HBCU/MSI Technology Infusion Road Tour

A new creative initiative was proposed to me not too long ago by one of my Project Managers’, Ms. Tabisa Kalisa, on how we can better increase our partnerships and engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Serving Institutions (HBCUs/MSIs). The event would be hosted by the Office of Small Business Programs, the Office of Education and the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The initiative would test out a pilot program called the NASA Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Serving Institutions (HBCUs/MSIs) Technology Infusion Road Tour. At the 2^nd Annual HBCU/MSI Partnerships Meeting at Marshall Space Flight Center there was great interest expressed from colleges and universities that wanted to participate in the pilot program including North Carolina Central University, The University of Texas at El Paso and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University whom were among those selected to participate in FY16. This initiative is two-fold as it is designed to help assist educational institutions integrate new technology that supports the Agency’s mission and it also aids NASA in making and exceeding our 1% goal for HBCUs/MSIs. We are also the only Agency in the government with this goal to date.

Our first event for the NASA HBCU/MSI Technology Infusion Road Tour was held at North Carolina Central University on March 22-24, 2016. I was able to attend the first two days of the event and I have to say I was quite impressed with all the enthusiasm and participation among the attendees. There were about 50 HBCU/MSI attendees and a good amount of NASA prime contractors including Boeing and SAIC that participated in the open forum Q&A. This was a good opportunity to ask questions about the Mentor Protégé Program, STMD’s Small Business Innovative Research/Small Business Technical Transfer opportunities and the Office of Education’s grant and cooperative agreement opportunities. I felt like the event was extremely productive and we took away many lessons learned to make our next event even more beneficial.

The next NASA HBCU/MSI Technology Infusion Road Tour will be on April 19-21, 2016 at The University of Texas at El Paso. Based off our first event, I have no doubt that I will be just as impressed with this one if not more. Our Eventbrite link is open where you can register and find out more details on this upcoming Road Tour. 

I wish everyone a happy and safe spring and thank you for reading my latest post!

2nd Annual NASA Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs)/Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Partnerships Meeting

I am pleased to announce that the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) will be holding the 2nd Annual NASA Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs)/Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Partnerships Meeting.This event is hosted by NASA's Office of Small Business Programs, the Office of Education and the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Small Business Office. This event is crucial for targeting NASA's current and future prime and subcontracting opportunities for HBCUs/MSIs. One of our centerwide goals has always been to target this particular socioeconomic category by providing an event for HBCU/MSI representatives to network. NASA's prime contractors such as Aerojet Rocketdyn, Ch2M Hill, Jacobs, Lockeed Martin, United Launch Alliance, SAIC, Orbital ATK, The Boeing Company, Northrop Gruman, Teledyne Brown Engineering and Wyle will be in attendance. This special opportunity will be hosted by Marshall Space Flight Center on September 16, 2015. Please visit this link for further details and to register.

High-Tech Small Business at Ames Research Center

I had the opportunity to go to Ames Research Center (ARC) where I met with many companies to learn about their current projects coming out of the Research Park. High-Tech Small Businesses with emerging technologies are constantly providing NASA with the resources to reach our goals faster than ever before. Just to name a few, I had the opportunity to meet with a company called skyTran. They are working on transporting high-speed vehicles using magnetic levitation (Maglev) with a patented Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system. I got to see the folks over at Made In Space for the second time this year. Made In Space is the SBIR/STTR Phase II Company that invented the 3-D printer that operates in zero gravity. Rhombus Power, is known for a scaleable platform for detecting sub-atomic particles with their product known as Mercury. Scanadu Technology uses sensor technology to personalize medicine and The Peregrine Falcon Corporation helped design parabolic reflectors for the A1 antenna on the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A) flight instrument. It was a pleasure meeting each and every one of these companies and learning about their continued successes at NASA. 

With the folks at skyTran

2015 National Small Business Week

2015 National Small Business Week was a great success! I wanted to highlight a significant experience I had while at Ames Research Center (ARC) for our Small Business Improvement Plan (SBIP) Meeting. I had the opportunity to meet the staff and management of a SBIR Phase II company called Made In Space. Made In Space has a partnership with NASA and is located at ARC. What makes this small business so unique is that they designed and engineered the first ever 3-D printer that operates in zero gravity in space. In 2014, Space X launched the printer out of Cape Canaveral, Florida en route to the International Space Station (ISS). They started with sending specific code to the ISS where they printed the first ever manufactured in space object. This means that they are able to print a real tangible object to use to their benefit at the ISS. Yes, I know what you are thinking, literally out of this world manufacturing!

