economy. RBI’s vision is to be the small business entrepreneurial training institute of choice. The Institute aims to realize that vision by increasing the total number of successful veteran-owned and other small businesses. Its mission is to provide experiencebased entrepreneurial training and mentoring. RBI is a 501(c) (3) Educational non-profit organization that is guided by its core values of vision, self-confidence, commitment, excellence, courage, integrity, and perseverance. RBI assists Veterans and others learn the critical skills required to build the infrastructure for sustained success in business.

RBI has developed a comprehensive curriculum that features six (6) major program areas. They include:

1. Self-paced online studies; 2. Instruction and mentoring by Veterans and non-Veterans currently operating successful businesses; 3. Internships; 4. An incubation phase to help launch a new business; 5. Certificate of Completion and; 6. Post-graduation technical assistance.

One of the training tools that RBI uses is the EntreSkills for Veterans™ which was developed by the New York State Small Business Development Center. This tool focuses on the development of a well-organized business plan. The full RBI program can be completed within six to nine months. However, RBI Fellows (students) work at their own pace to achieve their stated goals.

The RMOA Business Association (RMOA) helps Veterans and others to start and grow their own businesses. Since 1994, RMOA has been engaged in networking, exchanging business information, and teaming to win contracts.

Many of the RMOA members are Veterans who parlayed their military service into prosperous companies. Their knowledge, skills, and leadership abilities help members to become successful entrepreneurs. Applications and additional information concerning the RBI training program are posted on the RMOA website at www. rmoa.org. Interested individual may also contact Mr. Mark Brown at embrown1@aol.com; Mr. Alan Hamlin, ceed2000@aol.com; RMOA, rmoaoffice@gmail.com; or telephonically at (301)-856-9319. ■ Submitted by: Mr. James T George, RMOA BOD and CEO, MSTI

Newsletter | May 2014

USACE Little Rock District Connects with Small Businesses at Industry Day he Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District hosted an industry day on December 3, at the Arkansas State Library in Little Rock, AR.

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The purpose of the industry day was to conduct market research at a programmatic level to help the district establish acquisition plans for FY2014 as well to partner with local contractors and bolster interest in contracting requirements. Each company in attendance presented a one-on-one capability briefing to the Little Rock District representatives.

Submitted by: Ms. Soila Reando, Small Business Specialist, USACE Little Rock

Army Mentor-Protégé Program Update rs. Peggy Butler-Mason retired from the Army Small Business Office in January of this year. While we were sad to see her go, we welcome Ms. Pamela Monroe to Army OSBP and to the Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). She brings an abundance of contracting expertise and a wealth of Army knowledge to the Small Business Office and the MPP. Welcome Pam!

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New Awards Congratulations to the following teams on their newly executed awards:

Lockheed Martin Missions Systems & Sensors and Lewis Innovative Technology, Inc.

L-3 National Security Solutions and Cyber Solutions & Services, Inc. (CSSI)

Jacobs Engineering Group and Badger Technical Services (BTS)

Little Rock District Commander COL Courtney W. Paul speaks to small business owners highlighting open communication during the District’s Industry Day.

Leidos and One Stop Environmental (OSE) We look forward to the award of several more contracts this Spring.

Success Story

Clear Align, a woman-owned small business located in Eagleville, PA, is an optical engineering and systems integration company strategically focused on imaging, lasers, and fiber optics. They are a protégé to BAE and are proud to announce the delivery of the first production units of its MirZ 8017 Long Range Mid Wave Infrared (MWIR) Zoom Lens System. Designed to work with the latest generation of MWIR cooled detectors, the lens delivers unparalleled performance for an off-the-shelf infrared lens.

Capable of resolving small targets (like a lit cigarette) at distances up to 20km, the lens offers fully compensated performance over a continuous zoom range from 1365mm Focal Length to 80mm Focal Length. Moreover, because of the infrared bandwidth, this lens works in conditions that stymie visible lenses: fog, smoke, haze, and pollution. This makes the lens ideal for surveillance, intelligence, and border control applications.

Excitingly, this product is being deployed at a prominent Middle Eastern border later this month.

“As we continue to improve the performance and availability of long range zoom systems, we find that more markets are opening to us,” said Ms. Angelique Irvin, CEO, and President of Clear Align. “As new and improved cameras become available, we team with camera providers and customers to develop solutions optimized for particular platforms.” Contact Clear Align for more information. Stay tuned for more updates on Clear Align and the rest of our protégé’s. HOOAH! Submitted by: Ms. Marina Sullivan Support Contractor Army Mentor-Protégé Program

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Small Business Innovation Fuels Army Operational Energy Efficiency

Army OSBP Director Delivers Keynote at L-3 National Security Solutions Small Business Award Ceremony s. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP, was the keynote speaker at the L-3 National Security Solutions’ (L-3 NSS’) Small Business Award Ceremony March 4 in Reston, VA. Ms. Pinson highlighted the success and direction of the Army Small Business Program, emphasizing the value of teaming for both large and small businesses and the capabilities these teams bring to the government.

ccording to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, “Operational energy, or the energy required to train, move, and sustain forces, weapons, and equipment for military operations, accounted for 75 percent of all energy used by the Department of Defense in 2012.”

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Small businesses can play a major role in increasing Army operational energy efficiency, according to several Army product managers and engineers who displayed their latest operational energy products at a Pentagon expo on November 14.

The event, organized by the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, G-4 (Logistics), featured several Army research and development offices including: Rapid Equipping Force (REF); Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC); Force Sustainment Systems (FSS); and Soldier Warrior.

The purpose was to demonstrate new Army products that increase operational energy efficiency while also increasing combat effectiveness and reducing risk.

Small business agility and innovation play a significant role in developing these solutions, according to William Garland, Operational Energy Lead at REF. “Smaller companies are more agile and therefore better at adapting to new Warfighter requirements,” he said. By way of example, Mr. Garland demonstrated a portable generator, developed by small business INI Power, which runs on the widely-used JP-8 fuel, thus reducing the need to carry gasoline.

His sentiment was echoed by other exhibitors, several of whom recounted stories where a small company was better able than a large business to meet a specialized Warfighter requirement with a well-tailored solution.

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Mr. William Garland, Operational Energy Lead at Army Rapid Equipping Force, demonstrates a portable generator, developed by small business INI Power, which runs on the widely-used JP-8 fuel, thus reducing the need to carry gasoline.

According to Bruce Huffman, Public Affairs Officer at Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), a small business developed an auxiliary power unit (APU) for the Abrams Main Battle Tank that fits under the tank armor and greatly increases operational energy efficiency by taking the burden of powering systems like heating, cooling and communications off of the main engine. This APU is currently being implemented.

Small businesses interested in working with TARDEC should reach out to the agency’s National Automotive Center via the Ground Vehicle Gateway tool located on their website at https:// tardec.groundvehiclegateway.com/.

Another testament to small business utilization in Army operational energy development came from LTC Ross Poppenberger, Product Manager, Force Sustainment Systems (FSS).

FSS provides food, shelter, and other services to the Soldier on the battlefield. According to LTC Poppenberger, small businesses are a natural fit for the types of

specialized products FSS develops.

He demonstrated a Rigid Wall Shelter developed in cooperation with Berg, a small business located in Spokane, WA. This 20-foot long shelter, now being deployed, increases energy efficiency through better insulation and more efficient systems.

FSS typically locates industry partners through referrals, conferences and expos such as Association for the United States Army meetings and FedBizOpps.

Small businesses play a major role in developing new operational energy solutions for the Army. The starting point for getting involved is to contact the Army Program Offices directly, either through the methods mentioned above or through your local Army Small Business Specialist.

Submitted by: Mr. Anthony Braun Support Contractor Army OSBP

Newsletter | May 2014

Representatives from about 50 small businesses attended the annual event, in which L-3 NSS presented awards to three small business partners serving defense, intelligence and federal civilian customers.

The awardees were selected on the basis of their customer service and value-added capabilities. The Department of Defense (DoD) awardee, Permuta Technologies, was singled out for its support of several U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) initiatives, including a key Preservation of the Force and Family application.

Mr. Les Rose, L-3 NSS president, spoke about his personal experience as a small business owner, and the challenges small businesses face working in the federal contracting environment. He pointed out that the small business partners bring important niche technologies that complement L-3’s integration and program management capabilities.

Other speakers included Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director for Small Business Programs, Army Communications-Electronics Command, and Mr. Chase Fahrner, Small Business Specialist from the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Mr. Wesley encouraged the small businesses to be proactive and respond to Sources Sought, explaining that when the Army is evaluating procurement strategies to promote small business, decision-

Mr. Wayne Pizer, Vice President, Small Business Office, L3; Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP; and Mr. Les Rose, President, L-3.

Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director for Small Business Programs, Army Communications-Electronics Command speaks during the L-3 National Security Solutions’ Small Business Award Ceremony.

makers need to be certain that small businesses have the needed capabilities and program experience to ensure success.

The event concluded with a networking event to connect small businesses with L-3 NSS executives and program teams. ■

Mr. Pizer commented later, “It was honors to have Ms. Pinson participate in our event as the Keynote speaker.

She has been at the forefront of promoting small business procurement and is greatly respected in the small business community. “

Submitted by: Ms. Chemise Smith Small Business Liaison Officer L-3 National Security Solutions

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OSBP Director Attends 9th Annual Stars and Stripes Recognition Program

Ft. Bliss Hosts Industry Day

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Awards were presented by General Campbell to the Army recipients: BG C. David Turner, Commander, South Pacific Division, USACE and Mr. Alvin D. Thornton, Director of the Engineering Directorate, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, US Army RDECOM. Other awards were given to individuals from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the National Guard. OSBP congratulates all the award recipients! ■

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the Army (Procurement); Mr. George Cabaniss, Deputy Commander, MICC; and, Mr. Denver Heath, Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dallas.

Each of the panelists gave opening remarks and spoke on multiple topics.

Some of these topics included the Army Mentor-Protégé Program, subcontracting opportunities, and the challenges and uncertainties that the Army faced in FY 2013 and in the future with budget restrictions, sequestration and the furlough. The panel discussion concluded with a question and answer period.

The morning continued with a keynote address by Mr. Gabriel Camarillo, Principal Deputy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology), followed by a panel discussion lead by Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP. Ms. Pinson gave a briefing concerning the overall Army Small Business Program. Ms. Pinson introduced a panel of Army Senior Leadership that included: Mr. Harry Hallock, Deputy, Assistant Secretary of

Also in attendance were 45 sponsors and 35 federal, state, city and educational government agencies and partners. ■

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s a part of the 28th Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Global Competitiveness Conference, Ms. Tracey Pinson attended the 9th annual Stars and Stripes Dinner.

This year the U.S. Army was the featured service. The theme of the dinner this year was “Trust Beyond Expectation.” This is an event where the nation’s service branches gather to acknowledge the pride in protecting and serving this great country. U.S Army’s own, Retired Major General Ronald L. Johnson served as chair of the stars and stripes dinner. In his welcoming letter, MG (ret.) Johnson indicated that “the stars and stripes dinner is one of the largest gatherings of top military and civilian federal government leaders, corporate sponsors, students and family and friends to recognize the contributions of some very outstanding Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.” The keynote speaker for the dinner was the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General John Campbell. The emcees were two beautiful army soldiers, LTC Clydea (Dea) Prichard-Brown and Major (P) Clydellia (Dellia) Prichard-Allen, and they were identical twins!

he Ft. Bliss Regional Industry Day was hosted by the El Paso Community College’s Contract Opportunities Center on January 29. This event, held at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center on East Bliss. The day opened with welcoming comments from Mr. Esteban Terrazas on behalf of Congressman Beto O’Rourke. COL Patrick Matlock, Chief of Staff, 1st Armored Division & Fort Bliss, followed by a welcome video by MG Sean MacFarland. BG Jeffery Gabbert, Commanding General, Mission & Installation Contracting Command, was introduced and commented that MICC requirements will be more transparent and readily available to the community in the future. He also indicated that MICC would be planning upcoming forums so that the business community will be aware of upcoming requirements, the anticipated dollar amounts, milestones dates and anticipated award dates.

