Huntington District Commander Col. Philip Secrist and twenty of his staff
members and subject-matter-experts participated in the annual Small Business
Conference that wrapped up May 11, 2016, at Marshall University’s Memorial
Student Center in Huntington, W.Va.
The third annual event was hosted by the Huntington Post of SAME (Society
of Military Engineers). It offered guidance to more than 100 representatives of
small businesses and included sessions on such topics as: Contracting 101,
upcoming projects, networking opportunities, technical workshops, marketing
plans and proposal writing tips.
Col. Secrist kicked off the business agenda with a District overview,
mission highlights, and project forecast. He stressed that the Corps is looking
to industry for innovative solutions that will help address the challenges of
aging infrastructure.
Workshops ran throughout the day, and networking time was provided
throughout the day at dozens of display tables located in the center.
The conference was coordinated by the Eileen Hodges, the Huntington
District Deputy for Small Business, and representatives from the Post’s
sustaining-member firms.