To all you boatbuilders out there, have you ever thought to yourself, “I see all these other yards building for the military, how can I get in on that?” Or if you have built for the military in the past or are building for the military now, do you think to yourself, “I’d like to get more contracts like that”?
If so, then the 40th International WorkBoat Show at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans is where you need to be Dec. 4-6. There will be several Think Tank sessions during the show featuring personnel from the Navy and Coast Guard who know what the military is looking for in both newbuilds and repair contracts. Check out the following Think Tank sessions:
- USCG Waterways Commerce Cutter Program, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m.- noon, speakers include Aileen Sedmak, Waterways Commerce Cutter Program Manager, Coast Guard; and Tyler M. Young, Aids to Navigation & Icebreaker Platform Manager-Waterways Commerce Cutter Sponsor’s Representative, Coast Guard.
- U.S. Navy Boats & Combatant Craft Division Acquisitions, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2:10 p.m.-3 p.m., Jon D. Thomas, Principal Assistant Program Manager, U.S. Navy Boats and Combatant Craft (PMS325G)
- U.S. Navy Boats & Combat Craft Division Maintenance & Repair, Thursday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., Alan Cummings, Lifestyle Manager, U.S. Navy Boats.
- U.S. Navy Program Acquisitions, Thursday, Dec. 5, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Jon D. Thomas, Principal Assistant Program Manager, U.S. Navy Boats and Combat Craft (PMS325G); Dan Shimooka, Principal Assistant Program Manager, Navy Service Craft and Seaborne Targets; and Dean Siminow, Principal Assistant Program Manager, Navy Foreign Military Sales.
- U.S. Coast Guard Boat Program Discussion, Friday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m.-10:50 a.m., Cmdr. Carlos Crespo, Coast Guard Office of Boat Forces; Mark Porvaznik, Manager, Coast Guard Boat Acquisition Program; and Jennifer Sokolower, Contracting Officer, Coast Guard Boat Acquisition Program.
Opportunities like this don’t come around very often during the year, especially a year when there is no Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC). So, make the most of it. Remember, find the Think Tank area on the show floor. If you don’t know where that is, grab a free copy of the WorkBoat Show News and check out the full map inside.
