A Year of Possibilities

JANUARY

• The SAME Foundation received the first formal list of funding requests from the Society to support in 2022 (Camps Mentoring, AI/AN STEM Outreach, and Leader Development Program), reinforcing the working relationship between the entities. 

• SAME redistricted its 18 Regions to start off the year, better matching Posts to share commonalities in their stakeholders and focus areas, and also to reduce geographic spread.

• The Cost Estimating IGE project neared its end, with the working group concluding there is no “magic bullet” that can resolve issues with developing cost estimates but unveiling 28 recommendations it believes can improve project execution and client/contractor performance.

• The Academy of Fellows announced its Fellows Class of 2022, selecting 21 individuals that hail from four uniformed services, industry, and civilian agencies.

FEBRUARY

• The Transition Workshop & Job Fair was held in person, but leveraged capabilities learned during the virtual environment to add a month-long preparation series to give attendees a head start on career transition best practices, guidance, and resources.

• The Atlanta Post and Georgia Tech Student Chapter held a joint meeting at Georgia Tech Research Institute featuring a live demonstration using virtual reality, showcasing the future potential of the technology on engineering and infrastructure.

• The Tampa Bay Post hosted the 7th Annual Joint Training & Education Day at MacDill AFB, which featured networking, panel discussions on project delivery, and business opportunity briefings.

• During Engineers Week, SAME members across the country participated in outreach events designed to inspire youth to get interested in SAME-related topics and careers.

MARCH

• In honor of Women’s History Month, the Sacramento Post hosted a Women in STEM Panel, featuring several female leaders, including some from USACE, who discussed their career paths and importance of STEM engagement. 

• During SAME Capital Week, over 650 members attended the FY2023 DOD & Federal Agency Program Briefings, which welcomed over a dozen agencies to provide forward-looking outlooks on their engineering programs.

• SAME’s JECO COI established a Ukraine Reconstruction Working Group soon after Russia invaded the country, understanding the long-term planning and coordination that will need to be in place well in advance of future infrastructure rebuilding efforts.

• The Military Engineer published its annual Energy Issue, detailing how the Department of Defense and national industrial base are leaning forward to ensure resiliency, sustainability, and security of the military’s most vital resource.

APRIL

• Rear Adm. Mark Handley, P.E., F.SAME, USN (Ret.), 102nd SAME National President, issued a DEI Executive Commitment Statement in support of the Society’s efforts to embrace a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that it does.

• The University of Texas-Dallas took home the top prize in the second annual SAME Student Design Competition, with The Citadel and University of Hawaii-Manoa coming in second and third.

• Posts in the Carolinas Region partnered with the North Carolina Military Business Center for the Southeast Regional Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environment Summit, which brought together over 600 people from the federal and private sectors, from Virginia to Florida.

• The Environmental COI hosted the first presentation in a months-long PFAS Webinar Series to highlight federal/industry actions surrounding the “forever chemicals” that have become the preeminent health concern facing installations and nearby communities.

MAY

• The Joint Engineer Training Conference drew more than 2,200 attendees to Aurora, Colo., with highly engaging sessions like the Warfighter Seminar, Facility Asset Management Forum, and GeoWERX underscoring the unique value offered through the event.

• Cindy Lincicome, F.SAME, was sworn-in as 103rd SAME National President, and reinforced the importance of strengthening industry-government engagement at the local level as her top priority.

• SAME officially closed out its Centennial Celebration (three years late due to the pandemic) with the sealing of the Time Capsule presided over by eight former SAME National Presidents.

• The third class of the Leader Development Program graduated, which featured 19 members from throughout SAME, including seven military/government participants.

JUNE

• The Greater Kansas City Post hosted its 13th Annual Industry Day, with 350 attendees hearing about the impact of the infrastructure bill on agency budgets and acquisition opportunities..

• In the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Post, Portland Post, and Mount Tacoma Post hosted their Meet the Chiefs, highlighted by briefings from several agencies, including three USACE districts.

• The SAME Century Book, The Second Century Begins: Preparing for the Future by Building on the Past, won Gold in the AM&P Excel Awards, General Audience Book Category at the AM&P Excel Awards in Washington, D.C.

• The Orange County Post, San Diego Post, Los Angeles Post, Inland Empire Post, and Oxnard-Ventura Post co-hosted the 16th Annual Camp Pendleton Day, drawing over 400 attendees and 50 exhibitors, to support federal agency requirements across the Southwest.