Newsletter | May 2014

1. Ms. Tracey Pinson and her husband (far left) Darryl H. Dennis, and LTG Robert S. Ferrell (far right) and his wife, Monique Ferrell, Deputy Auditor General for Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Trainning, U.S. Army.

2. GEN Vincent K. Brooks, Commanding General, Army Pacific, and his wife Carol Brooks; GEN Dennis L. Via, Commanding General, Army Materiel Command (far right), and his wife Linda Via. 3. GEN (Ret.) William E. “Kip” Ward, MAJ (P) Clydellia Prichard-Allen, LTC Clydea Prichard-Brown, and GEN Via. 4. LTG Thomas P. Bostick, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers, and his wife Renee Bostick.

5. Mr. David Steward, Chairman and co-founder, World Wide Technology, Inc.; Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP; and LTG Robert Ferrell, Army Chief Information Officer/G-6.

Following the luncheon speaker, Mr. Paul Mann, Executive Director, White Sands Missile Range, were presentations given by various speakers at the general session.

The event included two morning and two afternoon training sessions held for the approximately 400 people in attendance.

Submitted by: Ms. Alice Williams Associate Director Office of Small Business Programs Army Contracting Command

Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP (third from Right) with members of Congressman O’Rourke’s staff and members of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce.

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OSBP Director Attends 9th Annual Stars and Stripes Recognition Program

Ft. Bliss Hosts Industry Day

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Awards were presented by General Campbell to the Army recipients: BG C. David Turner, Commander, South Pacific Division, USACE and Mr. Alvin D. Thornton, Director of the Engineering Directorate, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, US Army RDECOM. Other awards were given to individuals from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the National Guard. OSBP congratulates all the award recipients! ■

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the Army (Procurement); Mr. George Cabaniss, Deputy Commander, MICC; and, Mr. Denver Heath, Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dallas.

Each of the panelists gave opening remarks and spoke on multiple topics.

Some of these topics included the Army Mentor-Protégé Program, subcontracting opportunities, and the challenges and uncertainties that the Army faced in FY 2013 and in the future with budget restrictions, sequestration and the furlough. The panel discussion concluded with a question and answer period.

The morning continued with a keynote address by Mr. Gabriel Camarillo, Principal Deputy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology), followed by a panel discussion lead by Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP. Ms. Pinson gave a briefing concerning the overall Army Small Business Program. Ms. Pinson introduced a panel of Army Senior Leadership that included: Mr. Harry Hallock, Deputy, Assistant Secretary of

Also in attendance were 45 sponsors and 35 federal, state, city and educational government agencies and partners. ■

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s a part of the 28th Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Global Competitiveness Conference, Ms. Tracey Pinson attended the 9th annual Stars and Stripes Dinner.

This year the U.S. Army was the featured service. The theme of the dinner this year was “Trust Beyond Expectation.” This is an event where the nation’s service branches gather to acknowledge the pride in protecting and serving this great country. U.S Army’s own, Retired Major General Ronald L. Johnson served as chair of the stars and stripes dinner. In his welcoming letter, MG (ret.) Johnson indicated that “the stars and stripes dinner is one of the largest gatherings of top military and civilian federal government leaders, corporate sponsors, students and family and friends to recognize the contributions of some very outstanding Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.” The keynote speaker for the dinner was the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General John Campbell. The emcees were two beautiful army soldiers, LTC Clydea (Dea) Prichard-Brown and Major (P) Clydellia (Dellia) Prichard-Allen, and they were identical twins!

he Ft. Bliss Regional Industry Day was hosted by the El Paso Community College’s Contract Opportunities Center on January 29. This event, held at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center on East Bliss. The day opened with welcoming comments from Mr. Esteban Terrazas on behalf of Congressman Beto O’Rourke. COL Patrick Matlock, Chief of Staff, 1st Armored Division & Fort Bliss, followed by a welcome video by MG Sean MacFarland. BG Jeffery Gabbert, Commanding General, Mission & Installation Contracting Command, was introduced and commented that MICC requirements will be more transparent and readily available to the community in the future. He also indicated that MICC would be planning upcoming forums so that the business community will be aware of upcoming requirements, the anticipated dollar amounts, milestones dates and anticipated award dates.

Newsletter | May 2014

1. Ms. Tracey Pinson and her husband (far left) Darryl H. Dennis, and LTG Robert S. Ferrell (far right) and his wife, Monique Ferrell, Deputy Auditor General for Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Training, U.S. Army.

2. GEN Vincent K. Brooks, Commanding General, Army Pacific, and his wife Carol Brooks; GEN Dennis L. Via, Commanding General, Army Materiel Command (far right), and his wife Linda Via. 3. GEN (Ret.) William E. “Kip” Ward, MAJ (P) Clydellia Prichard-Allen, LTC Clydea Prichard-Brown, and GEN Via. 4. LTG Thomas P. Bostick, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers, and his wife Renee Bostick.

5. Mr. David Steward, Chairman and co-founder, World Wide Technology, Inc.; Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP; and LTG Robert Ferrell, Army Chief Information Officer/G-6.

Following the luncheon speaker, Mr. Paul Mann, Executive Director, White Sands Missile Range, were presentations given by various speakers at the general session.

The event included two morning and two afternoon training sessions held for the approximately 400 people in attendance.

Submitted by: Ms. Alice Williams Associate Director Office of Small Business Programs Army Contracting Command

Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP (third from Right) with members of Congressman O’Rourke’s staff and members of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce.

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Small Business Innovation Fuels Army Operational Energy Efficiency

Army OSBP Director Delivers Keynote at L-3 National Security Solutions Small Business Award Ceremony s. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP, was the keynote speaker at the L-3 National Security Solutions’ (L-3 NSS’) Small Business Award Ceremony March 4 in Reston, VA. Ms. Pinson highlighted the success and direction of the Army Small Business Program, emphasizing the value of teaming for both large and small businesses and the capabilities these teams bring to the government.

ccording to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, “Operational energy, or the energy required to train, move, and sustain forces, weapons, and equipment for military operations, accounted for 75 percent of all energy used by the Department of Defense in 2012.”

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Small businesses can play a major role in increasing Army operational energy efficiency, according to several Army product managers and engineers who displayed their latest operational energy products at a Pentagon expo on November 14.

The event, organized by the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, G-4 (Logistics), featured several Army research and development offices including: Rapid Equipping Force (REF); Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC); Force Sustainment Systems (FSS); and Soldier Warrior.

The purpose was to demonstrate new Army products that increase operational energy efficiency while also increasing combat effectiveness and reducing risk.

Small business agility and innovation play a significant role in developing these solutions, according to William Garland, Operational Energy Lead at REF. “Smaller companies are more agile and therefore better at adapting to new Warfighter requirements,” he said. By way of example, Mr. Garland demonstrated a portable generator, developed by small business INI Power, which runs on the widely-used JP-8 fuel, thus reducing the need to carry gasoline.

His sentiment was echoed by other exhibitors, several of whom recounted stories where a small company was better able than a large business to meet a specialized Warfighter requirement with a well-tailored solution.

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Mr. William Garland, Operational Energy Lead at Army Rapid Equipping Force, demonstrates a portable generator, developed by small business INI Power, which runs on the widely-used JP-8 fuel, thus reducing the need to carry gasoline.

According to Bruce Huffman, Public Affairs Officer at Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), a small business developed an auxiliary power unit (APU) for the Abrams Main Battle Tank that fits under the tank armor and greatly increases operational energy efficiency by taking the burden of powering systems like heating, cooling and communications off of the main engine. This APU is currently being implemented.

Small businesses interested in working with TARDEC should reach out to the agency’s National Automotive Center via the Ground Vehicle Gateway tool located on their website at https:// tardec.groundvehiclegateway.com/.

Another testament to small business utilization in Army operational energy development came from LTC Ross Poppenberger, Product Manager, Force Sustainment Systems (FSS).

FSS provides food, shelter, and other services to the Soldier on the battlefield. According to LTC Poppenberger, small businesses are a natural fit for the types of

specialized products FSS develops.

He demonstrated a Rigid Wall Shelter developed in cooperation with Berg, a small business located in Spokane, WA. This 20-foot long shelter, now being deployed, increases energy efficiency through better insulation and more efficient systems.

FSS typically locates industry partners through referrals, conferences and expos such as Association for the United States Army meetings and FedBizOpps.

Small businesses play a major role in developing new operational energy solutions for the Army. The starting point for getting involved is to contact the Army Program Offices directly, either through the methods mentioned above or through your local Army Small Business Specialist.

Submitted by: Mr. Anthony Braun Support Contractor Army OSBP

Newsletter | May 2014

Representatives from about 50 small businesses attended the annual event, in which L-3 NSS presented awards to three small business partners serving defense, intelligence and federal civilian customers.

The awardees were selected on the basis of their customer service and value-added capabilities. The Department of Defense (DoD) awardee, Permuta Technologies, was singled out for its support of several U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) initiatives, including a key Preservation of the Force and Family application.

Mr. Les Rose, L-3 NSS president, spoke about his personal experience as a small business owner, and the challenges small businesses face working in the federal contracting environment. He pointed out that the small business partners bring important niche technologies that complement L-3’s integration and program management capabilities.

Other speakers included Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director for Small Business Programs, Army Communications-Electronics Command, and Mr. Chase Fahrner, Small Business Specialist from the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Mr. Wesley encouraged the small businesses to be proactive and respond to Sources Sought, explaining that when the Army is evaluating procurement strategies to promote small business, decision-

Mr. Wayne Pizer, Vice President, Small Business Office, L3; Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP; and Mr. Les Rose, President, L-3.

Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director for Small Business Programs, Army Communications-Electronics Command speaks during the L-3 National Security Solutions’ Small Business Award Ceremony.

makers need to be certain that small businesses have the needed capabilities and program experience to ensure success.

The event concluded with a networking event to connect small businesses with L-3 NSS executives and program teams. ■

Mr. Pizer commented later, “It was honors to have Ms. Pinson participate in our event as the Keynote speaker.

She has been at the forefront of promoting small business procurement and is greatly respected in the small business community. “

Submitted by: Ms. Chemise Smith Small Business Liaison Officer L-3 National Security Solutions

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RMOA Business Institute Conducts its First Graduation MOA Business Institute (RBI) conducted its first graduation ceremony of RBI Fellows (students) on Saturday, March 1, at the Country Club of Woodmore, in Mitchellville, MD. The class was made up of seven new business owners, including three veteran-owned, two service-disabled veteran-owned and two womanowned small businesses.

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Below is a list of the graduating Fellows and their business names.

• Mr. Omar K.P. Stephenson, President, Cube Root Corporation • LTC Jay Hall (Retired) President, Generation V • Ms. Kathleen Moore, CEO & Chief Creative Mind, BrewtonMos LLC • LTC Allan R. Thomas (Retired), President, Thomas Solutions, Inc. • SSgt Steven Ross (Retired), President, Triad Consulting • Ms. Michelle Ware, President Strategic Global Advantage Associates, LLC • COL Terry D. Hodges (Retired) Included in the graduation ceremony were Mr. Frank Francois III, RMOA President; Mr. James T. George, RMOA, Chairman, Ways & Means Committee; Mr. Mark Brown, RBI Program Manager and Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs. During the presentation of the certificates to the graduates, Ms. Pinson stated: “It was gratifying to see a training program such as RBI get off the ground. I am very supportive of

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programs that increase the number of small businesses, especially veteran-owned and women-owned businesses”. Also in attendance was Mr. James Lloyd, Deputy Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs.

