With its creation of the EntreCon® Business, Leadership and Entrepreneurship Conference, the Studer Community Institute (SCI) brought about a new kind of gathering, one inclusive of people from all industries with a desire learn and grow in new ways. 

The 2022 conference took place on Nov. 16-17 in downtown Pensacola. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and lifelong learners come together to compare notes on creating relatable, engaging, and resilient workplaces in ever-evolving industries.

Throughout the two days, attendees heard from keynote speakers, participated in panel presentations, engaged in audience Q&A sessions, and networked through social activities. 

For the breakout sessions, attendees could select among tracks:

• Leadership with tips for aspiring and established leaders.
• Entrepreneurship offering advice for people aiming to start or grow a business.
• Community, devoted to discussion about making connections with community.
• Small Group Discussions, candid conversations led by a facilitator. 

Rachael Gillette, the president of Studer Community Institute, said many of the speakers in 2022 focused on the employee experience. Businesses have been so focused on numbers and surviving a pandemic that they have neglected the wants and needs of employees. 

“Many of the speakers served to reinvigorate and motivate leaders to consider their roles as not only goal achievers, but also as mentors, motivators and coaches to their employees,” Gillette said. 

The 2022 keynote speakers included:

• Rohan Freeman, president and CEO of Freeman Companies and 7 Summits
• Kristen Hadeed, CEO of Kristen Hadeed LLC
• Blane Harding, former director of diversity engagement at Virginia Tech University
• Capt. Tim Kinsella Jr., director of the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership at UWF
• Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Linkage
• Quint Studer founder of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group
• Renee Thompson, CEO and founder of the Healthy Workforce Institute

Gillette said that in-person and remote conference attendees supplied an even larger volume of comments and positive feedback about the conference than ever before. This encouragement, along with SCI’s commitment to forging community connections, has resulted in plans for EntreCon® Extra Events that will take place in 2023. 

These five, half-day events will take place in February through June and will take deep dives into subjects that surfaced at EntreCon®. They will lead up to the 2023 EntreCon®, set for Nov. 1-2.

“After a difficult few years in the workforce, attending EntreCon® is a great way to learn from experts, gain actionable tactics, make connections, and get answers from like-minded businesses while having fun,” Gillette said. “A lot of synergy is always created, which sparks excitement about goals and company strategy. People leave with a renewed energy and often they go right ahead and sign up for next year’s EntreCon®!” 

You can learn more about what is come with EntreCon 2023 by visiting EntreconPensacola.com.

Adam Beam, Vice President of Business Development at CareSource

As part of its efforts to continually improve residents’ health and access to care, the state of Florida proudly stands as an early adopter of a nationwide shift toward value-based care, which incentivizes providers to value quality of care over number of patients treated. This health care delivery model reimburses providers (physicians, hospitals, labs, nurses and others) based on the health outcomes of their patients and the quality of service rendered.  

Inherent to the success of any value-based care model is building trust in the community to increase participation among providers.  As a leader in value-based care models, CareSource is a nonprofit Medicaid plan that works closely with providers to provide high-quality care that improves health outcomes. 

Value-Based Care Results

An increase in provider participation in value-based care has proven to directly improve the quality of health care. In neighboring Georgia, providers participating in CareSource value-based models have notably elevated the quality of and access to health care across the state. Take for example real-time data from CareSource that compares the number of pediatric well-visits and vaccinations among providers who participate in a CareSource value-based care arrangement and those who do not:

• 15% more children complete all seven recommended vaccinations for 2-year-olds
• 26% more children ages 3-21 complete well-care visits
• 5% more children complete six pediatric visits in the first 15 months of life 

These measurements are important because an increased number of wellness checks, completions of vaccination schedules and first-year-of-life monitoring can thwart many illnesses and diagnose more serious diseases at earlier stages. “Well-care visits provide an opportunity for providers to influence health and development, and they are a critical opportunity for screening and counseling,” according to the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA), which further affirms that immunizations protect against vaccine-preventable diseases.

These improved health outcomes are based on real-time data tracking that CareSource shares with its providers to incentivize them to continue to provide quality health care to their patients. This proactive approach aligns payer, provider and member actions to achieve and reward higher quality health outcomes. 

