Stories

Danielle Barner and Byron Bright speak with customers at the KBR booth.

KBR’s Government Americas group was at the forefront of the recent Joint Engineer Training and Conference Symposium conducted in Houston, Texas.  As a major sponsor of the conference, hosted by the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) at the George R. Brown Convention Center, KBR was prominently featured throughout the conference, including as a presenter on several panel discussions.  This major annual conference attracts roughly 2,000 people and provided KBR the opportunity to showcase KBR’s exceptional capabilities, connect with key project decision makers, and identify future teaming partners.

“SAME puts together private and public groups along with government agencies, which is uncommon,” said Byron Bright, Senior Vice President, Government Services - Americas.  “The government regulates how these groups can interact, so the SAME conference provides a great forum for us to mingle, exchange ideas and present capabilities.  It’s the ideal opportunity for KBR to make the right connections to win the right work.”

Danielle Barner on the panel where she presented on “Risk Analysis for Pursuit Preparation.”

Ten KBR employees from Government Services Americas attended the event, where they participated in informal, open interaction with our U.S. military clients from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Naval Facilities Command and the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center, along with representatives from 150 private companies.
KBR employees also made presentations on two panels.  Danielle Barner, Business Development Manager, addressed “Risk Analysis for Pursuit Preparation.”  Bobby Nicholson, Director of Operations, gave a presentation on the panel “Contingency Power – New Technologies.”

Barner’s presentation outlined three steps to KBR’s approach to pursuit selection:  first, it must fit with our corporate strategy; second, there must be a solid contract value and funding stream; and, third, there must be an identified anticipated project risk profile.  “I explained how to put the power of the ‘Go/No-Go decision process’ to work when potential clients prepare for a proposal opportunity,” she said.  “It’s important to learn the next steps in understanding and analyzing short- and long-term risks for their firm,” Barner continued.

Nicholson shared the keys to sustainable electrical power, factors he learned while executing contracts on KBR projects around the world, in Kosovo at Camp Bondsteel, in Djibouti at Camp Lemmonier, and in Kuwait at Camp Redleg.  He spoke about the challenges of delivering power in contingencies and elsewhere across the globe where access and environment are remote and austere in nature.  “Managing the production and delivery of reliable power anywhere and in any environment has never been more important – and unfortunately, never more vulnerable,” Nicholson said. “The good news is that we have made advances over the past decade to improve the means by which we forecast for, establish and deliver electrical power for continuous operations.”

The high visibility KBR received as a significant event sponsor, coupled with a strong speaker presence, yielded positive results.  Barner said the team made many key contacts and received an overwhelmingly positive response to KBR’s presentations and outreach.  “Our theme of ‘Committed, Consistent, Courageous’ really drove home our mission that KBR is their go-to contractor to support the military on any project in any environment,” Barner continued.

“The Joint Engineer Training Conference is the premier SAME event, and KBR Government Services’ high visibility at the event helped us promote KBR as the contractor of choice to many key project decision makers,” said Bright. “For years, we have provided excellent service on U.S. government projects around the world in remote locations and challenging environments.  KBR delivers on our promise to ensure mission success and our participation in the SAME event helped us reinforce that message to a crucial audience,” continued Bright.