SBC 2024: Strength in Partnership

SAME’s 2024 Federal Small Business Conference hit a new stride in November, attracting a record-breaking number of attendees to the Big Easy. More than 6,200 industry and government professionals gathered in New Orleans for three days of networking, business opportunity briefings, and educational sessions that clearly illustrated the importance of strength in partnership between small businesses, large businesses, and federal agencies. The exhibit hall was also at capacity as industry put its best foot forward, filling the floor with over 500 booths showcasing solutions and innovations from A/E/C industry leaders.

Wednesday, Day 1 of the 2024 SBC, hit the ground running with the Opening General Session sponsored by our Titanium Sponsors. Jackie Robinson-Burnette, Associate Administrator, Small Business Administration (SBA), and a “Small Business Celebrity,” rallied the crowd as she spoke of the SBA’s continued drive to increase accessibility and engagement with our nation’s small businesses while seeking ways to open doors and lower barriers. Following Robinson-Burnette, a panel of the senior engineering leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Air Force Civil Engineering, and the Department of Veterans Affairs led a discussion that reaffirmed the criticality of small businesses to the nation’s federal A/E/C industry and set the leaders’ intent loud and clear for greater partnership with small businesses at all levels.

The panel of executive leaders included Lt. Gen. William (Butch) Graham, USA, U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey, P.E., CEC, USN, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, and Chief of Civil Engineers; Brig. Gen. Brian Hartless, USAF, Director of Civil Engineers, Deputy Chief of Staff for Engineering, Logistics & Force Protection; and Mike Brennan, Ph.D., AIA, NCARB, SES, Executive Director, Office of Construction & Facilities Management, Department of Veterans Affairs. Each of the senior leaders spoke of the importance of small businesses and the important partnerships forged from conversations, events and intense networking which takes place by design at the Federal Small Business Conference.

Sharon Krock, F.SAME, SAME’s National President, took the stage Thursday morning for the General Session, sponsored by Titanium Sponsors, to continue the excitement and momentum for Day Two of SBC. After welcome remarks, Sharon turned the stage over to SAME Small Business COI Chair, Sally Clark, who presented the annual 2024 SAME Small Business Awards where SAME recognizes exceptional small businesses and individuals who provide mentorship and opportunities to small businesses working in the federal space. 

After the awards were presented, attention then turned as motivational speaker, author, and artist Kyle Scheele captivated the audience in the Great Hall with an inspiring message on harnessing creativity, embracing failure, and innovating toward a purpose. Scheele used humor and stories of his own experiences to shed light on the elusive creative process and how to create environments in business and in life where ideas, even crazy ones, can be lifted up and given the space to transform the world.  

Kyle’s presentation was a powerful reminder of the value of creativity, resilience, and collaboration. For engineers in the federal A/E/C space, the message was all the more important, as it is through our innovation and creativity that we will be able to address the future challenges facing our nation. Crazy ideas, generated by the engine of small businesses and then shared with government through partnership-focused platforms like SAME, are how the future is pushed forward.

Delivering Solutions Through Industry Government Engagement

SAME continued to be an industry leader in bringing together professionals to deliver solutions for the greatest challenges facing the federal A/E/C industry. As the foremost collaboration platform, SAME advanced this historical mission with a host of IGE roundtables throughout SBC 2024. Across the conference, IGE sessions brought together industry experts and government professionals in lively roundtable discussions to really “get after” some of the most pressing issues facing the industry.

During each of the four IGE sessions, attendees heard a presentation from panelists and were then invited to participate in a discussion of the topic. The pressing issues included the difficulties of completing work in remote locations specifically islands in the Pacific; the challenges of cybersecurity needs of modern facilities; the current use of AI in the industry and how AI might be used on future government projects; and an interactive discussion on future installations where attendees were divided into groups to discuss Agile Facilities and Integrative Planning.

Making Connections at SBC 2024

Establishing trusted relationships are the building blocks for successful projects in the federal space. SBC is committed to helping make those connections. All week long, SBC took this to heart by encouraging attendees to meet colleagues and potential new business partners through both a casual series of ice breakers and receptions, and through more formal, organized Matched Networking appointments.

For first-time attendees, a meet and greet on Wednesday was a unique chance for newcomers to meet other first-timers and SBC veterans eager to share their knowledge on the Society and highlights of the conference. That evening, a pair of receptions kicked off the excitement. The President’s Reception got the conference officially underway, with the Young Professional & Fellows Networking Event offering “mingling with a purpose” for young and seasoned members alike.

Aside from formal networking events, each day of the conference encouraged casual opportunities for mingling including continental breakfasts offered each morning, networking lunches provided in the exhibit hall, sponsored snack breaks and networking receptions provided on the exhibit floor where attendees can reunite with colleagues and friends, or build foundational relationships with potential new clients and teaming partners.

Strength in Partnership

SBC 2024 was all about helping supercharge your objectives. Whatever your short term or long term goals may be, there was a business or educational session to help advance it. After all, partnership is what attendees were here for. Along with the General Sessions, attendees enjoyed extensive workshops, forums, and demonstrations throughout the week; over 40 hours of educational and professional development sessions; a sold-out exhibit hall with over 500 leading A/E/C companies; and multiple opportunities for networking with like-minded colleagues and mentors. SBC continued its historic tradition of bringing together industry and government where more than a dozen federal agencies and private companies gathered to share their expertise and engage with A/E/C industry professionals to tackle the most pressing national defense and security issues facing the country today and carry us into the future.

Partnership Is Strength

To highlight the importance of fostering partnerships to match the innovative power of industry with the mission-driven purpose of government, SBC 2024 introduced a series of Mega Sessions. In these sessions, attendees had opportunities to dive deep with senior engineering service leaders on major topics facing each agency and offer questions and feedback directly. Spread over Day One and Day Two, these six Mega Sessions (covering the Army, Navy, Air Force, Small Business Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Other Federal Agencies) encouraged audience engagement and explored what it meant to find “Strength in Partnership” in today’s industry.

Facing Challenges Together

Whether attending the General Session, any of the Mega Sessions, one of the business opportunity or education and training sessions, or participating in one-on-one networking appointments, the over 6,200 attendees at this year’s conference found countless opportunities to interact with both industry professionals and government agencies. These invaluable interactions highlighted the mantra that there truly is Strength in Partnership.