SAVANNAH POST. CPT Kathryn Rivera, Plans Officer for the 249th Engineer Battalion SEPTEMBER SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT 2015 MEETING DATES

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1 SAVANNAH POST In this issue ISSUE 47 September 2015 Letter from the new Post President, Darren Payne August Meeting Highlights Thanks from 2015 Scholarship Recipients FAR Updates Acquisition Thresholds and a Few Other Items The 2015 National Veterans Small Business Engagement (NVSBE) Save the Date for Jacksonville s 2015 Industry Forum & Golf Tournament Sustaining Member Listings 2015 MEETING DATES September 21 Regular Meeting at Pirates House October 19 Regular Meeting at Pirates House November 16 (tentative) Evening meeting with Student Post at Georgia Southern University December 14 Regular Meeting at Pirates House SEPTEMBER SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT CPT Kathryn Rivera, Plans Officer for the 249th Engineer Battalion CPT Kathryn Rivera received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned as a 2LT in May of She served as an Athletic Intern to the Army Swimming & Diving Team before reporting to the 555 th Engineer Brigade at FT Lewis, WA in May of CPT Rivera was assigned to the 617 th Engineer Company, 864 th Engineer Battalion as a Platoon Leader from June 2011 to June During her time as a Platoon Leader, she led her platoon on multiple construction projects including a six week road construction project in support of the US Border Patrol in New Mexico. She then served as the Executive Officer for the 557 th Engineer Company (Horizontal), 864 th Engineer Battalion (Heavy) before moving to the 555 th Engineer Brigade Staff in November 2012 in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan from January to October While on staff, CPT Rivera served as a Construction Liaison Officer to Regional Command (SW) and as the Afghan National Army Development Construction Officer. She then attended the Engineer Captains Career Course and received a M.S. in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science & Technology. CPT Rivera currently serves as the Plans Officer for the 249 th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power). ABOUT PRIME POWER... The 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) is a one-of-a-kind, versatile power generation battalion assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that provides commercial-level power to military units and federal disaster relief organizations during fullspectrum operations. The unit works directly for the USACE Headquarters and each Soldier is a handpicked specialist in his/her field. The commander of the unit also serves as the Commandant of the U.S. Army Prime Power School, the institution responsible for developing Army and Navy power generation specialists. The organization is charged with the rapid provision of Army generators to support worldwide requirements during wartime or in support of civil authorities during emergency response operations. The battalion consists of a headquarters, four Prime Power companies (A, B, C & D), and the Prime Power School. The Prime Power School is located at Fort Leonard Wood, MO (the US Army Engineer School) and graduates the Army s Prime Power Production Specialist (MOS 12P) following a one-year course that includes math, physics, engineering, and power plant operations and maintenance. Each company has a headquarters and four to six platoons comprised of a warrant officer and fifteen noncommissioned officers. The platoons are capable of setting up, operating, and repairing complete medium voltage power generation and distribution systems worldwide. Companies are located in Hawaii; Fort Bragg, NC; Fort Belvoir, VA and Cranston, RI The battalion offers a variety of services including: electrical power requirement assessment, power production; transformer inspection and test analysis; maintenance and repair of power plants, substations, and government owned or managed transmission and distribution systems, circuit breaker and relay maintenance; infrared surveys, medium-voltage electrical contractor oversight, and training for personnel to operate and maintain prime power distribution and generation equipment.