Families and friends of the RBI Fellows listened intently as the keynote speaker, Ms. Cheree Warrick, discussed her five-step approach to writing “fundable” business plans that get the attention of bankers and investors.

Autographed copies of Ms. Warrick’s book were presented to the graduates as gifts and additional books for sale to the audience were sold out immediately.

RBI was established in 2013, by its parent organization The RMOA Business Association (formerly The Retired Military Officer Association) to assist Veterans and other interested individuals become business owners with a specific focus on expanding and increasing the US industrial base and the economy. RBI’s vision is to be the small business entrepreneurial training institute of choice. The Institute aims to realize that vision by increasing the total number of successful veteran-owned and other small businesses. Its mission is to provide experiencebased entrepreneurial training and mentoring. RBI is a 501(c) (3) Educational non-profit organization that is guided by its core values of vision, self-confidence, commitment, excellence, courage, integrity, and perseverance. RBI assists Veterans and others learn the critical skills required to build the infrastructure for sustained success in business.

RBI has developed a comprehensive curriculum that features six (6) major program areas. They include:

1. Self-paced online studies; 2. Instruction and mentoring by Veterans and non-Veterans currently operating successful businesses; 3. Internships; 4. An incubation phase to help launch a new business; 5. Certificate of Completion and; 6. Post-graduation technical assistance.

One of the training tools that RBI uses is the EntreSkills for Veterans™ which was developed by the New York State Small Business Development Center. This tool focuses on the development of a well-organized business plan. The full RBI program can be completed within six to nine months. However, RBI Fellows (students) work at their own pace to achieve their stated goals.

The RMOA Business Association (RMOA) helps Veterans and others to start and grow their own businesses. Since 1994, RMOA has been engaged in networking, exchanging business information, and teaming to win contracts.

Many of the RMOA members are Veterans who parlayed their military service into prosperous companies. Their knowledge, skills, and leadership abilities help members to become successful entrepreneurs. Applications and additional information concerning the RBI training program are posted on the RMOA website at www. rmoa.org. Interested individual may also contact Mr. Mark Brown at embrown1@aol.com; Mr. Alan Hamlin, ceed2000@aol.com; RMOA, rmoaoffice@gmail.com; or telephonically at (301)-856-9319. ■ Submitted by: Mr. James T George, RMOA BOD and CEO, MSTI

Newsletter | May 2014

USACE Little Rock District Connects with Small Businesses at Industry Day he Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District hosted an industry day on December 3, at the Arkansas State Library in Little Rock, AR.

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The purpose of the industry day was to conduct market research at a programmatic level to help the district establish acquisition plans for FY2014 as well to partner with local contractors and bolster interest in contracting requirements. Each company in attendance presented a one-on-one capability briefing to the Little Rock District representatives.

Submitted by: Ms. Soila Reando, Small Business Specialist, USACE Little Rock

Army Mentor-Protégé Program Update rs. Peggy Butler-Mason retired from the Army Small Business Office in January of this year. While we were sad to see her go, we welcome Ms. Pamela Monroe to Army OSBP and to the Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). She brings an abundance of contracting expertise and a wealth of Army knowledge to the Small Business Office and the MPP. Welcome Pam!

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New Awards Congratulations to the following teams on their newly executed awards:

Lockheed Martin Missions Systems & Sensors and Lewis Innovative Technology, Inc.

L-3 National Security Solutions and Cyber Solutions & Services, Inc. (CSSI)

Jacobs Engineering Group and Badger Technical Services (BTS)

Little Rock District Commander COL Courtney W. Paul speaks to small business owners highlighting open communication during the District’s Industry Day.

Leidos and One Stop Environmental (OSE) We look forward to the award of several more contracts this Spring.

Success Story

Clear Align, a woman-owned small business located in Eagleville, PA, is an optical engineering and systems integration company strategically focused on imaging, lasers, and fiber optics. They are a protégé to BAE and are proud to announce the delivery of the first production units of its MirZ 8017 Long Range Mid Wave Infrared (MWIR) Zoom Lens System. Designed to work with the latest generation of MWIR cooled detectors, the lens delivers unparalleled performance for an off-the-shelf infrared lens.

Capable of resolving small targets (like a lit cigarette) at distances up to 20km, the lens offers fully compensated performance over a continuous zoom range from 1365mm Focal Length to 80mm Focal Length. Moreover, because of the infrared bandwidth, this lens works in conditions that stymie visible lenses: fog, smoke, haze, and pollution. This makes the lens ideal for surveillance, intelligence, and border control applications.

Excitingly, this product is being deployed at a prominent Middle Eastern border later this month.

“As we continue to improve the performance and availability of long range zoom systems, we find that more markets are opening to us,” said Ms. Angelique Irvin, CEO, and President of Clear Align. “As new and improved cameras become available, we team with camera providers and customers to develop solutions optimized for particular platforms.” Contact Clear Align for more information. Stay tuned for more updates on Clear Align and the rest of our protégé’s. HOOAH! Submitted by: Ms. Marina Sullivan Support Contractor Army Mentor-Protégé Program

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Arsenal, MI; Rock Island Arsenal, IL; and Redstone Arsenal, AL.

USAMMA Strengthens Small Businesses he Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) is the Army medical materiel developer with responsibility for medical research, advanced development, and medical logistics. USAMRMC expertise in these critical areas contributes significantly to the health care of our military service members, as well as their families, our veterans, and the general public.

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Two major subordinate commands supporting the USAMRMC mission are the U.S. Army Medical Research and Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) and the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA). Both of these organizations are strong advocates supporting the Army Small Business Program.

USAMRAA recently awarded eight multiple-award, indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity (IDIQ), total small business set-aside contracts totaling an estimated $99 million.

The contracts are to support the USAMMA mission requirement better known as the USAMMA Professional and Administrative Support Services (USAMMA PASS). Partially due to these awards, USAMRMC exceeded its FY2013 small business goals.

The USAMMA is a unique, multifaceted organization globally managing strategic medical logistics contingency programs; medically equipping the Active Component, Army Reserve, and National Guard forces; and providing technical solutions at the U.S. Army Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF). The mission of the USAMMA is to develop, acquire, provide and sustain world class solutions and capabilities to enable medical

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readiness globally. This readiness level depends on the government’s procurement capacity, and proper acquisition strategy executed by the USAMRAA contracting professionals.

The USAMMA PASS contracts were expeditiously and efficiently planned, formed, awarded, and administered by a team of military and civilian medical logisticians at USAMMA, the acquisition workforce at USAMRAA, along with the advanced acquisition planning which involved the USAMRMC and Fort Detrick Office of Small Business Programs.

All three organizations are strong advocates for the Army Small Business Program (SBP), as well as competition in contracting.

Historically, many of USAMMA contract requirements have been met by small businesses, and USAMMA desired to continue that trend by re-competing this requirement under the SBP. One strategy being considered early in the procurement cycle was the use of an existing IDIQ known as TEAMS. This approach was rejected due to the lack of a sufficient number of competing small business prime awardees in that family of contracts.

After considerable market research,

and considering critical contract requirement needs at USAMMA, the decision was made to set aside the procurement as a total small business set-aside.

The USAMRAA issued the solicitation in March 2013 and received 19 proposals.

Understanding the efforts and costs that the small businesses invested in the proposal preparations in response to the solicitation, the government source selection evaluation team carefully reviewed and evaluated every page of all 19 proposals. The result was a comprehensive and detailed evaluation and the recommendation to the Source Selection Authority of eight awardees. As a result, the small businesses received contract awards for a base plus four 12-month option periods to support the USAMMA and any subordinate commands under the USAMRMC. The USAMMA PASS IDIQ contracting process is a successful medical logistics and acquisition story between the USAMMA, USAMRAA and USAMRMC Office of Small Business Programs. Early engagement among requirements and contracting activities and industry promotes collaboration, team work and better understanding of the requirement.

Submitted by: CPT (Promotable) Tam Rushbrook, Contracting Officer/Chief of Contract Management Division, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, USAMRMC, Fort Detrick, MD; and Mr. Barry Sayer, Chief of Service Branch 4/ Contracting Officer, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, USAMRMC, Fort Detrick, MD.

Newsletter | May 2014

LTG Robert S. Ferrell, former Commanding General of the Army Communications-Electronics Command, echoed those sentiments in his remarks. The Army relies on healthy relationships with industry and small business to accomplish our missions, and the Advance Planning Briefing for Industry is absolutely essential to building and maintaining those relationships, he explained.

“APG truly serves as the center of gravity for many of the missions that support our joint forces.”

The theme of this year’s APBI was “Where Innovation Thrives,” and Mr. Jesse Barber, Ombudsman for the Army Materiel Command used that theme to emphasize the value of public-private partnerships. “These events are crucial for the future of our Organic Industrial bases and allow us to show case how we can partner to reduce capital outlay cost,” he said.

Barber explained that there are many capabilities at Army arsenals and depots of which the private sector is unaware but that linking the Army’s organic industrial capabilities with private sector capabilities will bring the “biggest bang for the buck.”

“The APBI provides transparency of potential business opportunities provided by the Army at APG,” explained Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director of Small Business Programs for CECOM. “The APBI provides an environment

where companies providing service, products, and technologies are informed of anticipated contracting opportunities. This event gives every business, large or small, access to the same information at the same time,” he explained.

The Army is statutorily required to provide projections of all anticipated contract actions above $100,000.

An event such as the Advance Planning Briefing for Industry meets this statutory requirement for sharing information.

In fact, a number of local small businesses made this event a huge success, according to Ms. Linda Edwards, who led the logistics support for the event from the post’s Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Program. In order to create an efficient registration experience, she contracted the registration process and web site to a Baltimore, MD, small business. Local small businesses also provided the buses which transported the attendees from parking lots to the post theater, the fest tent in which the food was served, the food caterer, the signs, the decorations, and the porta-potties.

Hampton University Graduate and First African American Appointed to Army Chief Information Officer

All of the presentations and briefings of potential contracting opportunities and accompanying video will be posted at: https://sec.cloud.army.mil/ OSBP/. ■ Submitted by: Mr. Bob DiMichele CECOM Public Affairs Officer

LTG Robert S. Ferrell

TG Robert S. Ferrell began his duties as the new Army Chief Information Officer/G-6 on January 6. A graduate of Hampton University, Hampton VA, a historically black university, LTG Ferrell is the first African American to hold this position. He replaced LTG Susan Lawrence who retired.

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Army OSBP congratulates LTG Ferrell and looks forward to working with him to enhance small business participation in Army procurements. ■

Small business owners network at the C4ISR APBI.

Submitted by: Mr. Anthony Braun Support Contractor Army OSBP

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C4ISR Center of Excellence Reaches Out to Industry

USACE Buffalo District Receives Small Environmental Business Action Coalition Award

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ore than 800 business and industry representatives from across the country gathered at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for a view of potential contracting opportunities from the C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Center of Excellence.

It is the fourth time the C4ISR Center of Excellence has presented a consolidated view of opportunities as an Advance Planning Briefing for Industry (APBI) since its creation on Aberdeen Proving Ground in 2010. The C4ISR Center of Excellence consists of the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM); the Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center; the Program Executive Office, Command, Control, and Communications Tactical; the Program Executive Office, Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors; and the Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground.

