Post Best Practices: Bringing Industry and Government Together

Strengthening industry-government engagement (IGE) is the cornerstone on which SAME was founded in 1920, and today, across the Society, Posts are accomplishing this mission priority in many ways. For the Jacksonville Post, IGE is being accomplished through robust programming and a strategic effort to listen to the needs of government stakeholders.

SAME recently chatted with members of the Post about their process for developing valued events, how they gain and sustain close connections with local agencies and partners, and how they find new opportunities for members to collaborate.

SAME: How is the Post strengthening IGE at the local level?

Jacksonville: The Jacksonville Post is lucky to have both NAVFAC Southeast and USACE Jacksonville District in our local area. Our Board of Directors has a strong focus on bringing value to all our members, so we have spent time meeting and listening to our members who work for NAVFAC and USACE, as well as the leadership of both organizations. We have seen increased activity in attendance from understanding how the Post can provide better value to our government members and then focusing on providing that value.

We heard from Jacksonville District that our biggest value to them is the support of their STEM activities, especially its annual Career Day. Additionally, we learned our luncheon programs did not have enough topics that interest its civil works staff; as a solution, our programs team is focused on scheduling at least two speakers to share best practices for civil works and/or environmental projects.

NAVFAC Southeast shared with us that one of its goals is to set up a STEM Camp at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and we have been working to evaluate the opportunity to establish one. In March, we hosted the first fundraising golf tournament to raise funds for a camp. We also heard from agency leadership that they find value in learning from industry best practices luncheon presentations and in networking with private sector colleagues.

SAME: What was the inspiration for offering meeting space for discussions ahead of your monthly meetings?

Jacksonville: Last summer, our Board of Directors held a visioning session that was facilitated by Angie Martinez, F.SAME, the immediate past Southeast RVP. In preparation for that session, we sent a short survey to members to gauge how they derive value from their Post membership. Both the survey results and our board’s input during the session indicated that IGE and networking are the top ways our members derive value. The message was clear, so it was more of a response than an inspiration.

The location for most of our luncheons is a conference center hotel with many meeting space options, so our communications chair, Brian Murphy, proposed that we open a room with smaller tables for pre-luncheon networking. Our membership chair, Elizabeth May, then put it into action.

We have hosted this space for two luncheons and seen several attendees utilize it. For the next six months, we will continue to monitor usage and then pulse our membership to determine if this meeting space is providing a high enough value for the Post to continue reserving the space.

In addition, our membership team is assessing pay-as-you-go dinner locations for the evening before luncheons that bring a lot of out-of-town attendees, as well as other new ways to facilitate IGE and networking opportunities.

SAME: Your recent Industry Day set a record for stakeholder participation. What have been the keys to that success?

Jacksonville: We have really centered in on listening to our agency partners and working to provide mutually valuable programming. Our Industry Day Chair, Brad Ezell, and Programs Chair, Brad Sheffield, were mindful to provide maximum value to all government agency participants. All participating agencies shared upcoming programs, contracts, and mission priorities in a standard industry briefing format.

We also facilitated one-on-one meetings throughout the day between small businesses and both agency and industry representatives, and offered table-top exhibit opportunities that enhanced networking and business development.

SAME: What challenges have you encountered in developing your IGE Program?

Jacksonville: The main challenge in developing our IGE Program would be the pulls on everyone’s time and priorities. Government leaders, especially military officers, have schedules that can change in a second based on mission priorities.

Being flexible with a backup plan is critical to overcoming this. Studies show that it takes at least seven positive interactions to counterbalance one negative interaction, so it is important to always be understanding. Whether that is a change in who the representative is, accommodating a video address, or finding a new time for the briefing, you have to be adaptable.

SAME: Where are you hoping to take your Post’s IGE programming in the near future?

Jacksonville: We are excited to have had two opportunities recently to continue supporting NAVFAC Southeast and USACE with industry engagement. Our San Juan Field Chapter supported three USACE districts (Savannah, Jacksonville, and Wilmington) with an industry day in March focused on the Puerto Rico Power System Stabilization Program.

NAVFAC Southeast also in March hosed an open industry day, and our Post provided support with the venue and registration logistics.

SAME: What advice would you give other Posts seeking to grow their IGE Program?

Jacksonville: SAME has a strong brand, and at times, we assume that government leaders understand all the ways that our Posts can provide value. Taking time for Post leadership to meet with local government leaders to listen and better understand their priorities and share how the Society engagement can benefit their mission goes a long way. Then, it is critical to follow up on actions, such as adjusting and shifting focus to ensure everyone is deriving value.

The recent industry days where we supported USACE and NAVFAC Southeast are great examples of this. In both cases, we saw that the government had a need to engage with the A/E/C industry. For the NAVFAC Southeast Industry Day, we raised our hands to be helpful with the “boots on the ground” venue coordination in Puerto Rico, supporting registration logistics through our website, and offering the ability to accept payment for boxed luncheons at cost.