Talking tech with senior staff at Made In Space

Also during Small Business Week the NASA Administrator had the privilege to meet a Small Business in DC called Compass Coffee. Compass Coffee is owned by Marines that use NASA technology when brewing their coffee. The technology used is called Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers. When roasting the coffee beans, this technology measures time temperature profiles to ensure every cup of coffee tastes the same. Another technology used is near infrared abridged spectrometry (NIRS) which NASA uses to collect data for the Aqua satellite about Earth’s water cycle. Compass Coffee uses the same technology to assure that each cup has the same level of quinic acid. Why? Again, for the same great taste each time a cup is brewed. There is more space in your life than you think! 

View the video for more information here:

NASA Deep Space Human Exploration Spacecraft Orion: A Case for Small Business

I am proud to announce that our newest publication titled NASA Deep Space Human Exploration Spacecraft Orion: A Case for Small Business was released on April 28, 2015. This is the second publication that the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) has put together since Curiosity and NASA’s Mission to Mars. With great detail, OSBP has managed and produced a wonderful publication that we can now share with the public. The publication highlights some of the small businesses that contributed to Lockeed Martin’s Spacecraft Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1). If you haven’t done so already, please take the time to view the publication on our website as a downloadable PDF or you can request a hardcopy at smallbusiness@nasa.gov. You may find yourself as inspired as I am while reading about the cutting edge technology behind all of our advances which makes us that much closer to putting man on Mars. I want to encourage these small businesses to keep moving forward into the solar system and proving that anything is possible. 

The FY14 NASA Small Business Administrator’s Cup Award is Announced

Today Administrator Bolden and I took a trip down to Huntsville, Alabama to present the FY14 NASA Small Business Administrator’s Cup Award to Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This award is presented each fiscal year to the NASA center that has the best overall small business program. This is a great achievement for MSFC since it will be the fourth time that MSFC has been awarded the Administrator’s Cup in the seven years it has been presented. 

I want to recognize Marshall’s Center Director Mr. Patrick Scheuermann and the center Small Business Specialist Mr. David Brock for their tireless commitment to the small business program.

As David Brock, the Marshall small business specialist says, “It is indeed an honor for our Center to have been selected to receive such a prestigious award the fourth time in seven years. Our successes start with our management. Their continuing support has created a positive environment in which to promote small business utilization across all organizations at MSFC. Our large business prime contractors have also contributed immensely to our successes as noted by the high mark in total subcontracting to small businesses in fiscal year 2014 of approximately $375 million. Other major contributors to our successes include the Marshall Prime Contractor Supplier Council consisting of representatives from approximately 50 large businesses, and the Marshall Small Business Executive Leadership Team consisting of representatives from approximately 30 small businesses. Both of these organizations provide strategic guidance to assist the Small Business Program staff in the implementation of NASA’s Socioeconomic Programs at MSFC. The key is teamwork.”

This year, I am pleased, but not at all surprised to present this gallant award to the Marshall team. They continue to build upon their excellence and are definitely setting the precedence for all NASA centers. They show exceptional loyalty to our mission and small business. 

Congratulations on this groundbreaking achievement and keep up the hard work in helping NASA achieve its goals!

From the Left: Marshall Space Flight Center Small Business Specialist Mr. David Brock, NASA Administrator Mr. Charles Bolden and Marshall Space Flight Center Director Mr. Patrick Scheuermann

Read the full press release HERE

2015 Spring NASA Industry Forum (NIF)

The NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) held an engaging and highly successful 3^rd NASA Industry Forum (NIF) meeting. The NIF takes place semiannually and provides members the opportunity to gain insight and perspectives about center issues. The NIF is an agency-wide effort to share center-level information that is of concern to both NASA as well as NASA's contractors. The NIF consists of both small and large contractors representing all NASA centers.

