Newsletter: December 2007/January 2008 Newsletter

Congressman Randy Forbes is the invited speaker for our December General Membership meeting. Congressman Forbes has represented Virginia’s fourth congressional district since 2001. Prior to his national service, he served in the Virginia Senate 1997-2001 and the Virginia House of Delegates 1989-1997. He was the Virginia Republican Party Chair 1996-2000. Congressman Forbes graduated with a BS from Randoph-Macon College in 1974 and earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1977.

 

Congressman Forbes serves on the Armed Services and Judiciary committees. He also serves on the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security; Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law; Readiness; and Seapower and Expeditionary Forces subcommittees. Congressman Forbes’ biography is available at http://forbes.house.gov/Biography/.

The Communications Committee will be forwarding a short survey in December. This survey contains less than ten questions and concentrates on our members’ satisfaction with the level of communication through the website and the newsletter. When you receive the notice of the survey, kindly take a few minutes to help us improve your Association. Thank you in advance for your participation.

On September 26th, 2007 VSRA co-hosted a seminar on environmental improvements being made by companies in Hampton Roads. Among the examples were the green building and sustainable landscaping efforts of BAE Systems and Earl Industries. More on these and other efforts may be read by linking to the Seminar Recap paper.
http://www.virginiashiprepair.org/files/ENVIRONMENTAL%20SEMINAR%20RE%20CAP.doc.  Even more promising, was the desire of attendees to get together again in a more informal setting to share some problems they are facing and share solutions. Among these environmental leaders, are representatives from Tecnico, BAE, STIHL, Earl Industries, Little Creek Naval Station and the Norfolk Naval Ship Yard. VSRA is currently meeting with a few environmental planners to create an interest survey. The results from this survey will be used to set an agenda for a future lunch and learn session. If you are interested in participating, or being placed on the invitation list please email Michelle Carrera at mcarrera@virginiashiprepair.org.

SPONSORED BY: W.B.B. Consulting, Inc.

COST: $195.00 for VSRA members only (Includes lunch)

DATE: January 10, 2008, 8:00 to 12:00 noon, registration begins at 7:30 am.

LOCATION: W.B.B.Consulting, Inc., 4429 Bonney Rd., Suite 400, Virginia Beach, Va. 23462

 

As companies prepare strategies for future work, the federal budget is a primary driver for the tactics used to bring work to the company. We have engaged a prominent Washington DC consulting company to share their insights on how the federal legislative cycle works and how funding battles are organized and won. The seminar will address: the organization, environment and legislative processes of the U.S. Congress; insights into defense Authorization and Appropriations bill development, staffing and approval process; schedule of defense-related hearings, mark-ups and floor actions; and effective interactions with Members of Congress and their staff.

 

Senior company leaders should join us for this first for VSRA. Space will be limited to 60 and only open to VSRA member companies. Please note: If you have previously registered online, you do not need to re-register. If the new date conflicts with your schedule please contact the VSRA office.

The ASNE Tidewater section premier event Fleet Maintenance Symposium 2007 (FMS07) is history. The FMS is conducted every four years and this year’s event was expanded to include collaborative events. These events included a VSRA Board meeting and luncheon. In addition Tidewater Association of Service Contractors held their regular monthly luncheon during the symposium at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

Tabletop exhibits were made available at the Mid Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center to all exhibitors on the morning of Monday 17 September. That afternoon one could find golfers enjoying a great day at the golf course. During the symposium, Port Engineers from all over the country joined us at the convention center. One hundred sixty-two exhibitors displayed their latest information and hardware. The last day of the four-day show included over one hundred fifty people attending the Joint Industry Navy Improvement Initiative meeting.

 

The symposium included fifteen timely technical presentations. All of these technical papers are available to registrants. For nominal cost, they are also available to anyone who is interested. In addition, the opening day included VADM Williams Deputy Fleet Forces Command addressing several hundred attendees. He challenged the audience to find a way to reduce the time dedicated to maintaining the fleet. VADM Williams relayed some of his personal experiences and challenges associated with maintaining submarines. He was emphasizing the importance of increasing time for ships to meet the Fleet Response Plan.

 

VADM Paul Sullivan Commander Naval Sea Systems Command was the keynote speaker on the second day of FMS. His main theme was to emphasize the importance of doing the right work, understand the amount of that work, budget correctly to accomplish the work, perform to cost and schedule and finally deliver ships at reduced cost. He advised the past concept of getting well with supplemental appropriations is over. He also advised that we cannot afford to perform work that is not necessary. He relayed the Navy was relying on the success of the Multi-Ship Multi-Option contracting approach to produce real leaning and improved efficiency. He concluded with the statement, “We are poised for success”.

 

The symposium included a panel of senior military representatives at the end of each day. RDML James McManamon moderated the Warfare Enterprise Panel consisting of the following members: RADM Haney, RADM Smith, RADM Hugel and Captain Lewis. The panel members were candid in reporting their concerns and challenges involving ship maintenance.

 

The NAVSEA/PEO panel on the second day ended the symposium. Mr. Bill Ryzewic moderated the panel consisting of RDML Eccles, Deputy Commander for Undersea Warfare and Undersea Tech, NAVSEA; RDML McManamon, PEO for Sea 21; and RADM Rabago, USCG PEO for Acquisition Programs.

 

Mr. Michael D’Amato closed the symposium.

On October 31, the Contracts Committee sponsored its annual Standards of Conduct Seminar. This well-received seminar included training by experts from local law firms. The experts/presenters were:  Michael Gardner, Troutman Sanders LLP; Kevin Cosgrove, Hunton & Williams LLP; Daniel Weckstein, Vandeventer Black LLP.  The Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations require government contractors to have standards of conduct and internal control programs. If you were unable to attend this excellent seminar but would like to receive a copy of the training and the sample Ethics Policy Statement, please contact the VSRA office.  There are a limited number of CDs available.