Over the decades, CareSource partnerships have proven to benefit providers, too. In fact, CareSource nearly doubled the amount of value-based care incentive payments to Georgia health care providers in 2021 compared to 2020. 

Nonprofit Matters

As a non-profit, nationally recognized managed care organization, CareSource is in a unique position to help improve the quality of health care and prioritize community, providers and members ahead of profit. A not-for-profit designation further ensures that CareSource is not beholden to investors and thus able to reinvest in the communities it serves. In fact, for more than 30 years CareSource has built trusted relationships with the mission of transforming health care with innovative programs that address the social determinants of health, health equity, prevention, and access to care.  

Florida providers can expect the same commitment to people over profit as CareSource expands into the Sunshine State with value-based care offerings. The goal of elevating health care quality and access is a mission that CareSource will bring to Floridians with the same proven integrity it has served millions across the country. 

If you are a provider who is interested in elevating health care outcomes and access in Florida alongside CareSource, please contact the  CareSource Florida Provider Network.

Community organizations advocating for health and equitable health access in economically challenged areas in Florida, should please contact the  CareSource Foundation.

Cyndi Warren, managing member of the Warren Averett office in Pensacola, is an Enneagram 2 — that is, she’s a “helper,” one who is highly trained. The title applies to many aspects of her life, including her role as an advisor to businesses.

Studying the Enneagram, a model of the human psyche, has helped Warren understand the path she has taken to her current position. She holds degrees in accounting and enjoys the challenge of tax planning, but as a member of the Warren Averett team since 1990, she has discovered that she derives satisfaction especially from investing in client relationships.

Warren Averett came about 50 years ago, and the firm as it exists today is the combination of 20 CPA firms throughout Florida, Georgia and Alabama that have merged over the years to create one of the largest regional accounting firms in the nation. The company is a business advisory firm providing traditional accounting services, auditing, taxes, technical services, HR services and more.

Warren has been around long enough to witness the life cycle of many businesses. Some of her clients are members of families that have been Warren Averett clients for generations.

“We provide a holistic approach to serving our clients, which allows them to thrive from a business standpoint,” Warren said. “Our clients trust us so completely that they are able to focus on other aspects of their business.”

Warren Averett encourages its employees at each of its offices in four states to give back to their communities. In 2022, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the firm, the company enacted the 50 Acts of Service initiative that calls upon employees to coordinate and carry out service projects that support local causes.

“We are committed to the community of the Florida Panhandle,” Warren said. “We are a team that will serve whatever needs are necessary because we have the expertise and talent to do so.”

Warren’s most rewarding professional moments have included passing the CPA exam, making partner and building relationships with clients. Now, she enjoys watching those very same moments occur for members of her Warren Averett team.

(800) 759-7857 | WarrenAverett.com

What services do you provide?

We are a structural restoration company that offers two modes of operation — non-catastrophe restorations and post-catastrophe restorations. For non-catastrophe, we limit our scope to the exterior, which includes anything structural, from the roof to the foundation. For post-catastrophe, we often hire subcontractors to cover the entire building, from interior to exterior work.

What sets your company apart?

The people, without a doubt. Many of the employees in management, administration and fieldwork have been with the company since its beginning in 1988. That kind of longevity often makes other companies envious because I can ensure the quality of each job will be reliable and held to the same high standard.

How did you get into this business? 

I am a third-generation construction worker, and after spending some time in the Marine Corps, I returned back to my roots. My wife Louise and I have remained the owners for over three decades.

What is your company’s mission? 

To be the area’s leading contractor for concrete rehabilitation, waterproofing and building reconstruction services. To maintain our leadership edge by providing excellence in products and services and by anticipating the future needs of our clients. To be fiscally responsible in the management of our company.

How do you define success?

Getting up every day and going to work, whether I feel bad or good, whether things are going wrong or well. It is all about perseverance. Calvin Coolidge said of all the traits in the world, one that is never wasted is perseverance. If you have perseverance, you can overcome anything.

What do you hope people experience from working with your company? 

A respect for work ethic. If we can impart a strong work ethic into our younger generations, then they will be better business people, fathers, mothers and citizens.

What impact do you hope to make within your community?