We were honored to have many great speakers present at the 2015 Spring NIF meeting. Our first speaker was Ms. Lesa Roe, Deputy Administrator of NASA Office of the Administrator who briefed us on the Technical Capabilities Assessment Team Overview. Our second speaker was Dr. John Mather, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006. His presentation focused on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which was a great sendoff for our tour of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) on the second day of the NIF. The next speaker was Mr. Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator addressed the NIF stating the importance of small business within NASA before he and I presented the FY2014 NASA Small Business Industry Awards (SBIA).

As the day progressed, Mr. Kenneth Dodds, Director, Office of Policy, Planning & Liaison for the Small Business Administration (SBA) addressed us with a suburb SBA update to the NIF members. Our closing speaker was Ms. Krista Paquin, Deputy Associate Administrator for Mission Support presenting a Business Services Assessment Briefing that we appreciated. I want to thank all of our presenters for attending the NIF meeting.

Dr. John Mather presenting on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

On the second day of the NIF we took a bus to tour GSFC. The tour exceeded my expectations and I continue to be fascinated by how NASA limitlessly acts as the catalyst for aeronautics and deep space exploration. I look forward to another successful NIF coming in the fall of 2015 and I will continue to put forth effort to make the NIF as beneficial for its members as possible.

A look into the Clean Room of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) tour

The spring 2015 NASA Industry Forum (NIF) members after the Goddard Tour

Small Business Advocate Awards (SBAA)

7 years ago the NASA Small Business Advocate Awards (SBAA) were created to recognize outstanding efforts and innovative practices by NASA civil servants in support of the NASA Small Business Program.The awards categories are Small Business Specialist of the Year, Procurement Person (or Team) of the Year, Technical Person (or Team) of the Year and Program Person (or Team) of the Year.

For FY14 I am pleased to have selected winners for their extraordinary and unwavering work in support of the NASA Small Business Program.

• 2014 Small Business Specialist of the Year: Mr. Robert E. Watts, SSC
• 2014 Procurement Person of the Year: Mr. Craig W. Bowers, HQ
•      2014 Technical Person of the Year: Mr. Jeffery A. Chambers, GRC
• 2014 Program Team of the Year: Repair Aircraft Hanger Fire Protection Systems Team, AFRC, the team members are Ms. Andrea C. Basham, Mr. Brain G. Bowman and Mr. Justin D. Reid
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I want to take the time to congratulate each and every one of these awardees and look forward to having them and their peers continued support of the NASA Small Business Program.

For more information on past awardees and selection criteria please visit the link to our website: SBAA

Stennis Space Center Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Industry Day

On February 3, 2015, NASA’s Office of Small Business Programs concluded another successful Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Industry Day event hosted by the Stennis Space Center. 

      A look at SSC during the SDVOSB Industry Day

                         

Presenting NASA FY14 Small Business Prime Metrics

                                     

From the left: Robert S. Harris, SSC Procurement Officer receiving the Small Business Champion recognition, Robert E. Watts, SSC Small Business Specialist, receiving FY14 SBS of the Year and Stennis Space Center Director Dr. Richard Gilbrech

Networking with Gwen Johnson, Socioeconomic Business Programs Manager Parsons

With over 300 attendees at the INFINITY Space Center, the Industry Day offered numerous opportunities for SDVOSB owners and representatives to network with government procurement decision makers, other large and small businesses and current NASA prime contractors. Despite the event title, the attendees included more than two hundred representatives from not only Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, but also Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Women-Owned Small Businesses, and HUBZone Businesses.

I look forward to the future where the relationships that were made at this event lead to contracts. We look forward to seeing you at our HUBZone Industry Day at Johnson Space Center on August 11, 2015.

BusinessUSA Executive Committee Meeting

Yesterday I was proud to host the BusinessUSA Executive Committee Meeting in our Executive Conference room. I will start with a little background information, in 2011 the President issued a challenge to government agencies to think outside the box when coming to organizational boundaries and this is how BusinessUSA came to be.

It’s always great to hear about how successful the online platform business.usa.gov has become. The platform acts as a one-stop shop allowing the user to seek information with ease that is pertinent to their business. As an emerging entrepreneur, finding out the right information can be difficult and frustrating. BusinessUSA included a helpful portal in their site that allows for a more personal and customized experience with tools such as online training and chat forums.