These C4ISR Center of Excellence commands presented 77 potential contracting opportunities worth an estimated $21.8 billion over the next five years.

This presentation of potential C4ISR opportunities was part of an installation-wide Advanced Planning Briefing for Industry held December 2-6. The event brought private sector representatives from large and small businesses to a forum where government representatives provided information about potential, future contracting opportunities from the installation’s major focus areas of C4ISR; testing and evaluation; research and development; chemicalbiological defense; and medical research. The Baltimore District of the Army Corps of Engineers participated as well discussing both

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civil works and military construction contracting.

Mr. John Nerger, Executive Deputy to the Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command, kicked off the event with a situational overview.

Despite news of budget reductions and drawdowns, he said, “The Army is not going out of business.” That small bit of humor did not detract from serious nature of his theme that the Army is facing challenging times and that it needs industry partnerships

to ensure the capabilities necessary to support successfully the joint warfighter.

“We need to redouble our efforts to work with each other,” Mr. Nerger said, “and we are grateful for what you (private industry) bring to the partnership.” According to Mr. Nerger, the Army Materiel Command will now begin to hold annual industry forums like the one that is held annually at Aberdeen at its other primary installation locations of Detroit

ach year, the Small Environmental Business Action Coalition (SEBAC) hosts an annual reception and recognizes an agency for excellence in its prime contract awards to environmental small businesses.

SEBAC researched procurement data specific to NAICS 562910 (Remediation Services, size standard 500 employees) and 541620 (Environmental Consulting Services, size standard $14 million).

Criteria for SEBAC’s Excellence in Awarding Small Business Prime Contract Awards are:

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• Ability to meet or exceed projected goals for the fiscal year; • Quality and quantity of small business awards; and • Progress towards improvement in attaining goals (either a percentage increase or proven improvement).

LTG Robert S. Ferrell, former Commanding General, Army Communications-Electronics Command, addresses industry at the C4ISR APBI.

Mr. Kenyata Wesley, Chief Associate Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Army Communications and Electronics Command addresses small business attendees at the C4ISR APBI.

Mr. John O’Brien, Associate Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Army Research Development and Engineering Command (center) offers advice to small business owners at the C4ISR APBI.

Newsletter | May 2014

The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been a recipient of the award many times. This year, SEBAC approached their award decision a little differently. Instead of recognizing an individual agency, they went deeper and chose a major subordinate command (MSC). The rationale for the revised decisionmaking process was that USACE Buffalo District awarded an amazing 99.9% of their environmental awards to small businesses.

Mr. Dennis Morgan II, SEBAC President, and Ms. Pam Mazza, managing partner at PillieroMazza PLLC presented the award during their annual networking reception and awards ceremony to COL Owen Beaudoin, Commander, USACE Buffalo District, and Ms. Sherrie Plonski, Small Business Specialist, Buffalo District at the Kansas City Convention Center on November 20.

COL Owen Beaudoin, District Commander, USACE Buffalo District; Ms. Sherrie Plonski, Small Business Specialist, USACE Buffalo District; Ms. Pam Mazza, Managing Partner, PillieroMazza PLLC; and Mr. Dennis Morgan II, President, Small Environmental Business Action Coalition.

COL Beaudoin stated “there is always room for improvement,” when he accepted the SEBAC Award for Excellence in Awarding Small Business Prime Contracts on behalf of the Buffalo District. When asked about what lends to Buffalo District’s success, Ms. Plonski replied “The Buffalo District Contracting Chief, Jeff Ernest is a strong proponent of the small business program in his district and encourages maximum participation by small business in all of their acquisitions. He makes my job easy. He actively engages me in acquisitions prior to their solicitation and gives me the opportunity to comment and shape them, giving small business the opportunity

to participate, either as prime contractors or as subcontractors.

The environmental remediation work done by the Buffalo District lends itself well to small business and I will continue to encourage Jeff and his great team of contract specialists to keep on doing great things in the small business world. I can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Submitted by: Ms. Sharon Morrow, USACE Deputy for Small Business Program Execution

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Army Corps of Engineers Participates in Annual Small Business Conference

Army OSBP Welcomes New Program Manager for Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs

or the fourth year in a row, the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) exceeded its small business goal. The tremendous success in contracting with small businesses is attributable to transparent communication and training offered to small businesses across the nation. USACE maintains an open door for small businesses to come in for meetings, counseling, and training throughout the year.

In addition, USACE leaders participate in an annual small business conference designed to give the small business industry an opportunity to engage one-on-one with over 100 USACE leaders to discuss the fiscal year acquisition program and procurement forecast.

The event was hosted by the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) in Kansas City, MO and facilitated exchanges on scientific, technical and professional issues.

The industry engagement (Army engineer-to-industry engineer) results in innovative solutions for DoD technical and resource challenges for military construction, water resource management, critical civil works projects, geospatial technology and renewable energy.

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The small business conference break-out training sessions serve to remove barriers and offer transparency for small businesses maneuvering through the sometimes difficult process of doing business with the government. Hundreds of capable small business owners often avoid competing for federal contract opportunities because they lack the training and information necessary to submit competitive proposals in accordance with federal laws and regulations. Training all interested small firms on how to do business with USACE increases price competition, improves the quality

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of small business proposals in response to solicitations and builds the industrial base of small firms ready to respond to our military and engineering needs.

LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, USACE, recognized several leaders at the conference during an award ceremony. USACE commanders and civilian employees recognized for exceptional support of the Army Small Business Program included (spending data as of the time of the awards): COL Richard Gridley Award • BG C. Dave Turner, Commander of South Pacific Division ($104M awarded to SDVOSBs) Small Business Specialist of the Year • Ms. Veronica (Ronni) Kammler, Seattle District Division SB Specialist of the Year • Ms. Melea Crouse (covered both South Pacific Division and Southwest Division) Small Business Champion Awards • Dr. Reed L. Mosher, ERDC • Mr. Anthony G. Levesanos, NAN Dep Chief, Programs & Project Management • COL John W. Eisenhauer, Portland District • Mr. Ted Turney, Contract Specialist, Honolulu District • Mr. Thomas Fultz, Program Manager, Mobile District HBCU/MI (Highest Dollars) 1. COL Eckstein, Engineering Research and Development Center ($832,295) 2. Mr. Dale Stoutenburgh,

Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity ($498,524) 3. LTC Antoinette Gant, Albuquerque District ($137,726) Top Ten SDVOSB Award by Dollars 1. Louisville District 2. Los Angeles District 3. New Orleans District 4. New York District 5. Kansas City District 6. Seattle District 7. Omaha District 8. Huntsville Eng Center 9. Ft. Worth District 10. Norfolk District

$76.28M $59.26M $53.82M $41.93M $41.80M $38.42M $35.27M $32.66M $32.32M $31.34M

Top Ten SDVOSB Award by Percentage 1. Rock Island District 2. Los Angeles District 3. St. Louis District 4. ERDC District 5. Norfolk District 6. Memphis District 7. Seattle District 8. Louisville District 9. San Francisco District 10. Kansas City District

29.1% 19.2% 13.1% 12.9% 12.8% 12.4% 11.9% 11.8% 10.8% 10.7%

Submitted by: Ms. Jackie Robinson-Burnette, Small Business Chief, USACE

Photos: 1. Jackie Robinson-Burnette, Chief of USACE Small Business Program speaks at the opening plenary session.

2. LTG Bostick speaks at the opening plenary session.

3. MG Todd Semonite, Deputy Commander, USACE visits a Division Small Business booth.

4. LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, USACE recognizes Commanders with significant SDVOSB awards.

Newsletter | May 2014

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s. Pamela Monroe assumed her new role as Program Manager, Army Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs, in November. Prior to joining the Headquarters Department of the Army Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), she was the Assistant Director for the Army Contracting Command National Capital Region (ACC-NCR) OSBP from June 2003 to July 2013. As the Assistant Director, she was the principal advisor to the ACC-NCR Executive Director, the Headquarters Department of Army OSBP, the Headquarters ACC-OSBP, and the Small Business Administration on all ACC-NCR small business matters. She successfully managed the small business program by writing and implementing agency standard operating procedures for approximately 300 contracting personnel. During her tenure at the ACC-NCR she planned and organized the first Woman-Owned Small Business and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Showcases in the Pentagon Concourse. In addition, during her tenure, ACC-NCR won several awards for exceeding the three percent SDVOSB goal.

Ms. Monroe is the first recipient of the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs “Golden Talon Award” in recognition of the dedication and efforts made toward significantly increasing contracting opportunities for SDVOSBs. Ms. Monroe’s career began as a Contract Specialist Intern at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma from 19841994. She worked as a Contract Administrator, Cost and Zero-Over Pricing Analyst and Warranted Contracting Officer for contracts administration on a major weapon system. In 1994, she was selected to enter the Advanced Copper Cap Contracting Intern Program at

Andrews Air Force Base, MD and continued the program at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC. The Copper Cap Program afforded her an opportunity to rotate into different contracting offices where she learned base, construction and information assurance contracting.

Her final rotation was an assignment at the Secretariat of the Air Force Acquisition Contracting Office. Upon completion of the intern program she worked as a contract and small business specialist until August 2000.

From August 2000 to June 2003, Ms. Monroe was the Associate Director for the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) Small Business Programs. She significantly increased small business opportunities for small business trucking companies by successfully negotiating base and option year subcontracting plans with large business freight and trucking companies. She also planned, organized and implemented the first small business conference at the annual world-wide MTMC Symposium. The purpose of the conference was to provide a forum for small business to form teaming arrangements for future requirements and become registered approved government carriers. The small business forum targeted trucking companies that move freight and household goods, small business owners of storage and warehouse facilities, and other small business transporters.

Ms. Monroe has a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree. She is Level III certified in Contracts Acquisition and is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps. ■

Ms. Pamela L. Monroe, Program Manager, Army Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs

Ms. Monroe speaks with Mr. Jim George, a small business owner, at the Army Small Business Forum during the 2013 AUSA Annual Meeting.

Submitted by: Army OSBP

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Army OSBP Director Speaks at Accenture Federal Services Small Business Outreach Forum n January 23, Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP and Ms. Pamela Monroe, Assistant to the Director and Program Manager, Army Subcontracting and Mentor-Protégé Programs, attended a small business outreach forum hosted

by Accenture Federal Services (AFS).

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define, build and execute their future by articulating a clear and compelling client value proposition; plan and orchestrate delivery excellence and recognize talent and embrace diversity.

The purpose of the forum was to provide small businesses an overview of AFS; gain an understanding of the Army Office of Small Business Programs, and provide an opportunity for small businesses to present their capabilities and an opportunity to network with companies in attendance.

The forum began with Mr. Joe Chenelle, Senior Managing Director, Defense, AFS. Mr. Chenelle presented the U.S. Defense Portfolio FY14 Executive Overview. The overview consisted of challenges facing defense and intelligence such as preventing and deterring aggression; rebalancing and enhancing the Force by increasing cyber ops and intelligence capabilities and taking care of our people by ensuring wounded warrior care. His presentation also provided the growth of AFS which included small business teaming and focus on veterans. Under small business teaming, the focus is to industrialize AFS subcontract management and procurement organization to maximize client delivery capabilities. In summary AFS will

Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP, speaks at the small business outreach forum hosted by Accenture Federal Services.

Ms. Pinson presented an overview of the Army and the status of MentorProtégé Program. She briefed on small business performance for FY12 vs.