2 2015 SAME Savannah Post Officers & Committee Chairs Darren Payne Post President STEM Coordinator Gwen Parker Vice President Beth Hilliard Secretary Education & Training Streamer Gavin Carey Treasurer Joel Burke Chairman of the Board Sally Riker FELLOW Chris Pittman Programs Stephanie Dammen-Morrell Young Members Hollie Dupes Membership Director Kevin Chaffin Sustaining Members LETTER FROM THE NEW POST PRESIDENT Dear SAME Savannah Post Members, I d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to say THANK YOU for the privilege of serving you as your Post President for ! I m blessed, humbled, honored and thankful for the opportunity to serve a first class organization that I ve supported throughout my career. For those I ve yet to meet, I m an Army Engineer assigned to Fort Stewart as chief Engineer for the 3 rd Infantry Division. I have 24 years in uniform, a Life Member of SAME and been a member of the Korea, Wiregrass, Fort Hood, Mobile and Savannah Posts. We moved to Richmond Hill, GA in 2013 from Camp Atterbury, IN where I commanded an Engineer training support battalion. Prior to that, we spent three years with the Mobile USACE District where I was the Deputy Commander. So what do I want to do as your Post President? Over the next 12 months I want to keep our Post in the band of excellence you ve achieved over the years and improve our Post by working with our Board to set the conditions that will allow us to pursue our three organizational priorities: Growing our Young Member and Military Member participation Continuing and expanding our first class STEM Outreach Program Supporting our Veterans and Transitioning military In light of those priorities I want to invite our Sustaining Members as well as those in our general membership to take advantage of some amazing opportunities to assist our transitioning military, wounded warriors and veterans. Each month Fort Stewart and (continued on six) AUGUST MEETING HIGHLIGHTS Gordy Simmons USACE Liaison Frank Randon Camps & Scholarships Margaret Walton Readiness & Homeland Security Streamer Maureen Hoke Student Post and Outreach Streamer Scott Schmidt Relationships & Recognition Streamer 2 Larry Christopher Newsletter

3 2015 SAME Savannah Post Scholarship Recipients Thanks from the seven Savannah Post scholarship recipients this year. Alex Benfield I am a junior at Clemson University majoring in Computer Engineering. I love Clemson football and spend as much time playing intramural sports as I can. I enjoy traveling, fishing, and anything that involves a dog. I currently haven t decided whether I want to work in the defense contracting industry or if I will enter the private sector. Thank you very much for the scholarship and know I am putting your help to good use! Emma Benfield I ll be attending Clemson University where I ll be pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences with a focus on Biomedical Engineering. It s my goal to make prosthetic limbs/organs. I absolutely love painting, photography, volleyball and all animals! Betsy Bersson I would like to thank you all very much for awarding me the SAME scholarship. I am currently pursuing a double major in Mathematics and Economics at The University of Alabama Honors College. I am a member of various honors societies and will be working for The University as a math tutor this semester. I spent this past summer working in Spain and studying Spanish. Thank you again for granting me this very generous scholarship. Joe Bersson My name is Joe Bersson, and I am extremely appreciative of being selected as a recipient of this scholarship. The values instilled in me by my parents, Bill and Ann Bersson have helped me to excel in the classroom and outside of it. Over the past four years, through various clubs and extracurricular activities I have pushed myself to my limits and tested myself mentally and physically. I am a proud Eagle Scout, a two time state champion in 6A Georgia high school lacrosse, and a former president of Roswell High School s chapter of the National Beta Club. I have also worked multiple jobs during high school and participated in an internship at international incorporation, GS Battery. I will continue my education at Auburn University Honor s College, where I will pursue a degree in Civil Engineering. Casey Flint Thank you for the honor of being awarded the scholarship. I graduated from Savannah Arts Academy 2015, and will be attending Yale University this coming year as a chemical engineering major and part of the Yale Navy ROTC unit. My parents, Molly and John Flint, have been a huge support in my life, and have encouraged me throughout my high school years. I am a member of Boy Scout Troop 76 on Wilmington Island, and earned the Rank of Eagle Scout in I am a member of Georgia Coastal Aquatic Swim Team, and I was captain of the Savannah Arts Academy swim team. My goal is to be a walk-on member of the Yale Varsity swim team. After college graduation I will be commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Stephen Page My name is Stephen Page and I am the son of Mr. and Mrs. William C. Page from Chapin, South Carolina. I am a 2015 graduate of Chapin High School where I was recognized as a Distinguished Honor Graduate, having successfully completed the curriculum for the Academic Leadership Academy, and as a member of both the Beta Club and National Honor Society. Participating in my school s choral program all four years, I performed with the Chamber Choir, travelling to Washington, DC, to perform in the National Cathedral and the Basilica. I was also chosen by audition to participate in the SCME All State Choir for two years. In addition to singing, I enjoyed being a piano student for nine years. I was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on November 18, 2014 and was a leader for my troop s experience at Camp Barstow in June. In July of this year, I