The Communications Committee is interested in collecting historical information on TMTI/STASR/VSRF/VSRA. If you have stories, photos or tidbits, kindly forward them to Mal Branch at mbranch@virginiashiprepair.org. 2008 is the 30th anniversary of the concept of TMTI, and we would like to preserve and publish these historical pieces in our 2008 newsletter issues. We value any information you may provide. Thank you in advance for your contributions!

During the academic year, we expect to visit more than twenty elementary, middle, and high school schools to deliver occupational and career related information to students in the seven cities across the region. We are currently building a volunteer list to give companies an opportunity to directly connect with these future workers. 

 

What we need career day volunteers to do:

Sign up for a school

Use the pre-packaged material supplied by VSRF to set up a kiosk or conduct classroom activities that highlight ship repair

Pass out ship repair brand goodies and information to students supplied by VSRA

Spend 2-3 hours per school interacting with more than 300 students to promote ship repair as a career choice

 

The following career days are scheduled for February 2008:

2/14/08 International Studies at Meadowbrook, Norfolk

2/15/08 Granby High School, Norfolk

2/15/08 Camden County High School, Camden, North Carolina

2/28/08 John F. Kennedy Middle School, Suffolk

 

Please call the VSRA office at 757-233-7034 and let us know if you are interested in attending.

Communications Committee

The committee discussed the content of the next and future newsletters as well as potential annual survey questions. The goal is to publish the survey in December.

 

Safety and Environmental Committee

The committee is updating the Safety Handbook. The committee has begun planning for next year’s 13th Annual Safety and Health Seminar.  As a result of the VSRA letters to the Navy, the current practices with respect to Marine Chemist certificates will remain the same. The winner of the 3rd quarter Safety Suggestion Award is Jerry Fulk with AMSEC. The committee is soliciting safety suggestions for the 4th quarter award.

 

Human Resources Committee

The committee reviewed the results of the Shipbuilders Council of America 2007 Employee Turnover and Wage and Benefit Surveys. The committee discussed training and certifications that HR professionals can obtain. 

 

Contracts Committee

CDR Eric Stump updated the committee on his integration into MARMC as the new Contracting Officer. His goal is to visit various VSRA member shipyards and meet their contract departments in the months ahead. MARMC is committed to the MSMO strategy, and by the end of the month the goal is to have a defined mission and customer base. MARMC currently has five new staff in the contracting department (1102 specific).

 

Security Committee

The committee discussed the minutes from the September meeting. The committee is working with MARMC on a way to notify the government customer of any delays, and related costs, when attempting to gain access to a government facility for contract work. 

We are pleased to offer the following classes:

           

First Aid/CPR/AED/Emergency First Responder Certification

Location Sponsored by United Coatings Corp.

COST: $95.00 VSRA members; $115.00 Non VSRA members

DATE: December 19, 2007, 7:30am - 4:30pm

LOCATION: United Coatings Corp., 650 Chautauqua Avenue, Portsmouth, VA 23707

Emergency First Responders ~ OSHA Approved/Internationally Accepted

*This certification is a step beyond the Red Cross certification and is more oriented to industrial environments.* Upon successful completion of this course, attendees receive a Certification Card.

 

NAVSEA Basic Paint Inspector Training (NBPI)

Sponsored by VSRA and approved by NAVSEA

Location sponsored by MARMC

COST: $495.00 VSRA members; $649.00 Non VSRA members

DATES: December 3-7, 2007, 7:00am - 5:00pm

LOCATION: MARMC Building LF-18, Norfolk Naval Base

Attendance is limited to 20 applicants. Due to changes with the SSPC, all documents related to this course need to be submitted to the SSPC representative, Jeannine Bodack. Her email address is: bodack@sspc.org, phone: 877-281-7772 x 2204, fax: 412-281-9995. These documents must be submitted two weeks before the first day of class. Please go to the SSPC website http://www.sspc.org/training/nbpi_prereq.html to view the current required documents.

 

 

NAVSEA Cableway Training and Certification Training

Instructional Partnership by VSRA and AMSEC

This training is certified by NAVSEA

Location sponsored by Earl Industries, LLC.

COST: $585.00 VSRA Members; $675.00 Non-VSRA Members

DATE: December 10-14, 2007, 8:00am – 4:00pm

LOCATION: Earl Industries, 3128 Victory Blvd., Portsmouth, VA 23702

Attendance is limited to 20 applicants. This course delivers 35+ hours of lecture, video, hands-on lab work and text-based assignments over a five day period. A score of 70% or higher on the comprehensive exam is required for successful completion. The course covers all NAVSEA requirements and skill sets in depth. Upon successful completion of this course, the attendee will receive a NAVSEA Cableway Certification Card.

 

 

Please register on the VSRA website www.virginiashiprepair.org for above seminars. Phone registrations are not preferred, however, can be accommodated.

For questions/help registering please call our office at 757-233-7034.  We want to make this transition process easy for our members.

**Please note, you must be logged in to receive the discounted VSRA price for seminars.**

 

Refund & Cancellation Policy: VSRA offers seminars at a greatly reduced rate to our members. Cancellations must be made within 3 business days of the seminar date to receive full credit contingent on the catering requirements. Late cancellations or no-shows WILL BE CHARGED the seminar fee and no refunds will be made. Substitutions are welcome, however please contact the VSRA office as soon as possible.