FY13; Army small business spends

by NAICS code and what the Army Commands buy. She discussed the FY14 OSBP Army Focus: small business participation in major systems

programs; promote greater involvement of small businesses in Army contracts for services; implementation of senior leader small business performance elements; support of historically black colleges and universities / minority institutions in the acquisition process; subcontracting plan development and enforcement; small business participation in OCONUS contracts; staffing of small business offices and development of small business personnel and maximize use of setaside authority under multiple award contracts. Ms. Pinson answered questions pertaining to subcontracting development and OCONUS contracts, the audience particularly liked the fact that senior leadership performance will reflect their involvement and support of the small business program. The business lauded Ms. Pinson for an outstanding small business program.

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Each small business provided a 10 minute briefing that covered four areas: company overview; capabilities, past performance and certifications. The forum concluded with an opportunity for the contractors to network. ■ Submitted by: Ms. Pamela Monroe Program Manager Army Subcontracting and MentorProtégé Programs

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From left to right: Mr. Keith Zuegel, Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs; Mr. Bill Loftus, Senior Managing Director - Army Client Account Lead; Mr. Joe Chenelle, Senior Managing Director - US Defense Portfolio Lead; Ms. Tracey Pinson; Ms. Amanda Lofthus, Director of Small Business and Reporting Management ; Mr. Scott Pospichel, Director of Subcontract Management and Procurement; Mr. Skip Coleman, Managing Director & Vice President - AFS Business Operations; and Mr. Nigel Stephens, Director of Government Affairs.

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USACE Louisville District USACE Louisville District Small Business Program Small Business Program Recognized at Open House Receives Top Honors n January 29, the Louisville District Corps of Engineers held their annual Open House in Louisville, KY. COL Luke Leonard, Louisville District Commander, provided opening remarks and welcomed over 400 participants from across the nation.

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COL Leonard recognized the District small business program.

He highlighted their recent award for being first among USACE districts in contract obligations to service-disabled veteranowned small businesses with over $77 million in contract obligations for FY 2013.

The morning session featured speakers on the following topics: architect/engineer workload trends and contract opportunities, changes in contractor performance evaluations, civil works and military program reviews and the District small business program. During the afternoon session, contractors were afforded the opportunity to meet with representatives from the contracting, engineering, construction, programs/project management, and small business offices.

Submitted by: Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, USACE Louisville District

COL Luke Leonard, Commander, USACE Louisville District (right) speaking with contractors at the District’s annual Open House.

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COL Luke Leonard, Commander, USACE Louisville District; Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, USACE Louisville District; and LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, attended the SAME Small Business Conference in November 2013.

n November 2013, COL Luke Leonard, Louisville District Commander, Ms. Denise Bush, Chief of Contracting, and Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, attended the Society of American Military Engineers 2013 Small Business Conference in Kansas City, MO. At the conference, COL Leonard accepted two awards on behalf of the Louisville District. The first award recognized the Louisville District for being first among U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts in contract obligations to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) with more than $77 million in contract obligations for FY 2013. The second award was presented for awarding 11.8 percent of contract dollars to SDVOSBs in FY2013, placing the district in eighth place overall among USACE districts. In FY2013, the Louisville District obligated more than $653 million in contracts with more than $280 million awarded to the small business community. Of that $280 million, the Louisville District awarded more than $77 million (11.8 percent) to the SDVOSB community, exceeding the district goal of 4 percent for that socio-economic category.

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“The Louisville District is committed and dedicated to not only the success of the SDVOSB program, but the success of the overall Small Business Program as demonstrated by the over $280 million that were awarded to small business concerns in FY2013,” said Ms. Gee. “I’m personally committed to ensuring we achieve all of our small business goals in FY2014.”

The Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-183) established a procurement program to provide procuring agencies with the authority to set acquisitions aside for exclusive competition among SDVOSB concerns.

Ms. Jacque Gee, Deputy for Small Business, USACE Louisville District providing a presentation on the District’s Small Business Program.

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Submitted by: Ms. Sarah Mattingly, Public Affairs Office, USACE Louisville District

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Farewell to Ms. Peggy Butler-Mason

Wounded Warrior Remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

n January 3, Ms. Peggy Butler-Mason, Deputy Director for the OSBP, retired after 42 years of distinguished federal service. She was an integral part of Army OSBP for seven years.

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he 29th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observance took place in the Pentagon auditorium on January 16. Dr. King believed that everyone should be treated equally regardless of the color of their skin. His life’s work revolved around the fact that peaceful protests could change a nation. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 and died on April 4, 1968.

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In her capacity as Deputy Director since 2012, Ms. ButlerMason formulated and directed small business policies and procedures, managed budget matters, advised senior leaders on small business socioeconomic programs, participated in policy formulation, bundling/consolidation, strategic sourcing considerations and program execution in all areas for which Army OSBP is responsible.

During the recent observance, Mr. Michael Rhodes, Director of Administration and Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense welcomed a packed house of military and civilian personnel to the observance followed

by Secretary of Defense Hagel who shared remarks and talked about the importance of this holiday and the life of Dr. King.

Prior to becoming Deputy Director, Ms. Butler-Mason was Program Manager for Mentor Protégé and Subcontracting Programs, and the lead for service acquisitions and strategic sourcing. She worked closely with small business officials at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Army major commands as well as with industry associations and numerous large and small business firms.

Ms. Butler-Mason’s federal career involved multiple assignments in varying capacities. Before coming to Army OSBP, she was a senior procurement analyst with the Army Contracting Agency (ACA). Prior to ACA, she worked as a contracting officer with the Communications and Electronics Command Lifecycle Management Command, Acquisition Center-Washington; the Army Corps of Engineers; the Information Systems Selection and Acquisition Agency and the Fort Belvoir Research and Development Center.

The keynote speaker was COL Gregory D. Gadson, Garrison Commander, Fort Belvoir, VA. He has held this position since June 2012 and is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the post. COL Gadson has served in the Army for 24 years. In 2007, while serving in Iraq, he lost both legs above the knee and normal use of his right arm and hand due to an improvised explosive device attack. Despite this injury, COL Gadson remains on active duty.

During a retirement ceremony on December 18, Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP, recognized Ms. Butler-Mason for outstanding contributions to the OSBP and the Army as a whole.

She commented on her acquisition expertise by saying, “she knows more about contracting than I ever did and was a very valuable resource.”

During his comments he shared stories of how people still treat him differently because of his challenges. One such story involved having a wonderful dinner conversation until his tablemates realized he was a double amputee and their demeanor towards him completely changed.

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Ms. Pinson was followed by many well-wishers including family members, friends and coworkers that provided personal testaments to her service. Ms. Butler-Mason then shared her reflections on her long and distinguished career. We all wish her well in her future endeavors. ■

COL Gadson talked of discrimination, the fact that it still exists, and that we all must work harder to stamp it out.

He spoke about how many soldiers with disabilities will not mention it at work because they want to be treated like everyone else. COL Gadson said, “All of us should strive for more courage, perseverance, determination, and teamwork.”

Submitted by: Mr. Cameron Miles Support Contractor Army OSBP

In conclusion, COL Gadson is a hero and continues to inspire those that have the opportunity to listen to his message. After listening to his speech and watching him move around so quickly in his wheelchair, there is no room to complain about anything. The goal should be every day to work harder, improve and get better. The Martin Luther King Jr. observance ended with the audience giving him a standing ovation.

Photos: 1. Ms. Butler-Mason receives a gift from Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army OSBP. 2. Ms. Butler-Mason receives a certificate of appreciation from the Director, DoD OSBP, presented by Ms. Linda Oliver, Deputy Director, DoD OSBP. 3. Mr. John Mason, Ms. Butler-Mason, and Ms. Pinson.

4. Ms. Butler-Mason listens as her sisters deliver remarks during her retirement ceremony.

5. Ms. Cynthia Lee, Program Manager, Army 8(a) / Small Disadvantaged Business and HBCU / MI Programs (seated); Ms. Peggy ButlerMason; and Ms. Alice Williams, Small Business Associate Director, Army Contracting Command, at the 2013 AUSA Annual Meeting Army Small Business Forum.

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Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel stopped by the MLK program to deliver remarks.

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Submitted by: Mr. Cameron Miles Support Contractor Army OSBP

COL Gregory D. Gadson, United States Army Garrison Commander, Ft. Belvoir, a service-disabled veteran was the keynote speaker.

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Remembering the Past

Procurement Seminar and were eager to hear and learn about “How to Do Business with Fort Jackson”, “Doing Business with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)”, “Impact of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act”, and “How to get a General Service Administration Contract”. This collaborative effort by the Fort Jackson DOC, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Administration, US Army Corp of Engineers, and the General Services Administration provided the vendors with an opportunity to hear from a panel of experts and ask questions about how to do business with the Federal Government. The seminar also provided insight into future requirements and the impact the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act will have on industry. As you can see, we have done some good work and the Army has done well in promoting Small Businesses, but we can do better!

he 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “Remembering the Past, Looking toward the Future” ceremony was held February 25 at the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill. This historical night was one for the history books. The guest speaker was The Honorable John Lewis who spoke upon how he was inspired, as a young boy, by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which be heard on a radio broadcasts.

This was the point that he decided to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement.

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HON Lewis, HON Charles Rangel, HON Shelia Jackson-Lee, and HON Danny Davis all honored the men and women of the Tuskegee Airmen “Red Tails” and the 555th Parachute Infantry “Triple Nickles.” The night ended with an inspiring poem from Elisa Solomon, a student at Mount Vernon High School, and a delightful song led by LTC Deon M. Green.

Dr. Carter’s Better Buying Power Initiatives, among other things, provide for increased small business participation in competitive acquisitions through weighting factors in past performance and in fee construct. What are your thoughts on the potential effectiveness of this initiative?

LTG Thomas P. Bostick, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers and the members of the Tuskegee Airmen “Red Tails.”

GEN Dennis L. Via, Commanding General, Army Material Command with a member of the “Triple Nickles.”

555th Parachute Infantry “Triple Nickles” with SGM Tonia Walker, The Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison.

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A number of the Better Buying Power initiatives promote increased competition and utilization of small businesses.

The Army is actively engaged in drafting policy that meets the requirements of the Better Buying Power initiatives including encouraging the contracting community to institute all competitive and non-competitive procurement actions emphasis on Small Business utilization through the use of such techniques as weighting factors in past performance and in fee construct.

Can you speak to the value and role of the acquisition workforce in the era of change and transformation? What role should the small business community play to assist?

Oh what a night.

Submitted by: Ms. Stacy Watson Program Manager Women-Owned Program

LTG Michael E. Williamson Appointed as the First African American Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT)

MG Marcia Anderson, Acting Assistant Chief and Deputy Chief, Army Reserve; and LTC Deon Green, Command Judge Advocate, US Army Northern Regional Command.

Newsletter | May 2014

The acquisition workforce is the dedicated group of professionals that are critical to leading our community to success. Our acquisition teammates are absolutely critical to executing change, transformation, as well as identifying and engaging appropriately (contracting) with our small businesses. Our workforce’s unique functional, business and leadership skills are essential during a complex environment of persistent change and transformation that we have experienced during the recent past, and which we’ll likely face in the foreseeable future. They provide the most technologically advanced, durable and competitive products in the world to our Warfighters. Our skilled and dedicated professionals execute diverse responsibilities on a daily basis to enable the disciplined management of an extensive acquisition portfolio.

The small business community provides an integral piece to accomplishing our diverse responsibilities. Our vision is a highly innovative organization of dedicated professionals transforming the Army with integrated AL&T capabilities to provide Soldiers a decisive advantage to win our Nation’s wars. The small business community has a history of innovative ideas and commitment that have continually assisted our mission success. We as the acquisition community would not want to face a challenging future without any of our key partners on the diverse team. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that small business and our acquisition workforce continue to work effectively together.