enjoyed my fifth year of working with Salkehatchie Summer Service, making homes safe, warm and dry for needy citizens of Fairfield County, South Carolina. During my high school summers, I also served as a Junior Volunteer with Palmetto Health Baptist. This fall, I will attend the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Computer Engineering. My goal is to learn all aspects of video game technology for application to a variety of disciplines. I also have a dream of studying a semester abroad in Japan and will begin courses to learn the Japanese language, along with my engineering requirements. I am very appreciative of being chosen for this honor. Brinley Swanson First off, I would like to thank the SAME Post for not only the awarding of this scholarship but also their support as an organization for my entire college career. I am entering my final year at Clemson University and will graduate in May of 2016 with a degree in Materials Science and Engineering with a focus (continued on six) 3

4 SMALL BUSINESS CORNER FAR Updates Acquisition Thresholds and a Few Other Items On July 2, 2015 the Federal Government issued Federal Acquisition Circular ( FAC ) which updated several acquisition items including many of the frequently used thresholds associated with federal contracts and subcontracts, contracting with inverted domestic corporations, clarification on justification for using urgent noncompetitive awards and provided permanent authority for the use of simplified acquisition procedures for certain commercial items. COMMONLY USED THRESHOLDS Effective October 1, 2015, the following commonly used thresholds will be updated: FAR The micro-purchase base threshold of $3,000 is increased to $3,500. FAR The simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) of $150,000 is unchanged. FAR Part 5 - The FedBizOpps pre-award and post-award notices are unchanged at $25,000 due to trade agreements. FAR The threshold for use of simplified acquisition procedures for acquisition of commercial items is raised from $6.5 million to $7 million. FAR The cost or pricing data threshold and the Cost Accounting Standard threshold are raised from $700,000 to $750,000. FAR The prime contractor subcontracting plan floor is raised from $650,000 to $700,000 and the construction threshold of $1,500,000 remains unchanged. FAR 4.14 and The threshold for reporting first-tier subcontract information including executive compensation will increase from $25,000 to $30,000. Take this time to review your accounting, procurement and estimating policies and procedures to reflect the increased thresholds and potential benefits on a proactive basis. JACKSONVILLE SAME POST The 2015 National Veterans Small Business Engagement (NVSBE) is scheduled for November 17-19, in Pittsburgh, PA. at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA NVSBE directly connects VOSBs with PDMs from the Department of Veterans Affairs, other federal agencies, state government, as well as large firms with small business needs and provides training opportunities to improve the capabilities of small businesses to successfully compete for procurement contracts. NVSBE also enables VA PDMs to engage with a large number of VOSBs in a short period of time, facilitating market research in support of meeting VA socioeconomic goals. WHAT TO EXPECT NVSBE attracts thousands of VOSBs to connect with federal agencies, commercial corporations, and prime contractors among others. With greater opportunities for direct access and exposure to contracting and program specialists, NVSBE welcomes you to make the connections necessary to succeed in today s competitive contracting environment. (continued on six) Save the Date for the 2015 Industry Forum & Golf Tournament Tuesday & Wednesday December 8-9 UNF University Center Alumni Dr Jacksonville, FL The Jax Post will host a Golf Tournament at Deer Creek Golf Course on Dec 8 and the Industry Day on Dec 9 at UNF. More details to come! Please save the date. We are currently filling the agenda and we want to meet your needs. Please send any topics you d like us to cover during the forum to eric.denfeld@navy.mil We d like to try and cover your topics so please let us know what you would like to hear about. 4

5 SUSTAINING MEMBER BRIEFINGS 2015 The Savannah Post SAME is offering Sustaining Member firms the opportunity to submit an article on their company for the monthly newsletter and to have a two-minute briefing to discuss their firm at the monthly SAME meeting. Each firm will be asked to bring a gift to raffle. A list of all sustaining members is below with each member s assigned month. Please contact Kevin Chafin at kchafin@cemsengineering.com or for more information. NOTE: If you missed an opportunity to place a sustaining member article from a previous month, please remember you can still submit your article over the next three months. JANUARY AECOM Alliant Corporation AMEC American Structurepoint ARCADIS Atkins Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc. Basha Services LLC. Bechtel National Inc. Bhate Environmental Assoc. Inc. FEBRUARY Black & Veach Special Project Corp. Brasfield & Gorrie General Contractors Bristol Industries BRPH Companies Inc. Building & Earth Sciences Inc. Burns & McDonnell Caddell Construction Co. Inc. Cardno, Inc. Carolinas Concrete Masonry Association CB&I Federal Services, LLC MARCH CDM Smith CEMS Engineering Inc. CH2MHILL CHA Consulting, Inc. Clark Nexsen Croft & Associates Crowder Construction Company CTI and Associates, Inc. Davis & Floyd, Inc. Dewberry APRIL Dulohery, Weeks & Gagliano Inc. EA Engineering, Science & Technology, Inc. ECC EXP Federal Farnsworth Group GEL Geophysics, LLC Goodwyn Mills & Cawood, Inc. HDR Howard W. Pence, Inc. Hussey, Gay Bell & DeYoung MAY JETC Conference JUNE Golf Tournament/Small Business Showcase and Icebreaker/Annual Program Review JULY J2 Engineering, Inc. Jacobs