I hope my legacy will be that I was fair. Whether I am working with an employee, a community member or a client, they should be treated with fairness and respect.

900 Industrial Court, Pensacola  |  (850) 857-4740  |  PhoenixPensacola.com

Chip Hartung, the owner of Coldwell Banker Hartung, is a people person. While his business specializes in residential and commercial real estate brokerage services, seeing to clients’ happiness by serving them as a genuinely interested partner is a big part of the job.

Hartung began his career in real estate at a Tallahassee firm shortly after graduating college. Five years in, he decided to open his own brokerage, Chip Hartung and Associates. While he enjoyed this venture, he aspired to the growth and recognition that larger national real estate companies provided.

In 1981, he purchased a Coldwell Banker franchise, which provided him with vast industry knowledge and proven tools. Coldwell Bank Hartung has served Tallahassee, the Panhandle and South Georgia for over 40 years.

“When you first begin a business, it’s hard to fathom 40 years, but in retrospect the most rewarding aspect is owning a sustainable business because this means we’ve managed to satisfy our customers, stay true to our goals and maintain a respectable reputation for that long,” Hartung said.

The team’s hard work has paid off with earning coveted awards. In 2022, Coldwell Banker Hartung received the Chairman’s Circle award, the highest honor bestowed in the Coldwell Banker real estate network.

Such success stems from dedication. Hartung hires only full-time professionals, setting a high standard for his personnel.

Those agents derive satisfaction and motivation from seeing clients excited with their new home or commercial property.

Community relationships extend beyond office meetings and house showings to events, volunteering and fundraising with organizations such as Adopt-A-Pet, Joanna Francis Living Well, Christmas Connection, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, The Kearney Center, United Way and more.

“We choose to do the right thing and make the right decisions for our clients every day,” Hartung said.

3303 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee | (850) 386-6160 | CBHartung.com

Since it began in 2015, EntreCon has been the place for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and leaders to find their people. The 2021 edition of the event was no exception.

EntreCon is the Studer Community Institute’s two-day business and leadership development conference that wrapped up Nov. 17-18, 2021 in downtown Pensacola. EntreCon is in its seventh year, and as SCI president Rachael Gillette notes, the sense of connection and community that the conference has had at its core from day one is even more important this year. That’s part of the reasoning behind this year’s conference theme, “The Big Reset.”

Gillette says the conference’s goal has always been to offer mentorship and training to help people be more successful entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders. “Over the years we have challenged people to think differently and now more than ever we need to do that. 

“The pandemic has taken its toll on us physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally,” Gillette says. “My sense in talking to businesspeople is that we haven’t really addressed these effects, because we have been so busy trying to keep our businesses alive. Now we need to take a moment to re-think why and how we do work, reset, re-skill, reimagine and re-engage.”

This year, more than 480 people came together to learn from each other and from expert speakers including SCI founder Quint Studer, author Chester Elton, positive psychology expert and educator Stella Grizont, retired WNBA superstar Michelle Snow and diversity, equity and inclusion experts and authors Vincent Brown and Fred Keeton. 

Since it began in 2015, EntreCon is the Studer Community Institute’s two-day business and leadership development conference and over 480 people came together in downtown Pensacola on Nov. 17 and 18 to benefit from two days of world-class training. These are people who know that employee and leader skills training has moved beyond a “nice-to-have.” It has now become a “must-have.”  

As we emerge from a global pandemic, there’s an increasing need for companies to invest in meaningful training for their people — a level of training that moves beyond technical skills and provides the kind of ongoing learning that makes them experts and even leaders.

That’s part of SCI’s mission, which is to provide training and mentorship to narrows skills gaps, develop successful leaders, grow organizations, create jobs and drive economic development.

“I am so filled with thanks and gratitude for an incredible two days of EntreCon, plus a wonderful EntreCon awards event. The whole event made a difference in the lives of many, and the impact continues to ripple through the community.”  Gillette said. “Many of our world class speakers commented on the quality of the event. Attendees are taking to social media by the hundreds to share their takeaways and how much they needed the training.”

