NASA’s Business Opportunities Expo 2018 was held Oct. 23, at Cruise Terminal 6 at Port Canaveral in Florida. As in the past, the expo drew hundreds of attendees to this annual event that featured more than 200 vendors from a variety of product and service areas, including computer technology, engineering and communications, construction and safety.
“This is always a huge event. We are very proud that Kennedy is helping to host it again this year,” said Bob Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director.
Now in its 28th year, the annual expo is facilitated by Kennedy Space Center’s Small Business Programs Office and Prime Contractor Board in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing and Canaveral Port Authority. Expo participants include Office of Small Business Programs representatives from each NASA center, and Kennedy prime contractors, including Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and The Boeing Company.
“This expo has been held at the port since 1990, and has now become the largest event within NASA,” said Joyce McDowell, Small Business specialist at Kennedy. “It has become the hub bringing together a vast array of businesses, an information session and networking opportunities.”
During the expo, a.i. solutions Inc., a contractor at Kennedy on the Expendable Launch Vehicle Integration Support 3 contract (ELVIS 3), and Red Canyon Software of Denver, Colorado, held a signing ceremony for a new Mentor-Protégé Agreement.
NASA’s Mentor-Protégé Program encourages NASA prime contractors to help eligible protégés, increasing their capabilities to perform on NASA contracts and subcontracts.
“NASA is one of three agencies that has retained its Mentor-Protégé Program,” said Glenn Delgado, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of Small Business Programs. “This program provides mentors to small contractors to help grow them into larger companies.”
“We are so proud to have them on the mentor-protégé team,” said Amber Allen, a program analyst for the Launch Services Program and the Contracting Officer’s Representative for the ELVIS 3 contract.
“This agreement allows us to establish ourselves as a company for NASA that can help to continue to grow the capabilities of small business,” said Steve Owen, ELVIS 3 deputy program manager for a.i. solutions. “It creates a greater landscape for businesses to be able to serve NASA.”
Red Canyon Software currently is a subcontractor to a.i. solutions and provides a critical role in their engineering area for the Launch Services Program.
“They are a great fit for us. We’re looking forward to helping Red Canyon Software develop and expand their capabilities for growing their business,” Owens said.
“I’m on cloud 9. It’s a dream come true,” said Barry Hamilton, CEO and founder of Red Canyon Software. “It’s an opportunity to grow as a team and a company and is a plus for NASA.”
Hamilton’s company has a background in flight software. One of his lead subject matter experts is a lead for Orion’s launch abort system (LAS) and worked on the LAS for Exploration Flight Test-1.
Hamilton said the company will open an office in the HUBZone in Titusville, Florida. The federal “HUBZone” program is designed to promote job growth, capital investment and economic development for small businesses in economically challenged communities.
“Our mission is to help small businesses achieve their business goals by bringing some of the brightest minds and best resources from around the nation together,” McDowell said.