From small business insights to behind-the-scenes tours, Tobyhanna Army Depot’s (TYAD) annual Industry Day event turned opportunity into action, as over 200 participants from small and large businesses, government, the NEPA Alliance, and local chambers explored the cutting edge of military innovation and collaboration.

From August 13-15, representatives from local, regional, and national businesses experienced TYAD’s extensive and continuously advancing capabilities and discovered partnership opportunities. Guests represented over 185 different organizations across 20 states and Washington D.C., and have traveled from locations as far as California, Colorado, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.

Each day of the event provided something unique to attendees. The first day focused on small business contracting opportunities in the facilities, mission operations support, and environmental sectors. Chief of TYAD’s Strategic Initiatives Office (SIO) Katlin Edmunds, Director of TYAD’s C4ISR Directorate Jon Strzelec, and Small Business Professional from the Office of Small Business Programs at Aberdeen Proving Ground David Kern also offered insight during a comprehensive question and answer session designed to ensure attendees were equipped to pursue federal contract opportunities.

TYAD Deputy Commander Robert Lantka helped close out day one of Industry Day by sharing the vision of where the depot is headed as an installation.

“I want to thank you for your time and attention as we move toward supporting warfighter readiness. For Tobyhanna, we believe we have the most diverse customer base and the most diverse skillsets. Partnering with industry for things like training, increasing capacity, and growing capability are vitally important to us,” said Lantka. “One of the things we know as a Tobyhanna Team is we absolutely need partnership with industry and there are many different paths.”

Among the day one attendees were Katy Radomski and Sierra Altenbach of Balz Inc., a veteran-owned small business specializing in freight transportation brokerage. They both said they left the event armed with a wealth knowledge previously unknown to them.

“I found the experience to be exceptionally valuable. The presentations were informative, and the networking opportunities were unparalleled, providing meaningful connections with key industry professionals,” said Radomski. “I’m leaving the event feeling inspired and well-equipped to continue to grow at Balz Inc. I highly recommend it for any small business looking to expand their reach! Thank you to all the staff at Tobyhanna Army Depot for hosting such an incredible event,” said Altenbach.

The event’s second day offered attendees detailed tours and briefs from various depot subject matter experts. Attendees applauded the depot for expanding the event’s tour segment and providing firsthand insights into the depot’s mission.

The third and final day of the event was geared towards Public-Private Partnering (P3) opportunities, which are cooperative engagements between an organic product support provider and one or more private sector entities to perform defense-related work, use Department of Defense (DOD) facilities and equipment, or both, according to Edmunds.

“Partnering is a cooperative effort, not a competitive engagement,” said Edmunds.

Those who attended P3 briefings had the opportunity to learn about Tobyhanna’s capabilities and receive insights directly from depot leadership, who highlighted the key to nurturing winning relationships with small and large businesses alike.

“One of the things I want to instill in these relationships is a high level of trust – you have to trust that we will protect your information and your interest as a business,” said Depot Commander Col. James L. Crocker. “And you have to trust that we’re providing quality products that you can get out in accordance with cost, schedule and performance to meet your requirements.”

Networking events and breakout sessions were also part of the event. TYAD Chief of Staff Kristyn Smith provided overviews of Tobyhanna’s operations and business strategies, highlighting the impact that events such as Industry Day have on our nation’s warfighters.

“A strong partnership between government and industry is essential to the success of our nation’s security. I can’t thank you enough for being here,” said Smith.

TYAD experts briefed potential partners on the depot’s evolving capabilities and the new and ongoing partnership opportunities they enable. Senior Marketing Manager at The Tatitlek Corporation John Griggs was among those present during the week. He said that for him, the event was highly educational.

“Tobyhanna Army Depot is constantly refreshing its approach so that it is actually meeting the needs of their customers. I learned a lot about what Tobyhanna does and how it operates, which is different from other bases,” said Griggs. “The Industry Day event was very educational and very well done.”

Many attendees left Industry Day with a deeper appreciation for the significance of partnerships in enhancing warfighter readiness and achieving organizational objectives.

Vice President for Federal and State Contracts and Business Development for The Judge Group Maria Batista said she found the opportunity to connect with others in the industry invaluable.

“The networking with the other original equipment manufacturers that were here – that’s amazing. You can’t replace relationships,” said Batisita. “I previously worked for the U.S. Navy on the civilian side, and I know it’s very hard to get those relationships from the inside to the external public, and I think that this is a great way to learn the different players out there. I think this was a great event.”

Col. Crocker celebrated the event’s success, highlighting the vital role of collaboration between the public and private sector.

“We were honored to host so many important partners from across industry and take some time to see how we can help each other to support our nation’s warfighters,” said Col. Crocker. “This week was tremendously successful, and we look forward to continuing as the organic industrial base leader in establishing public-private partnerships, as they are key to our strategy to continue as the best value for our warfighters.”

Logistics Management Specialist Christopher Lupole said he is enthusiastic about the limitless opportunities that come from bringing together many great minds in one place.

“Every year we look forward to hosting this event as it allows us to bring the best defense minds from both the private and public sectors into one space,” said Lupole. “The networking and brainstorming opportunities are endless.”

Both TYAD and its current and potential partners remain committed to exploring new collaboration avenues to deliver superior readiness and value to our nation’s warfighters. The SIO team encourages attendees to continue their involvement with Tobyhanna, both in the present and for years to come.

“We were thrilled to see over 200 personnel register for the event this year, an increase from 2023. We hold our annual Industry Day event to strengthen our relationships with our private sector partners,” said Edmunds. “Strong, robust partnerships between government and industry are essential to the success of our nation’s security and economy.”

Industry Day is a TOBY2035 Shape the Future and Connecting with the Community endeavor. TOBY2035, the depot’s long-range strategic plan, has four focus areas: Investing in Our People, C5ISR Readiness, Shape the Future and Strategic Communications. TOBY2035 aims to posture the depot for success in the coming years as the Department of Defense’s premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.

Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post-production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.

About 3,300 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to deliver integrated C5ISR weapon systems, business systems, and medical sustainment to enable full spectrum combat operations at the point of need.