By the Numbers 

488 Attendees

34 Speakers

6 Keynote Sessions

16 Breakout Sessions

3 Lunch & Learn Sessions

3 Networking Events

8 Venues

19 Sponsors & 28 In-kind Donors

55 Volunteers

59 Entrecon Award Winners & Runners Up

Just some of what attendees said:

“After 18 months of uncertainty, The Big Reset was the perfect theme for this year’s EntreCon®.  This year’s offerings helped our small businesses reset their focus on their mission, their employees, and their future.” —Todd Thomson, Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce

“Entrecon®’s 2-day conference is a time to dream again. To hit the reset button and envision a better you and an improved organization. This local (but quality) conference is much needed in our time as we are provided the tools to reimagine and put that twinkle back in our eyes about our businesses!” — Ashley Rowzee, Edward Jones 

“EntreCon® continues to elevate our businesses and community. The wisdom gained from industry experts is critical for businesses growth. Better businesses equal better jobs, and better jobs equal a better community.”—Hong Potomski, Florida Blue 

“EntreCon® helps businesses (including ours) refocus, reset and understand how to succeed now and in the future. It’s an outstanding conference!” —Lewis Garvin, Pensacola International Airport 

This year, EntreCon included speaker tracks for Business and Leadership; Women in Leadership; Entrepreneurship; and a Community Track, which featured speakers who focused on the power of effective, grassroots community building to bring about change. 

A huge part of the event is the Cox Business EntreCon Awards, given to recognize the impact and importance of business leaders on the community. The Awards are a highlight of the conference, honoring people whose work every day improves the community, Gillette says. The honorees were recognized virtually. 

“Every person there was so thankful for the recognition and enjoyed the honor and encouragement of the award,” Gillette says. “Almost all runners up and winners attended and in many cases their friends, team, spouses and supporters were there, too. We had more than 90 people at one point making lovely comments in the chat congratulating one another.”

The winners are:

• EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winner: Rising Minds Learning. Runners-up: Grayson Bay Oyster Co., Glow Paddle.
  • This award is open to businesses begun in the last two years that have had success introducing their product or service.

• MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winners: East Hill Pizza and Elite Endodontics. Runners-up: Ride More Bicycles and Sisters of Hope Corp.
  • This award is open to businesses with fewer than 10 employees that operate efficiently with a small team while positively impacting the local economy.

• SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winner: Bear General Contractors. Runners-up: Arco Marine and Schmidt’s Music.
  • This award is open to businesses with fewer than 50 employees that focus on employee inclusion, community involvement, and innovation in their business practices.

• MEDIUM/LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winner: Children’s Home Society. Runners-up: Baptist Health Care and ESA South Inc.
  • This award is open to businesses with more than 50 employees that have been able adaptable to change over the past year, have displayed economic growth, and provide opportunities for their employees to improve their skills in an ever-changing environment.

• EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR: Winners: Baptist Health Care and Levin Rinke Realty. Runners-up: Children’s Home Society and Gulf Coast Kid’s House.
  • This award is for businesses with an outstanding and supportive work environment with a focus on great training programs, an understanding of work-life balance, and career progression.

• ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: Winner: Larry Kuhn. Runners-up: Brian Arnold and Ke’Andre Beasley.
  • This award recognizes an entrepreneur who has a creative product or service that solves a problem in the marketplace.

• NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR: Winner: Pensacola Humane Society. Runners-up: Epps Christian Center, Pensacola Little Theatre, and Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition.
  • This award recognizes a nonprofit organization that shows dedication for improving the quality of life in the community through volunteering, partnerships, or fundraising.

• MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winner: Something Old Salvage. Runners-up: Nail Company Wholesale Supply, Signature Event Lounge, Wade Cakes and Weddings.
  • This award recognizes a minority-owned small business that has attained outstanding business achievement while showing social responsibility, creativity, and leadership; all to improve and grow the community.

• WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winner: East Hill Pizza. Runners-up: Vivid Bridge Studios and Global Business Solutions Inc.
  • This award recognizes a women-owned small business that has attained outstanding business achievement while showing social responsibility, creativity, and leadership; all to improve and grow the community.

• VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winner: Hixardt Technologies Inc. Runners-up: Running Wild and ESA South, Inc.
  • This award recognizes a veteran-owned small business that has attained outstanding business achievement while showing social responsibility, creativity, and leadership; all to improve and grow the community.

