Photo By Stephen Baack | Stephanie Parra, procurement analyst with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque...... read more read more
MONTEBELLO, Calif. — More than 450 attendees gathered March 6, 2025, at the Quiet Cannon Banquet Hall for networking, discussions and to strengthen business relationships during the 2025 Business Opportunities Open House.
The Business Opportunities Open House, or BOOH, is an annual event that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District hosts to facilitate direct dialogue with senior leaders, project managers and those looking to do business with USACE and the federal government.
Also in attendance were representatives from USACE’s Albuquerque and Sacramento districts, as well as from LA County Department of Public Works, LA City Department of Public Works, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
In his keynote address, Col. Andrew Baker, LA District commander, outlined the many missions that comprise the LA District’s work.
“I like to say that the LA District has a program of great consequence,” Baker told attendees. “What we do has major impacts to the nation, to national security and to public safety, and we can’t do what we do without you.”
The LA District typically hosts its BOOH in a different location every year, with event organizers tailoring messaging and outreach materials to the projects happening in each area. Last year’s BOOH was in Phoenix, where vendors had more interest in project developments at Davis-Monthan or Luke Air Force bases, for example, whereas this year’s BOOH attracted more attention to work in the Los Angeles River, at Prado Dam and Vandenburg Space Force Base.
Rebecca Wetzstein, president of Allie Bridge Energy Solutions, said she attended the event primarily looking for opportunities to do energy modernization and resilience work with local installations through USACE.
“We’re hoping to be helpful as a contractor providing engineering and professional services and trying to understand where the best fit is and where to bring the most value to the Corps,” Wetzstein said.
This is especially true, she added, considering current shifts within the federal government.
“We find every four or five years, big shifts happen,” Wetzstein said.
“COVID was one. We’re all having big shifts right now with organizations and funding. What remains consistent is energy resilience, regardless of technologies. Energy is important to all administrations. In our world, the technology set is very similar; the goals of how to use that technology is what changes.”
This year, the Society of American Military Engineers’ LA Post also hosted its Industry Day in conjunction with the BOOH, scheduling it the day prior.
“Combining the BOOH and Society of American Military Engineers’ Industry Day was good, as it enabled the LA District to support their efforts to help the local industry keep track of what is happening with government agencies at all levels,” said Roger Minami, procurement analyst with the LA District’s Office of Small Business and one of the chief organizers of the 2025 BOOH. “The effort also served to encourage firms that normally do business with just state and local government to consider working for the LA District. I think both groups should work together to cross-promote larger government projects where there is a tie-in at local, state and federal levels.”
One other major difference between this year’s BOOH and those of years’ past is the addition of USACE representatives from Task Force Phoenix, which is overseeing debris removal from the January Southern California wildfires.
Minami said this year’s event was an important opportunity to provide Task Force Phoenix representatives with knowledge about local vendors and their capabilities as they relate to ongoing disaster recovery efforts in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, California.
“The task force knows what contracts they need, but they’re not familiar with the vendor base,” Minami said. “So, we’re trying to familiarize the task force with the capabilities here, since we want to use local contractors.”
Minami said the contracting process for the wildfire response mission is very fast moving, and that it was a learning experience for many of the vendors.
“Knowing about the fires and hearing the update on what the concerns are and how hard everybody is working on that mission — and just knowing what a big effort it is — is fascinating, even just as a member of the public, to hear that and what the Corps is doing,” said Stuart Strum, with GreenPoint Engineering. “I’ve learned here about things we can do to be ready to serve the Corps and be responsive when there’s a solicitation.”
Strum said he attended the BOOH to network, learn more about the work the LA District has been doing recently, as well as the outlook for future projects.
“The firm I’m with does master plans and feasibility studies,” said Strum, who joined GreenPoint about six months ago. “We also do a lot of engineering work, mainly for localities, cities and counties. We have a lot of that technical knowledge that we want to leverage and use to work with the Corps.”
Strum, who worked as a planner and project manager for the LA District between 2010 and 2021, said USACE’s mission has always aligned with his skill set and professional interests.
“It’s what I learned to do,” Strum said. “I’ve been a water resources professional for more than 20 years now. The Corps is just a driver for that. Its mission is where the action is.”
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2025 18:50 |
| Story ID: | 492816 |
| Location: | MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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