Army OSBP wishes him the best in his future endeavors. ■ Ms. Tracey L. Pinson Director

LTG Michael E. Williamson

n the Pentagon auditorium April 4, 2014, Ms. Heidi Shyu, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology) (ASA (ALT)), hosted a ceremony in honor of LTG Michael E. Williamson, who has replaced LTG William (Bill) Phillips as the Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT). In addition to his new role, LTG Williamson received his third star.

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LTG Williamson most recently served as Deputy Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He has also held a variety of acquisition-related assignments in the Army and is Level III certified in Program Management and Information Technology.

Army OSBP congratulates LTG Williamson and looks forward to working with him to enhance small business participation in Army procurement programs. ■ Submitted by: Mr. Anthony Braun Support Contractor Army OSBP

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Senior Leader Interview: LTG William N. (Bill) Phillips, a Champion for Army Small Business Utilization, Retires

Defense Celebrates Black History Month

LTG William (Bill) Phillips, Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology) retired on April 4. In honor of his illustrious career and exemplary support of small business, Army OSBP reprints the interview conducted with him in June 2011.

research development, and the acquisition of materiel for all U.S. Army major weapon and support systems. The AAE has also delegated her authority and responsibilities as the Army’s Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) to the PMILDEP. The DACM responsibilities include managing the Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) and implementing the acquisition career management requirements set forth in legislation. As the DACM, I oversee the career development, training management, and support of more than 43,000 acquisition professionals. All of us are geared toward ASA(ALT)’s core mission of effectively and efficiently leading the execution of the Army’s acquisitions, acquisition management, life-cycle management, from research and development through test and evaluation, and fielding to disposition.

What are your thoughts on the involvement of small business contractors in the Army mission to provide the best equipment and services to the warfighter?

LTG William N. (Bill) Phillips

TG William N. (Bill) Phillips became the Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology) and Director, Acquisition Career Management on 1 February 2010.

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Commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1976, LTG Phillips later completed Airborne, Air Assault, and Aviator training. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University, Master of Science degree in Procurement and Materials Management from Webster University, Masters Degree in Personnel Management from Troy State University, and Masters of Science in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Defense Systems Management College, and Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Can you describe your responsibilities as the Military Deputy to the Army Acquisition Executive?

As the Principal Military Deputy to the Army Acquisition Executive (AAE), I provide the AAE with staff support to manage the

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Our goal is to encourage small business. I personally view our small businesses as being the center-piece of innovation within our country. As we celebrate our nations independence and fight for freedom, I am reminded of the key role that small businesses have played through our nation, including Betsy Ross, the Wright Brothers, and thousands of small businesses today who are a source of innovation. Further, I strongly support the MentorProtégé Program that engages industries to shape and expand the industrial base to support the Army’s mission and assist protégés in enhancing their capabilities to provide value-added support to the Army as it transforms itself into a force capable of dominating for full spectrum operations. The Mentor-Protégé Program was established in 1991 to provide incentives to prime contractors to develop the technical and business capabilities of eligible protégés to increase their participation in both prime contracts and sub-contracts.

Can you tell us about any success stories regarding small business participation in Army contracting?

An outstanding success story of our Small Business Programs is that our dollars awarded to various socio-economic programs continue to grow. A significant highlight comes each year during the Annual Veteran’s Conference. In July 2009, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) received 23 Champion for Veterans Awards. The MICC is in line to receive 30 additional awards for FY 2009. These awards go to installations that meet the three percent statutory goal for awards to ServiceDisabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. At Fort Jackson, Director of Contracting (DOC) held its first Industry Day on 17 June 2009. Over 200 small businesses attended the morning

Newsletter | May 2014

lack History Month got its early start as a week-long celebration known as Negro History Week in 1926. It was created to raise the awareness of the great contributions African Americans were making and continue to make in this nation.

In 1976, it was expanded to a month-long celebration.

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Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, created the celebration. Dr. Woodson was the son of former slaves, and was the second African American to earn a doctorate degree from Harvard University.

He was an amazing man and a great contributor to the history of African Americans.

Black History Month continues to be celebrated today and has synonymously come to be known as African American History Month. In response to a Presidential Proclamation to observe African American History Month, the Department of Defense (DoD) did just that. Mr. Clarence Johnson, Director, DoD Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, collaborated with Dr. Matthew Jenkins, Acting President, Tuskegee University, to host a two-day conference February 26-27 at Tuskegee University.

Tuskegee University is a historically black college and university (HBCU) located in Tuskegee, AL. The theme of the conference was “Reaching Out to Our Youth: A Strategy for Excellence”. Dr. Leland Burge, Jr., Dean, College of Engineering, Tuskegee University presided over the opening ceremony with greetings from Mr. Johnson, Dr. Jenkins and Tuskegee Mayor, Mr. Johnny Ford. Several senior leaders from DoD (civilian and military), other federal agencies, private industry, and HBCUs served as guest speakers or attended the conference. Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs, spoke on the Army small business landscape. Other topics included DoD Next Generation Workforce; kindergarten-12th grade science, technology, engineering and math programs; contract and grant opportunities; DoD research and development opportunities; and Civil Rights.

Culminating the conference was a celebration luncheon with keynote speaker Mr. Andre Gudger, Director, DoD Office of Small Business Programs. He spoke on “Civil Rights in America.” During the

Dr. Leland Burge, Jr., Dean, College of Engineering, Tuskegee University.

Dr. Matthew Jenkins, Acting President, Tuskegee University.

Mr. Clarence Johnson, Director, Department of Defense Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity.

LTG (Ret.) Willie Williams and Dr. Jarris Taylor, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Strategic Diversity Integration.

Dr. George Cooper, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, President, Alabama State University.

luncheon, awards were presented for outstanding achievements in the military (CPT Darold C. Carson; Senior Master Sergeant Shawanda M. DeVaugh; LTC R. J. Smith; LCDR Martin Edmonds; LT Gen Willie Williams-Retired U.S. Marine Corps); kindergarten-12th grade (Robert E. Lee High School-AF JROTC Color Guard); small business (Future Research

Corporation), DoD prime contractor (Boeing Company) and HBCU advocacy (Oliver S. (“Bo”) Leslie).

Submitted by: Ms. Cynthia Lee Program Manager Army HBCU/MI and 8(a)/SDB Programs

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Get to Know Fedbid, a Reverse-Auction Market Place Used for Army Contracts

Army Bids Farewell to the 30th Undersecretary of the Army, Honorable Joseph W. Westphal

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edBid is a reverse auction marketplace currently being used by Army and other government agencies to match buyers and sellers. The majority of contracts awarded in this marketplace go to small businesses and the number of contracts awarded has been growing steadily.

According to FedBid, In FY2013, more than 17,000 government buyers awarded a combined total of more than 36,000 requirements on the FedBid Marketplace, and small businesses received approximately 80 percent of those awards.

Small businesses can find opportunities in FedBid by creating customizable email alerts that can contain opportunities from 14 of the 15 cabinet-level agencies. They can

also configure a dashboard to see all open opportunities. There is no cost to register in the system or to bid on contracts.

bid, rather than requests for quote or requests for information, and the majority of those opportunities are awarded within 30 days.

The Army has been using FedBid since 2005. In FY2013, Army awarded 5,869 contracts worth over $221M to 2,374 small businesses through the FedBid marketplace.

Twenty-eight percent of these awards were not small business set-asides.

How to Register

Across the entire FedBid marketplace in FY2013, there were 19,672 awards set aside for small businesses (4,231 were U.S. Army opportunities).

Additionally, 10,447 opportunities won by small businesses were not set aside (1,638 from the Army).

According to FedBid, all opportunities in the marketplace are invitations for

Registration is simple: 1. Ensure your company is registered with the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) 2. Then go to www.fedbid.com and click on the ‘Register as a Seller’ button Email sc@fedbid.com or call 571405-5013 with any questions.

Submitted by: Army OSBP

A Salute to Women and Black History Month: Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd

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As the Chief Management Officer of the Army, the Army OSBP was aligned to report directly to him. Since the alignment, Dr. Westphal has been extremely supportive of the Army Small Business Program and has participated in several Army outreach events such as the small business conference hosted by AMC and the small business outreach event at the AUSA national conference.

“Dr. Westphal has been in the corner of the Army small business program from day one, his support is attributable directly to the continued success that we have had in our program over the years.

He will be greatly missed” said Ms. Tracey Pinson, OSBP Director.

On April 11, 2014, Dr. Westphal held a private ceremony for his personal staff and direct reports, to express his appreciation for what they have done to support him as the Undersecretary and to acknowledge significant contributions to the Army as a whole. Ms. Pinson received the Department of the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

This was an official commendation for meritorious performance of duty. “It was an honor and a privilege to receive this award and quite a surprise!” said Ms. Pinson. OSBP wishes the Honorable Joseph W. Westphal and his family all the best in his new position. ■

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r. Gwendolyn Boyd was recently selected as president of Alabama State University (ASU), making her the first female to serve in that position.

Dr. Boyd is no stranger to trailblazing and making history as she is the first African American female to earn a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from ASU and a doctoral degree in ministry from Howard University. Prior to accepting the position as president of ASU, she worked as an engineer and executive assistant to the Applied Physics Laboratory chief of staff at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC for 33 years.

Congratulations Dr. Boyd and ASU from Army OSBP.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh presents Dr. Westphal with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, as Dr. Westphal’s wife, Linda Westphal, looks on.

A member of the U.S. Army Strolling Strings plays during an April 14 farewell ceremony for Dr. Joseph W. Westphal, Former Under Secretary of the Army.

Submitted by: Army OSBP

Submitted by: Ms. Cynthia Lee Program Manager Army HBCU/MI and 8(a)/SDB Programs

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n April 14,2014, the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John M. McHugh hosted a farewell Ceremony for Dr. Joseph W. Westphal. Dr. Westphal served as the 30th Undersecretary of the Army from September 2009-March 2014. He has had a distinguished career of service in both academia and government. In 2001 he served as the Acting Secretary of the Army and earlier he served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works from 1998 to 2001. In March 2014, Dr. Westphal was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

GEN Lloyd J. Austin III, Commander, U.S. Central Command (far left) with Dr. Westphal.

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Page 5 Women’s History Month

House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses

“I just blame the people who did it, and the people who were part of it, and the people who accepted it, because the Army values don’t accept that. These were people who weren’t taught their values a correct way,” Schuette said.

113th Legislation Affecting Small Business Bill #

Bill Title

Issue

Date Passed

Vote

P.L.

H.R. 3

Northern Route Approval Act

Declares that a presidential permit shall not be required for the Keystone XL pipeline, allowing the project to move forward and create opportunities for small firms, both directly and indirectly.

5/22/2013

241 - 175

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H.R. 624

Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act

Enables cyberthreat sharing within the private sector and, on a purely voluntary basis, with the government to provide better protection for the networks and systems Americans depend on. Almost 20% of cyberattacks are directed to small businesses with less than 250 employees.

4/18/2013

288 - 127

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H.R. 634

Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2013

Exempts manufacturers, ranchers and small companies that buy and sell derivitives to hedge against business risk from burdensome margin and capital requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act.

6/12/2013

411 - 12

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H.R. 756

Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013

Reauthorizes funding for established cybersecurity basic research and education grants at the National Science Foundation and enhances the Scholarship for Service program designed to recruit and train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. An estimated 20% of cyberattacks are directed to small firms with less than 250 employees.