 Listed from the left: Amin Mehr, Manager of Technology & Innovation, Michele Bartram, Manager of Partnerships & Customer Assurance, Efrain Gonzalez: Chief Financial Officer & Administrative Officer, Dennis Alvord, Executive Director, Holly Schick, Deputy Executive Director, Dexter Fredericks, Product Manager

An engaging topic that came up was the presentation on the Digital Strategies Playbook Audit of BusinessUSA. The White House launched the U.S. Digital Services Playbook on August 11, 2014. The playbook consists of 13 topics that were derived from successful best practices from the private sector and the government. Consumers spend money on digital channels to make lives easier. If every business starts to follow these 13 “plays” then digital channels will become more rounded and intuitive. BusinessUSA adapted this methodology to improve on specific areas such as making current progress to integrate automatic testing tools to improve their website and new mobile application.

For more information on this methodology please visit the site.

Bally Ribbon Mills Tour

I am always proud of the contribution small businesses make to NASA’s Mission. Today NASA’s Administrator, Mr. Charlie Bolden, the Associate Administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate, Dr. Michael Gazarik and I toured Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM) in Bally, Pennsylvania to gain insight on the production of the advanced Woven Thermal Protection System (Woven TPS). NASA envisions the great potential for BRM’s advanced woven thermal protection systems on the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), Orion spacecraft mission, currently scheduled for 2018.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, BRM President Ray Harries and I.

BRM, a successful Small Business Innovation Research Phase III company has been a valuable partner to the agency and is using unique thermal protective materials to help develop a safe way for astronauts to travel into deep space and ultimately Mars. 

Ms. Pamela Ream, a BRM Harness Maker and Filler demonstrating the hand weaving process.

Mr. Ray Harries, President of BRM, led the tour and what I found particularly fascinating was seeing the advance Woven TPS process and the 3-D Multifunctional Ablative TPS for Orion. It was inspiring to see innovative technology firsthand that stem from game-changing small businesses. NASA is proud to be associated with these high-tech small businesses that are essential for us to complete our various missions.

Planning Ahead

The start of the fiscal year is a stressful time for federal agencies and businesses alike. Despite this, as we close out FY13, I’d like to stress to all businesses who hope to do work with not just NASA, but any agency, to not let your plans for the future start to slip. One point I make at every speaking engagement or counseling session for businesses is that you must do your homework and plan ahead. Some businesses see this as a cursory glance of upcoming procurements a few months before they are released; however, to be successful, planning must start up to years before that point.

It is necessary to know what is happening in your realm of business before opportunities are posted in the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) database. By then, for many, it’s too late to seriously compete. NASA offers multiple avenues to get information regarding upcoming procurements. First and foremost, networking is essential any small business into opportunities with plenty of time to prepare. This includes events that NASA holds regularly, such as our Industry Days, or events that are attended by federal agencies. Business to business networking is a great way to share information and potentially come up with teaming or subcontracting opportunities that may not have been on your radar.

Another, NASA specific avenue is the NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS). NAIS posts competitive NASA acquisitions over $25,000 that businesses can sort by date, classification, location or key word. The NASA Consolidated Acquisition Forecast also provides a forecast for this fiscal year and upcoming fiscal years directly from the centers. This will provide even more time to being planning for upcoming acquisitions.

NASA has built one of the greatest small business teams in federal government, with the Small Business Specialists providing valuable information. If any small business has a question regarding a specific opportunity at a NASA center, these individuals provide a great first contact to learn more about the acquisition.

NASA'S Marshall Earns Small Business Administrator's Cup Award

I would like to extend my congratulations to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for earning the NASA Fiscal Year 2012 Small Business Administrator’s Cup. Administrator Charles Bolden proudly presented the award to center today. I was excited to be in attendance as well to honor Marshall’s accomplishments.

Each year, the Small Business Administrator’s Cup is presented to the NASA center that has the most effective overall small business program. It places heavy value on innovate initiatives that promote small business partnerships. This is the third time Marshall has won the Cup in the past five years.

A special thanks goes to Center Director Patrick Sheuemann and Associate Director Robin Henderson for their support of Marshall’s Small Business Program. Of course, Marshall Small Business Specialist David Brock helped spearhead the center’s award winning program and make it what it is today.

Please visit www.osbp.nasa.gov for more information about Marshall Space Flight Center and the NASA Small Business Program.