In late November 2019, Marc Hobbs, Jamie Oakley, Craig Jones, Makenzie Wing, and Ieti Sagiao attended the 2019 SAME Small Business Conference (SBC) in Dallas, Texas.
Over the course of three days, the team met with various organizations. “The platform that SAME provided through the SBC allowed us to meet a ton of people at one event,” said Makenzie. “Being able to talk in person with federal experts from large businesses was valuable for us. We also met with smaller, specialty firms that offer niche environmental services but don’t quite know how to effectively market them to the government. Meeting with these niche firms is a great example of small businesses helping small businesses, while allowing Brice to learn about specialty markets, clients, and opportunities we haven’t yet tapped into.”
L to R: Marc Hobbs, Jamie Oakley, Craig Jones, Makenzie Wing; not pictured: Ieti Sagiao
When it came to Brice’s reputation in the industry, the vibe at the SBC was palpable.
“At the conference, there was notable curiosity about Brice,” said Jamie Oakley. Marc echoed: “The fact that we’re well-known and the Brice name continues to circulate based on our quality of work, range of skill sets, and happy clients is great.”
Craig summed up the experience well when he said, “We’re a success story and that’s the best kind of story to have.”
This year, Jamie Oakley also participated on an AECOM-moderated panel “CPARS from Beginning to End“. Joining Jamie were representatives from USACE Savannah District and Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic Division. The discussion centered on contractor best practices including communication, partnering, and being proactive with clients to facilitate both project performance as well as positive performance ratings.