4/16/2013

402-16

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H.R. 803

SKILLS Act

Consolidates federal employment and training programs by replacing them with the Workforce Investment Fund to give workers and employers a streamlined system of support to help provide training for today’s jobs.

3/15/2013

215 - 202

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H.R. 882

Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2013

States that it is the policy of the U.S. government that no government contracts or grants should be awarded to individuals or business entities with seriously delinquent federal tax debts. The government currently has a goal of awarding 23% of federal contracts to small firms.

4/15/2013

407 - 0

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H.R. 967

Advancing America’s Networking and Information Technology R&D Act

Expands a program for coordinating R&D by various federal agencies on advanced networking and information technology, in an effort to strengthen cybersecurity protections. Almost 20% of cyberattacks are directed at small firms with less than 250 employees.

4/16/2013

406-11

N

H.R. 1406

Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013

Allows private-sector employers to offer wages or time off to compensate employees for overtime hours worked.

5/8/2013

223 - 204

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“We worked hard and did a lot of good things,” she said.

H.R. 1960

Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2014, and includes provisions to aid small contractors by making them better able to compete for federal contracts.

6/14/2013

315 - 108

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Dixon said she is so proud to see such “beautiful things” happening with AfricanAmerican women, and all women who are doing so much in the Army.

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

H.R. 2642

Reauthorizes agricultural programs through fiscal year 2018.

Commonly refered to as the “Farm Bill,” this bill provides aid to family-owned farms by providing price support for sugar, grain and oilseeds.

7/11/2013

216-208

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“I’m so pleased about that; they’ve moved right on up to the top. Good for you,” she said. ■

Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

H.R. 2218

The Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013

Replaces the EPA’s proposal to regulate coal ash as a harzardous material with consistent state regualtory authority over coal ash. Deeming coal ash a hazardous material would increase costs for coal-fired power plants and threaten the reclying of coal ash, which is used in cement, concrete, wallboard, and roofing materials; there by increasing manufacturing, construction, and energy costs for small firms.

7/25/2013

265-155

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WORLD WAR II WAC At 106-years old, Dixon has seen the nation and the world go through monumental changes. She said she was proud to be at the Pentagon receiving the award and is thrilled at the great things that African-American women and all women have achieved.

Dixon was born when Theodore Roosevelt was president, lived through the Great Depression, witnessed six major American wars, and saw 18 presidents elected, including the first African-American president, Stansbury said.

Dixon served the nation faithfully as a member of the Women’s Army Corps, or WAC, during World War II, and then for 35 years as a federal employee.

She began that service more than 70 years ago, when she was one of the first African-American women to join the WAC, said Stansbury.

Dixon has traveled the world and is known for her jokes and quick wit, Stansbury told the forum.

“Her philosophy is ‘You’ve got to laugh a little bit,’” she said.

“Ms. Dixon is truly an amazing woman of extraordinary character, courage and commitment,” Stansbury said.

“I want to say thank you very much for all those kind words,” Dixon told those at the event.

“I’m still hanging on at 106 years, and I’m very happy to be here. I joined the Army in 1943, before a lot of you were born even, and things were not good at that time,” she said.

Army Soldiers meet with Ms. Alyce Dixon, World War II Army Veteran. Ms. Dixon, who is 106 years old, was one of the first African American women to join the Women’s Army Corps.

World War II. They were charged with eliminating the enormous backlog of floor-to-ceiling stacks of undelivered mail and packages addressed to U.S. service members, said Stansbury.

Mail delivery was hampered due to dangerous wartime actions throughout Europe, and that had a major impact on morale. Another difficulty was that many packages were addressed to names like ‘Junior,’ or ‘Buster,’ U.S. Army. However, with the Soldiers’ identifying number on the letter, the mail could be sent to the correct person.

“Realizing the importance of this task, the 6888th worked tirelessly each day and cleared a backlog of mail in half the time it was expected to take. These amazing women cleared over 90 billion pieces of mail,” Stansbury said.

During World War II, Dixon served in Europe as a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

After the war, Dixon worked in the Pentagon in requisitions, where she said she purchased everything “from pencils to airplanes,” and retired from the Pentagon in 1972, after 35 memorable years, Stansbury said.

The 6888th was the only unit of AfricanAmerican women in the WAC to serve overseas in England and France during

Demonstrating her wit and good humor, Dixon had the audience laughing throughout her speech.

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“When I first went in, they wanted to send me to the hospital to be a nurse. I said ‘no, no, no. I’m allergic to hospitals, [I] can’t go there,’” she joked.

“I had a wonderful time in the service. I enjoyed it very much,” she said.

“When I joined, they asked me, ‘Why did I join?’ In 1943, I said ‘They’ve taken all the men, I got to follow them,” she said to laughter, adding: “If men can do it and help the country, we can too.”

Ms. Lisa Ferdinando, ARNEWS Reprinted from www.army.mil

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Women’s History Month House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses (continued)

Bill #

Bill Title

Issue

Date Passed

Vote

P.L.

H.R. 367

Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2013

Require a resolution of approval by Congress before an exective branch agency’s major rule can take effect.

Major rules can have significant effects on competition, employment, and productivity. This bill provides an additional check against federal agencies to ensure that they do not create regualtions harmful to small business.

8/2/2013

232-183

N

Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013

Prohibits the Secretary of Treasury from implementing any provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Small busineses concerned by the implementation of health care reform would see relief under this bill.

8/2/2013

H.R. 2009

N

H.R. 1155

National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2013 (NARAB)

Creates a national clearinghouse, run by NARAB, to allow insurance agents and brokers, many of which are small businesses, to operate in multiple states.

9/10/2013

397-6

N

H.R. 2844

Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act of 2013

Requires the FCC to publish on its website and submit to Congress a biennial report on the state of the communications marketplace and deployment of communications capabilities. Requires the FCC to compile a list of geographic areas that are not serviced by advanced telecommunications capability and to consider market entry barriers for entrpreneurs and other small businesses in the communications marketplace in accordance with existing national policy favoring diversity.

9/9/2013

415-0

N

H.R. 761

National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013

Reduces red tape by streamlining the permitting process for mineral development to create jobs and develop rare earth and critical metals that are vital to both small and large US manufacturers.

9/18/2013

267-178

N

H.R. 2655

Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2013

Requires courts to impose sanctions against parties that file frivolous lawsuits. Specifically, this bill eliminates a “safe harbor” provision that allows parties to file frivolous lawsuits and then avoid sanctions by withdrawing the lawsuits within 21 days after a motion for sanctions is filed. Further, the bill requires that financial compensation be paid to victims of frivolous lawsuits. This bill helps small businesses that frequently lack the legal resources to fight frivolous suits and therefore settle lawsuits rather than litigate.

11/14/2013

228-195

N

This bill helps keep the President’s promise of being able to “keep your health plan if you like it” by allowing health insurance providers to continue to offer those health insurance plans that are in effect in the individual market as of January 1, 2013, in the 2014 calendar year. This bill could allow small business owners in the individual market to keep the same plans as they had in 2013 despite Obamacare’s requirements.

11/15/2013

The bill expands onshore energy production, streamlines permitting processes, and reduces red tape to drill on Federal land. This bill would increase the domestic energy output and lower costs for energy producers, and thereby lower energy costs for small businesses and all Americans.

11/20/2013

Requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator to submit an annual report to Congress on its performance in relation to their published goals for contracting with small and disadvantaged businesses. If the goals are not met, it requires to the TSA to identify what prevented the Agency from reaching these goals and to create an action plan on how address these challenges so that they will be able to meet the goals in the next fiscal year.

12/3/2013

H.R. 3350

H.R. 1965

H.R. 2719

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232-185

Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013

Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act

Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act

261-157

N

courage”. By telling her own story of sexual assault, Schuette has urged victims -- both male and female -- not to be afraid to report crimes that occur in the ranks, Stansbury said.

Schuette was sexually assaulted by her drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, S.C., in 2012. She came forward and learned of four other female trainees who had been assaulted by the same male drill sergeant.

After reporting her attack, Schuette at first suffered retaliation at the hands of other drill sergeants in her company, and her company commander initially failed to follow up on her complaint, said Stansbury.

The drill sergeant eventually was sentenced to four years in jail for sexual assault, and Schuette said she is one of the few Soldiers to have a conviction against a perpetrator.

Schuette shared her story for a training video that was shown at a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, or SHARP, summit last year, hosted by Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno.

“Her actions opened the door to the problems that exist in handling reported cases of sexual assault and contributed to an increased effort by the Army to improve the response and prevention program,” Stansbury said.

The Army is making an effort at changing the culture of tolerance of sexual abuse, but it’s a slow process, Schuette said.

“I just want to say ‘thank you’ for everything and to continue to encourage victims to come forward to change this culture that we have,” she said.

228-192

416-0

N

N

Schuette said she was facing a discharge for “lack of integrity,” but found the strength to stay in the Army and continue to fight. She credits her strength to the support of her family and the other victims who came forward with her.

“A lot of times our victims don’t say anything and it gets kind of swept underneath the rug, and they deal with it by themselves,” she said.

Newsletter | May 2014

Ms. Pinson; Ms. Alyce Dixon, World War II Army Veteran; and SPC Natasha Schuette, sexual assault prevention advocate.

“The Army is making a huge change now to where you are assigned a victim advocate,” Schuette said, adding that the advocates know the regulations and are able to explain victim’s rights.

Courage is the presence of mind and spirit that allows a person to undertake challenges without fear of pain or retribution -- even though pain and retribution may be coming, said Clarence Johnson, director of the Department of Defense’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity.

“Courage is a powerful thing,” he said, in presenting the award and certificate to Schuette.

Schuette now serves as an administrative assistant to the command sergeant major of U.S. Army Forces Command, at Fort Bragg, N.C. She is working on a nursing degree for after she leaves the Army, Schuette said, and wants to continue being an advocate and helping victims of sexual abuse.

“It’s not the Army that has a huge problem, it’s something that happens in society also,” Schuette said.

“We take people from society and put them in the Army and they just don’t know how to act, but the biggest thing is that I don’t blame the Army,” she said.

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Women’s History Month House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses (continued)

Army OSBP Director Honored as ‘Woman of Character, Courage and Commitment’ ASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 1, 2014) -- The Department of Defense honored three women yesterday, for their exceptional character, courage, and commitment to Army values.

Bill #

Bill Title

Issue

Date Passed

Vote

P.L.

H.R. 1105

Small Business Capital Acess and Job Preservation Act

Exempts private equity fund investment advisers from registration and reporting requirments if the fund has not borrowed and does not have outstanding a principal amount exceeding twice its invested capital commitments. In doing so, the bill removes regulatory burdens under Dodd-Frank on smaller firms that invest in entrepreneurs and in small businesses.

12/4/2013

254-159

N

H.R. 3309

Innovation Act

This bill seeks to curb abusive patent litigation, typically bought by patent assertion entities or ‘patent trolls.’ Small businesses often do not have the resources to fight frivolous, vague claims related to possible patent infringement, and such claims could threaten their IP, which may be their most valuable asset. In addition to provisions to curb abuse, the bill establishes a small business education and outreach program.

12/5/2013

325-91

N

H.Res. 114

Resolution to concur in the Senate Amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3304)

The NDAA authorizes spending for discretionary and mandatory defense programs. The bill includes provisions to increase federal procurement opportunities for small businesses that were drafted by the Committee on Small Business.

12/12/2013

350-69

N

W

Ms. Tracey Pinson, Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs; Sexual Assault Prevention advocate SPC Natasha Schuette; and World War II Army veteran Ms. Alyce Dixon, were recognized at the Pentagon on the final day of Women’s History Month.