Kaiser Kane, Inc. Knight Architects KBR North American Government & Defense Kennedy Engineering & Associates Group LLC LBYD, Inc. Leidos Leo A Daly Lowe Engineers LS3P Associates Ltd. M3 Construction Services Inc. AUGUST (SA/SC/Carolinas JETS Conference) Mason & Hanger Merrick & Company Micah Group Energy & Environmental Michael Baker Corporation Moffatt & Nichol North Wind Group O Brien & Gere Parsons PES Structural Engineers SEPTEMBER Plexus Scientific Corp. Pond & Company POWER Engineers, Inc. Q Solutions, Inc. Reynolds, Smith & Hills, Inc. Rosser International Schenkel Shultz Sherlock, Smith & Adams Siemens Industries Inc Spatial Engineering Inc. OCTOBER SpecPro Environmental Services LLC Stanley Consultants Inc. Stantec Inc. STOA Architects Sundt Construction, Inc. TAB Services TEPA, LLC Tetra Tech, Inc. The Polote Corporation The Whiting Turner Contracting Co. NOVEMBER Thomas & Hutton Engineering, Co. Thompson Engineering Inc. 3E Consultants, Inc. Tidewater Environmental Services, Inc. Trinty Analysis & Development Corp URS Corporation Versar Volkert, Inc. WB Interiors Weston Solutions, Inc. Woolpert, Inc. DECEMBER SAME Savannah Post Christmas Party 5

6 SAVANNAH POST LETTER FROM THE POST PRESIDENT (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah conduct career days and job fairs that allow potential employers direct access to our transitioning service members. These include retirees, wounded warriors, veterans and Soldiers who are approaching the end of their terms of service. This population group brings a wide range of skill sets, strong work ethic, resiliency and a built in sense of teamwork and dedication to mission accomplishment. I d encourage each of you who is in a position to hire to consider participating in one of these upcoming events by contacting myself or Chris Pittman for more information and points of contact. I promise you these job fairs will be a memorable experience and provide great opportunities for your companies. I d like to remind everyone to let us know when you are doing STEM outreach events. We have a robust outreach program and many of you are doing tremendous work for the next generation of professionals I m just not sure we re capturing all that you re doing so please keep us informed when you have an event. I also encourage you to talk to our younger employees and military members about our organization as we try to grow the next generation of great Engineers. In closing, thanks for all that you ve done and will continue to do in support of our military and our Post programs and for allowing me this opportunity to serve you. Your support for our two monthly luncheons at Fort Stewart was outstanding and brought in a total of 81 military personnel, many of whom were attending an SAME event for the first time! Please continue that support and let me know how we can set you up for success in your endeavors in support of our Post priorities. Sincerely, R. Daren Payne, PMP Lieutenant Colonel, US Army Savannah Post President SCHOLARSHIPS (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3) in metals and ceramics engineering. Over my three, now going on four, years at Clemson I have been an avid member of Tiger Band, the universities marching band, and the basketball Pep Band. I would never change a moment of my experiences within these groups or any of my experiences at Clemson as I love my university; there s truly, something in these hills. I look forward to entering the industry and finding work with an eventual goal of being a metallurgist. I am extremely proud to be a part of SAME as a student member, soon to be young member, and look forward to continuing my relationship with this post and also others in the region. I have met and networked with numerous members of the Savannah post at the annual joint engineering conference and even local meetings at the Pirate House. I wish the best to all who have read this and can t thank you enough for the continued support of my education; I promise I will put it to good use. LINKS TO KNOW NATIONAL VETERANS SMALL BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4) VALUE OF ATTENDING NVSBE 2015? Engage with PDMs: Directly access over 300 program managers and contracting professionals in your industry that are interested in working with you. Engage with PDMs from federal and commercial agencies to build relationships Learn about federal and commercial opportunities specific to your industry Take part in Networking Roundtables to personally demonstrate and pitch your business Network with other businesses to discover subcontracting and teaming opportunities Business Opportunity Sessions: Learn about procurement opportunities in your industry needed to meet potential customer mission requirements. Doing Business with VHA Network Contracting Office Doing Business with VHA VISN asset managers Doing Business with VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management - Major and Minor Construction, Non-Reccurring Maintenance and Leasing Learning Sessions: Hosted by Small Business Administration (SBA) featuring business-building topics, expertise exchange, and real-world strategies such as: Federal Contracting Certification Programs and Determining If They Will Benefit Your Business Commercial Supply Chain Opportunities for Small Businesses How to Leverage Your Current Assets to Become Lender Ready Programs and Resources to Assist You With Exploring the Export Market Proposed Contracting Rules and Policies and How Will They Impact Your Small Business For more information got to nvsbe.com WE WANT YOUR INPUT If you have an article or announcement you want to include in future issues of the newsletter, please submit them by the end of the previous month to Larry Christopher with Brasfield & Gorrie General Contractors at lchristopher@brasfieldgorrie.com All newsletters are posted on the Savannah SAME Post s website 6