• YOUNG ENTREPRENUER OF THE YEAR: Winners: Felicia Rabb and Kyle McGee. Runner-up: Mariah Morrison.
  • This award recognizes a small business owner who has successfully launched and grown their business before the age of 30. This person demonstrates an entrepreneurial spirit by applying business knowledge, growth potential and success in the operation of their business.

• SMART BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Winner: Global Business Solutions Inc. Runners-up: Bear General Contractors and Snap Soccer.
  • This award recognizes a business that has used advanced or cutting-edge technology to advance their business or make a difference in their industry in response to challenges due to COVID-19.

• EXCELLENCE IN MENTORISHIP: Winner: Julie Sheppard.
  • This award recognizes a person who has dedicated themselves to helping others through mentoring. Their level of experience affords them the ability to have a significant impact on the professional development and career advancement of those they mentor.

• JOHN MYSLAK AWARD FOR SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Winner: Lisa Long Lyter.
  • This award is given to a leader who enriches the lives of others, builds better organizations, and ultimately helps create a more just and caring world. That is what our friend and colleague John Myslak did in our community, and we honor his memory by recognizing others who live their lives as fully as he did.

• COMMUNITY VIBRANCY AWARD: This award honors organizations, small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals are doing amazing things to build vibrant communities in Pensacola and across the country.
  
  • Winners:
    • Levin Papantonio Rafferty
    • AUPHA, Washington, DC
    • James J. Reeves (AMR at Pensacola, Inc.)
    • One Acadiana, Lafayette, LA
    • Gulf Coast Diplomacy
    • Girl Scout Troop 10441, Conover, NC
    • Junior League of Pensacola
    • Sandra Donaldson (Community Health Northwest Florida)
    • For the Child, Inc.
    • Cy-Fair Fire Department, Cypress, TX
    • Willie Kirkland, Jr. (For the Child, Inc.)
    • Monte Anderson (Options Real Estate Investments, Inc.), Duncanville, TX
    • Notions Restaurant, Hickory, NC
    • Palatka, FL.
    • Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, Springfield, IL
    • City of Stillwater, OK
    • Freedom Investment Group, Knoxville, TN
    • Education Foundation of Putnam County, Inc.

BREAKOUT BOX: 

LOCK IN THE LOWEST RATES FOR ENTRECON 2022 WITH JUST $25

SCI is sharing with you an exclusive returning attendee rate of $249 for EntreCon 2022. The best part? You pay just $25 right now to unlock this special pricing. Secure your pass today when you use the QR code below.

OFFER ENDS JANUARY 31, 2022.

Your $25 down payment will be applied towards your ticket.
Your remaining balance will be due by March 31, 2022.

Major news on the arrival of the F-35A: Eglin Air Force Base will be the location for a second F-35A squadron, doubling the number of F-35A fighter jets at the base from 24 to 48. In addition, Tyndall Air Force Base will be the location for three new F-35A squadrons, totaling 72 jets.

325th Mission Support Group: On June 4, 2021, U.S. Air Force Col. Elizabeth Harwood became the new 325th Mission Support Group Commander at Tyndall Air Force Base. Harwood now oversees the group which is responsible for contracting, civil engineering, security, communications, manpower, personnel, services, supply, fuels, logistics and transportation support.

350th Spectrum Warfare Wing: On June 25, 2021, the Air Combat Command activated the 350th Spectrum Warfare Center at Eglin Air Force Base. “The activation of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing is the latest step the Air Force has taken to maintain our competitive advantage in electromagnetic warfare,” said Maj. Gen. Case Cunningham, the Air Force Warfare Center Commander.

The Wing will enable, equip and optimize capabilities to give the U.S. and its allies a sustainable, competitive advantage over adversaries in the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes everything from radio waves to visible light and relates to personal cellular phones, Wi-Fi and advanced technology used in military applications.

325th Munitions Squadron: On June 29, 2021, the U.S. Air Force activated the 325th Munitions Squadron (MUNS) within the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base. Maj. Justin Cassidy assumed command of the 325th MUNS, along with more than 80 personnel and $275 million in munitions.

“The activation will streamline our efforts to support the 325th FW, the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group and other mission partners,” stated Cassidy. “In the last two years, Air Combat Command has activated five munitions squadrons as they move toward providing better support to Agile Combat Employments.”

