Coordinating & Driving Unity of Effort Across the State of Michigan

by | Nov 1, 2020 | News

–—- Watch the Full Event Recording Here —–

The Michigan Defense Center would like to thank everyone who participated in the state’s strategic program, Protect & Grow Community Discussion – Year In Review, especially our partners at the Michigan National Guard, Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium (MUASC) and PTACs of Michigan for the work they do to support the Defense Industry here in Michigan.

On October 29, 2020, the Michigan Defense Center held a virtual Community Discussion to review the MDC Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Progress Report. Every quarter the MDC holds a Community Discussions to highlight the efforts of our partners that contribute to fulfilling the state’s strategic plan for the defense, aerospace, and homeland security economy.

In addition to the review of the Progress Report, MDC partners presented their current and future programs and efforts that are improving the ecosystem in Michigan.

This quarter’s presenters and highlights were:

Vicki Selva, Executive Director, Michigan Defense Center – Protect and Grow; the state’s strategic plan – Year In Review
MDC FY 2019-2020 Progress Report

  • Protect & Grow; the state’s strategic plan- key initiatives
  • MDC & DMVA Collaboration
  • Michigan’s Federal Success
    • Partnership with Michigan’s Congressional Delegation fueling new missions and projects
  • Industry Indicators
  • Direct Defense-Related Spending in Michigan
  • Resources for Michigan Companies
  • Strategic Communications & Outreach
    • Racking Up Engaged LinkedIn Followers
  • The Way Ahead: FY21 Programs

Brig Gen Bryan J. Teff, Assistant Adjutant General, Michigan Air National Guard – MI NG Pursuing New Missions

  • F-16 and F-35 Foreign Military Sales Mission Initiative
  • Kelly Johnson All-Domain Innovation Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
  • Space Command

Jim Makowske, CEO, Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium – P&G Innovation Around the State: Alpena

  • The mission of the MUASC is to foster a favorable environment for supporting the development of the unmanned vehicles supply chain and contributing to the accelerated growth of the industry for both the commercial and military sectors throughout the State of Michigan
  • Their vision is to provide unique capabilities to test and develop UAS and UAS related products in Michigan
  • Key Partners: Planet M, Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association (MAMA), Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow (LIFT), and the Michigan Defense Center (MDC)

Dustin Frigy, Program Manager – Business Resources, Michigan Defense Center – MDC’s Cybersecurity Compliance Program

  • NIST 800-171, DFARS 252.204-7012, and CMMC
  • CMMC Advisory Committee
  • Digital & Phone Surveys for NIST Compliance
  • Cybersecurity Vendor Pre-Qualification Program
  • BTS Integration with Learning Module, Vendor Page
  • Program Roll-Out

Beth Cryderman-Moss, Program Director, Macomb Regional PTAC – PTACs of Michigan Update

  • PTACs of Michigan is a professional development organization that helps individual Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) throughout the state better serve their clients
  • PTACs of Michigan seeks to engage in collaborative relationships to find the WIN/WIN for the taxpayer (e.g. MOUs w/DAU and AUSA)
  • 2,508 Michigan firms were active with PTACs of Michigan in FY19-20 (1 Oct 19 – 30 Sept 20), resulted in a $409:$1 ROI
  • PTACs (nationally) will be playing a larger role in DoD’s Office of Industrial Policy

End of Meeting/Roundtable Chat

The event platform was provided by Systems X.

“The MDC holds these quarterly stakeholder discussions because it is a great opportunity to share with everyone the kind of defense activities occurring around the state, and to coordinate efforts to make sure that everyone is rowing to the same beat; driving Unity of Effort!.” – Vicki Selva, Michigan Defense Center, Executive Director

As we partner with Michigan businesses small and large alike, we want you to know that we appreciate the time and focus you put into the work that you do and we are here to support you.  If you need support to get your business into the defense industry, please view our Online Resource Guide that lays out the steps to get you started.  In addition to the Resource Guide, we encourage you to register your business on the Bid Targeting System (BTS).  BTS was developed by MDC exclusively for Michigan companies to provide business intelligence support that help companies better assess which contracting opportunities to pursue, as well as keep track of the status of current and past bids. 

If you have any questions for the MDC team, please email us at info@michigandefensecenter.org