Late last month, the Department of the Navy (DON) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) virtually held a two-day Procurement Readiness Workshop to help ready the Hawaii Industrial Base and others of the requirements to do business with the Federal Government.  

Below is a list of the topics presented at the workshop:

July 26, 2022 - Day One

An introduction from the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce

• Jennifer Sabas, Senior Consultant, Military Affairs Council/Hawaii Defense Alliance
• Jason Chung, Vice President, Military Affairs Council/Hawaii Defense Alliance

The Importance of Small Business

• Stephen D. Barnett, Commander Navy Region Hawaii

An Overview of the Defense Logistics Agency

• Gabriella M. Earhardt, Supplier Operations & Head of the Contracting Activity DLA Energy
• Gregory Thevenin, Director of OSBP at DLA Energy

"8 Steps" Video & Filling the Small Business Toolbox

• Denis Randolph, Chief of Staff, DON OSBP

To watch the recording from day one, click here.

July 27, 2022 - Day Two

Procurement Readiness with NAVFAC Pacific

• Jeffrey Kilian, Comander, NAVFAC Pacific
• Jayme Nagao, Deputy Director, NAVFAC Pacific OSBP

How to do Business with NAVSUP

• Mark Bennington, Assistance Commander (Contracting), NAVSUP
• Shawn Triggs, Commanding Officer, FLC Pearl Harbor
• Christopher Espenshade, Small Business Director, NAVSUP

Hawaii Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Service

• Bruce Powers, Program Manager, Hawaii PTAC
• Raelyn Batacan, Cyber Coach, CyberHawaii

To watch the recording from day two, click here.

To keep up with past and future events from the DON, click here.

The Hawaii Defense Alliance together with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, ClimbHI and CyberHawaii invite you to join Hui o Hawaii!

What is Hui o Hawaii?

It is a demand-driven, career/workforce platform designed to recruit and hire Hawaii talent in defense economy positions. It is a network of DoD companies recruiting to fill positions and individuals seeking those opportunities.

Why was Hui o Hawaii created?

More than 800 Department of Defense (DoD) job opportunities are expected to be created within the next two years. With this monumental influx of jobs, the defense sector is looking to emphasize the current pipeline. Hui o Hawaii translated in Hawaiian is Hawaii is Home. The platform also encourages Hawaii residents to live and work in the state and for folks who have left to return home.

Who should join?

Companies with DoD contracts or subcontractors in Hawaii, individuals looking to enter the DoD workforce, and Hawaii born individuals who wish to return home to Hawaii to work in the defense sector. The following industries are anticipated to be in high demand:

• Data Analysis
• Communications and Signals Systems (5G, STARLink, Satellite)
• Geospatial Information Scientists
• Linguistics (Chinese and Russian)
• Economists
• Human Geography
• Area Specialists (China, North Korea, Pacific Islands, Indo-Pacific Region)
• Project Management
• Information Technology
• Cybersecurity
• Mobile Airfield and Smart Warehouse Distribution Systems
• Logistics Systems and Supply Chain Predictive Analytics
• Secure Infrastructure Construction Management

For businesses or nonprofits interested in joining the workforce platform, please email helpdesk@climbhi.org with your organization's name as well as any users (name and email) referencing Hui o Hawaii to get started.

Upcoming Events

Below are a list of upcoming events hosted by Hawaii Defense Alliance or its partners. If you are interested in sharing your event on our website, click here to submit an event. For a full list of upcoming events, visit hawaiidefensealliance.org/events.

The Hawaii Defense Alliance is established by the State of Hawaii Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) through a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Local Defense Community cooperation (previously, Office of Economic Adjustment). For more information about DBEDT’s Hawaii Defense Economy project visit DefenseEconomy.hawaii.gov.