U.S. Navy Blue Angels Fall Schedule: Flying brand new F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, the Blue Angels’ fall 2021 air show schedule at Naval Air Station Pensacola is as follows: Sept. 8, 14, 15, 21; Oct. 20, 26, 27; and Nov. 2 and 3. The flight line at the National Naval Aviation Museum opens at 9:30 a.m. each day, and the Blue Angels begin their show at 10:30 a.m.

William Loiry is an American business leader, defense and security facilitator, and philanthropist. More than 100,000 government, military and business leaders have attended his conferences on defense, homeland and global security, and disaster reconstruction. For more information, visit WilliamLoiry.com.

The eighth annual 2021 Air Force Contracting Summit, presented Feb. 8–9 by the Defense Leadership Forum at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, updated businesses across the country about the evolving mission of the Air Force and its recent spending priorities and trends.

In-person seating at the event, capped at 350, was sold out, and another 350 registrants participated virtually, according to Defense Leadership Forum chairman William Loiry.

Event speakers combined to discuss innovative defense solutions supplied by industry and explained contracting procedures for small businesses. The summit served to connect businesses with federal contracting resources and helped prime contractors identify new subcontractors.

Or, as Charles F. Sills, national program director for the Defense Leadership Forum put it, the summit provided “actionable intelligence” in areas including:

• Air Force budgets.
• New Pentagon and Air Force systems for responding to cyber attacks.
• Details on Space defense and the Space Force.
• Other Transaction Agreements and other innovative acquisition strategies and programs.
• New Air Force MILCON contracts, including Tyndall AFB reconstruction.
• New Air Force installation resiliency contracts.
• Air Force priorities for aircraft, weapons, facilities, technology and energy.
• Public and private financing sources.
• New contracting opportunities for prime defense contractors.
• New contracting opportunities and teaming arrangements for defense subcontractors.
• Details on specific new military contracts in all areas of procurement, including facilities and infrastructure modernization, aircraft, missiles and ammunition, vehicles, information and communications systems, cybersecurity and information warfare, innovative defense technologies, R&D, energy, and space defense.

Presentations were made from both macro and detailed perspectives.

Todd Harrison, the director of the Defense Budget Analysis and Air Force Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, offered a big-picture look at U.S. military spending patterns. Going forward, he said, spending may adhere to those patterns or may depart from them, given the change in administrations.

He noted that the Air Force’s personnel costs have been growing due to the need to offer competitive compensation and benefits as an all-volunteer force. Operational/maintenance costs have increased owing to expenses associated with maintaining an aging fleet. Congress, he said, has demonstrated a reluctance to retire legacy aircraft.

“We are probably not going to have details of the Biden administration’s military budget request until May of this year,” Harrison said.

But, to the extent that Air Force spending may remain flat, the availability of funds for procurement and construction will decline in an environment in which personnel and maintenance costs are growing. That can make it all the more important for businesses to stay on top of new contracting opportunities and to stay current regarding the manner in which contracts and agreements are awarded.

The Air Force Contracting Summit fosters such awareness.

Elizabeth Midkiff, a field support representative for the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Contracting, noted that the Air Force has done much since 2018 to encourage innovation and to remove layers of contracting authority and regulation.

“We have encouraged the use of creative contracting tools and have rejected a culture of recrimination when things go wrong,” Midkiff said. “We are stretching the limits of the possible by bringing rapid contracting tools into our process, which has proved to be highly efficacious.”

The Air Force has created opportunities, she said, for industry to submit recommended solutions to challenges to a panel of subject matter experts, including Air Force decision makers. Selected solution providers participate in a showcase event where they demonstrate their proposed approaches to challenges.

Other speakers addressed topics ranging from community partnerships to the Space Force. Contractors who sponsored the summit made presentations outlining their capabilities and specialties.

Finally, the summit excelled as a networking opportunity among participants and a chance to share and review job openings for subject matter experts, government affairs officers, data analysts, systems engineers and many more roles required by today’s military and the contractors who advance its mission.

Want to Go? The 2022 Air Force Contracting Summit is scheduled at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa on February 8–9, 2022. For more details, visit usdlf.org.