Each honoree received a Lifetime Achievement “Women of Character, Courage and Commitment” award, and a Women’s History Month certificate of appreciation.

Source: House Committee on Small Business majority.

ARMY’S TOP AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE EXECUTIVE Ms. Pinson is the Army’s highestranking female African-American Senior Executive Service member. She is a principal member of the Army Secretariat and is the highest-ranking female civilian in the Army acquisition career field.

“For her extraordinary commitment and service to our nation, Ms. Pinson was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Presidential Rank Award in 2002, and again in 2009. This award is presented by the president of the United States to only a select few career senior executives for their strong leadership and professionalism,” said Barbara Stansbury, the master of ceremonies at the Pentagon event, and a staffer with the Army’s Directorate of Equal Employment Opportunity.

“Ms. Pinson said she began working for the Army because it had the best smallbusiness program in DOD, and under her leadership, it still does today,” said Stansbury.

Ms. Pinson is a role model for all and has demonstrated exemplary character, courage and commitment to service of the nation, Stansbury said.

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How to Research Small Business Legislation Ms. Pinson receives a certificate of appreciation from Mr. O’Keefe.

“For over 10 years, her outstanding commitment to the Army’s Small Business Program, including the MentorProtégé Program, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions program, allowed many small and disadvantaged womenowned businesses the opportunity to pursue contracts with the U.S. Army,” her certificate reads.

“It really is pretty astounding what Tracey has been able to accomplish. Under her leadership, the Army has led the federal government in contract awards to small businesses for over 10 years,” said Gerald O’Keefe, the administrative assistant to the secretary of the Army.

“That’s just an amazing achievement,” he said, in presenting the award and certificate to her.

“It’s really a pleasure to be here and to share this honor with two very, very courageous women of character,” said Ms. Pinson.

She credited many people for her success.

“I share this with my source of strength and success, and those are my mentors, my family, my team members, for clearly they have made us successful, and then of course, we cannot leave out our successors, our children, our building strong shoulders for the individuals that are coming along after us,” she said.

“Thank you so much for this award today,” Ms. Pinson said.

VOICE OF ADVOCACY

W

e have included a link so that you can find out more about the latest legislation that relates to small business: http:// thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php.

When looking for legislation, type in the bill number or a word/phrase that has to do with your search. Make sure you click on word/phrase or bill number. You can also select a representative or a Senator to find legislation they may have sponsored. These tips will help you navigate the site and find your legislation quickly.

Submitted by: Mr. Cameron Miles Support Contractor Army OSBP

“Spc. Schuette demonstrated one of the Army’s highest values -- personal

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Army Small Business Performance Changes by Industry Area

Director’s Message: Celebrating the contributions of African-Americans and Women

rmy small business achievement has grown from 26.39 percent in FY2012 to 27.38 percent in FY2013; a total of about one percent. Below is a breakdown of the changes in small business achievement by industry area, as defined by the 16 Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP) portfolio groups (http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/ss/taxonomy.html).

A

Small business achievement grew in nine of the sixteen portfolio groups from FY12 to FY13. The Strategic Service

Portfolios (Knowledge Based Services, Electronic & Communication Services, and Facility Related Services) had a combined growth of 0.81 percent.

Submitted by: Mr. Burt Stanko Support Contractor Army OSBP

ebruary and March are great months to pause from the rigor of everyday responsibilities to celebrate Black History and Women’s History Month. While we attempt to celebrate the respective accomplishments every day, the special emphasis takes place during these two months. It is well known that women and African-Americans contribute significantly to the success of the Army and this great Nation through military service and entrepreneurship.

F

Over the past five years, both large and small African-American entrepreneurs won over ten billion dollars in Army contracts. Of this amount, small business entrepreneurs received 92 percent of the contract dollars. The Army awards contracts to AfricanAmerican owned small businesses in mission-critical areas to include, but not limited to, military training, information technology, administrative support services, construction, environmental services, natural disaster response, renewable energy, custodial services, medical services, and research and development.

African-Americans currently make up 20.6 percent of the active duty Army, 13.8 percent of the National Guard, and 22.1 percent of the Army Reserve.1 Several high-ranking African-American Army leaders serve in positions directly impacting contract awards to small businesses, to include but not limited to, GEN Dennis Via, Commander, Army Materiel Command; LTG Thomas Bostick, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; LTG Michael Williamson, Principal Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology); and LTG Robert Ferrell, the first AfricanAmerican assigned as Chief Information Officer/G-6, Office of the Secretary of the Army. I have the honor and pleasure to work with these individuals on a regular basis, and in this edition of our newsletter we spotlight some of the good work that they are doing.

In March, I spoke at Tuskegee University, the national historic site of the U.S. Army Air Corps for

Source: FPDS-NG, Small Business Achievements by Awarding Organization Report, 02/24/2014

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Newsletter | May 2014

African American World War Two pilots, commonly referred to as Tuskegee Airmen. I shared some of my experiences working with Rep. Parren J. Mitchell (deceased), a U.S. Congressman (D) who represented the 7th congressional district of Maryland from 1971 to early 1987. He was the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland and he waged a tireless campaign for the passage of civil rights laws and contract opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses.

He is the reason why billions of contract dollars are awarded to small businesses in various socio-economic subcategories. African-American History Month gives me an opportunity to talk about his historic achievements and the continuing benefits to this Nation.

As I celebrated Women’s History Month, I thought about the record-breaking achievements throughout the Army in awarding contracts to women-owned small businesses. This past fiscal year, the Army awarded over five percent of all small-business eligible contract dollars to women-owned small businesses, exceeding the statutory five percent goal for the first time in its history. Over the past five years, Army awarded an impressive 23 billion dollars in contracts to women entrepreneurs.

Of this amount, small women-owned businesses won 88 percent of the contract dollars. When President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, he further enhanced the ability of the federal government to set-aside more contracts to women-owned small businesses.

As a result, women will increasingly contribute to strengthening our economy through entrepreneurship and job creation.

Women make up 15.7 percent of the active duty Army, serving in 95 percent of all Army occupations.2 At the highest levels of the Army, you will find remarkable women.

Approximately five percent of general officers are women, and they lead diverse missions in support of our National security. For example LTG Patricia Horoho, U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S.

Ms. Tracey L. Pinson, Director

Army Medical Command; MG Marcia Anderson, Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve and the first African American female two-star general; and BG Margaret W. Burcham, the first female Division Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Also, we bid farewell and wish well to The Honorable Joseph W. Westphal, the former Undersecretary of the Army and LTG (Ret.) William N. Phillips. They were both outstanding supporters of the small business program and we will miss them.

The Army has made progress towards diversity over the years. While we are not there yet we are trending upward.

Diversity strengthens and maximizes our ability to ‘Prevent, Shape, and Win’ the future. ■ Ms. Tracey L. Pinson Director Army OSBP 1. http://www.army.mil/africanamericans/ textonly.html 2. http://www.army.mil/women/

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In This Issue

Calendar of Events

2 • Director’s Message: Celebrating the contributions of African-Americans and Women 3 • Women’s History Month - Army OSBP Director Honored as ‘Woman of Character, Courage and Commitment’ 6 • Army Bids Farewell to the 30th Undersecretary of the Army, Honorable Joseph W. Westphal 7 • Senior Leader Interview: LTG William N. (Bill) Phillips, a Champion for Army Small Business Utilization, Retires 8 • LTG Michael E. Williamson Appointed as the First African American Principal Military Deputy to the ASA(ALT) 9 • Farewell to Ms. Peggy Butler-Mason 11 • Army OSBP Director Speaks at Accenture Federal Services Small Business Outreach Forum 12 • Army OSBP Welcomes New Program Manager for Subcontracting and MentorProtégé Programs 13 • C4ISR Center of Excellence Reaches Out to Industry 14 • Hampton University Graduate and First African American Appointed to Army Chief Information Officer 15 • RMOA Business Institute Conducts its First Graduation 16 • Army OSBP Director Delivers Keynote at L-3 National Security Solutions Small Business Award Ceremony 17 • OSBP Director Attends 9th Annual Stars and Stripes Recognition Program 18 • Ft. Bliss Hosts Industry Day 19 • Small Business Innovation Fuels Army Operational Energy Efficiency 20 • USACE Little Rock District Connects with Small Businesses at Industry Day • Army Mentor-Protégé Program Update 21 • USAMMA Strengthens Small Businesses 22 • USACE Buffalo District Receives Small Environmental Business Action Coalition Award 23 • Army Corps of Engineers Participates in Annual Small Business Conference 25 • USACE Louisville District Small Business Program Recognized at Open House • USACE Louisville District Small Business Program Receives Top Honors 26 • Wounded Warrior Remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 27 • Remembering the Past 28 • Defense Celebrates Black History Month 29 • Get to Know Fedbid, a Reverse-Auction Market Place Used for Army Contracts • A Salute to Women and Black History Month: Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd 30 • House-Passed Legislation to Assist Small Businesses 32 • How to Research Small Business Legislation 33 • Army Small Business Performance Changes by Industry Area 34 • Calendar of Events

U.S. Army OSBP 106 Army Pentagon Room 3B514 Washington, DC 20310 Phone: 703.697.2868 Fax: 703.693.3898 ArmySmallBusiness@mail.mil www.sellingtoarmy.com

Points of Contact Ms. Tracey L. Pinson Director tracey.l.pinson.civ@mail.mil Mr. James Lloyd Acting Deputy Director Assistant to the Director Program Manager, SDVOSB & HUBZone james.c.lloyd20.civ@mail.mil Ms. Cynthia Lee Assistant to the Director Program Manager, HBCU/MI and 8(a)/SDB cynthia.r.lee.civ@mail.mil Ms. Stacy Watson Assistant to the Director Program Manager, Women-Owned Small Business, Major Programs and Training stacy.r.watson.civ@mail.mil Ms. Pamela L. Monroe Assistant to the Director Program Manager, Mentor-Protégé & Subcontracting pamela.l.monroe8.civ@mail.mil Ms. Portia Deans Assistant to the Director Procurement Analyst portia.l.deans.civ@mail.mil Ms. Edith St. Catherine Staff Action Control Specialist catherine.e.stcatherine.civ@mail.mil Ms. Veronica Atkinson Administrative Officer veronica.d.atkinson.civ@mail.mil ....................................................

Ms. Marina Sullivan Program Manager New Concepts & Associates marina.g.sullivan.ctr@mail.mil

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Follow Army OSBP www.twitter.com/ArmySmallBiz

Halfaker and Associates, LLC Support Contractor to Army OSBP Mr. Anthony Braun anthony.m.braun2.ctr@mail.mil Mr. Burt Stanko burt.j.stanko.ctr@mail.mil Mr. Ricardo Ruiz ricardo.ruiz@halfaker.com

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Please visit www.sellingtoarmy.com and click on “Calendar of Events”, for the most updated list.

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Article submission deadline: June 06, 2013

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U.S. Army OSBP Our Mission

• Advise the Secretary of the Army and the Army leadership on small business related matters • Spearhead innovative initiatives that contribute to expanding the small business industrial base relevant to the Army mission priorities • Leverage the use of minority serving educational institutions in support of Army science and technology programs

Our Vision

To be the premier advocacy organization committed to maximizing small business utilization in support of rapidly fielding a trained, ready, responsive and capable force that can prevent conflict, shape the environment and win the Nation’s wars.

Statement by President Barack Obama

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of our communities. They create two of every three new jobs in America, spur economic growth, and spark new industries across the country.

We will continue to create new incentives to help small business owners hire new workers, promote growth and do what America does best - invest in the creativity and imagination of our people.”

-President Barack Obama

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