JULY

• SAME’s Engineering & Construction Camps were held for the 22nd year (in partnership with the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps), providing over 200 high school students unmatched opportunities for hands-on learning in leadership and STEM-related skills

• The Young Professionals COI continued working to redevelop the Credentialing Program within SAME, including creating materials and resources that highlight the importance of credentials, steps on how to acquire and maintain them, and ways to be reimbursed.

• The National Office began implementing corporate membership dues restructuring (previously authorized by the Board of Direction), which removed the “S-Rep” classification and gave companies more flexibility to select Posts they belong to.

• The Academy of Fellows introduced in its newsletter a new reoccurring feature, Fellows! Continuing To Serve, that recognizes everyday local, regional, and national activities led by Fellows that bring value to the entire Society and can motivate others to give back.

AUGUST

• At Post Leaders Workshop, nearly 150 volunteer leaders representing 66 Posts gathered for in-depth training on how to operate successful chapters, with a particular focus on strengthening local industry-government engagement.

• The Dallas Post and Fort Worth Post held an Emergency Preparedness & Resiliency Workshop, helping to improve the ability to support local communities following disasters

• SAME officially closed out its Centennial Celebration (three years late due to the pandemic) with the sealing of the Time Capsule presided over by eight former SAME National Presidents.

• The Phoenix Post hosted its largest IGE event since the pandemic (over 120 in-person attendees and several more online), with programming centered on agencies across the region, including a presentation on opportunities through the Great American Outdoors Act.

• An Air Force engineer delivered a webinar that gave a deeper look into her article covering the U.S. departure from Afghanistan and Operation Allies Refuge in TME Presents: Leading the Way in a Crisis Event.

SEPTEMBER

• The SAME National Office launched its new Enterprise Management System, which will integrate a best-in-class association database, website, mobile app, financial platforms, and other online services, greatly improving how members interact with the Society

• In the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Post, Portland Post, and Mount Tacoma Post hosted their Meet the Chiefs, highlighted by briefings from several agencies, including three USACE districts.

• The Panama City Post hosted a presentation by the 556th RED HORSE Squadron, detailing a recent deployment to Southwest Asia and the military engineering missions the unit undertook.

• The Washington DC Post, Northern Virginia Post, and Mid-Maryland Post celebrated the Air Force’s 75th Anniversary with exhibits showcasing STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) during a three-day airshow at Joint Base Andrews, Md., that drew thousands of K-12 students and their families.

• The Anchorage Post conducted a STEM, Construction, and Surveying Camp for Alaska Native high school students as part of the We Must Go To Them project.

OCTOBER

• The Japan Post welcomed nearly 400 people to the Japan Industry Forum, representing 140 companies, where they received briefings from the military services and the Japan Society of Defense Facility Engineers.

• The New Jersey Post and Philadelphia Post joined together to host a Small Business Roundtable & Industry Day, which featured briefings from agencies in the tri-state area.

• SAME signed new Memorandums of Understanding with the Sustainable Remediation Forum and American Cultural Resources Association to expand the exchange of professional knowledge between the organizations.

• SAME initiated a Construction Task Force that would evaluate ways the Society could increase opportunities for construction professionals to impact federal project delivery, including potential establishment of a Construction COI.

NOVEMBER

• The Cape Fear Post partnered with the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry to support the Veterans Day of Hope for the ninth straight year, making safety-related home improvements across the community.

• A record 4,676 attendees convened in Nashville, Tenn., for the Federal Small Business Conference, solidifying the event, which has grown nearly 200 percent since 2013, into the premier market research opportunity in the federal A/E/C markets.

• The Guam Post hosted the Guam Industry Forum, which outlined the importance of collaboration to achieve what is expected to be $2 billion in annual construction spending  across the Indo-Pacific as part of ongoing strategic defense initiatives.

• The Rhein-Main Post held an IGE Workshop with USACE Europe District on a requirement being implemented on all A-E contracts, Engineering Considerations and Instructions for Field Personnel, and how it impacts project delivery.

DECEMBER

• The Chesapeake Post hosted a STEM Student Networking Event, where students and parents had the chance to hear from engineering professionals and learn about the importance and potential benefits of pursuing STEM careers.

• The Young Professionals/Fellows Challenge and $5K Matching Donors Campaign raised $242,360 for the SAME Foundation and its compelling purpose of “fostering engineering leadership for the nation.”

• The Hampton Roads Post, Central Virginia Post, and Virginia Peninsula Post jointly held an IGE Workshop, Wind, Water and the Warfighter, at Old Dominion University and also invited students from the school’s Student Chapter to attend.

• A golden age of industry-government engagement continued to positively influence participation, as Posts hosted 582 IGE events, and the 2022 member survey revealed that 67 percent think industry-government engagement should be the main focus of SAME.