Why AFCEA? Its Benefits. Your Engagement
Spring 2024 marks two decades since I attended my first AFCEA event. Looking back over the years, it wasn’t until 2015, when I met AFCEA Regional Vice President Alvie Johnson, that I began to comprehend how my involvement in AFCEA International and the AFCEA Belvoir Chapter could benefit my employer, Connected Logistics, and my own professional development. In 2016, I joined the AFCEA Belvoir Chapter Board as chair of Small Business Programs, and later that same year, I joined the AFCEA International Small Business Committee (SBC) as a liaison to the AFCEA Belvoir Chapter.
During my five years on the AFCEA Belvoir Board, I planned and executed more than 20 small business-focused events, giving me exposure to hundreds of Department of Defense (DoD) and industry leaders across the small business and government contracting (GovCon) ecosystems. I have served as a SBC co-chair and chair and now chair emeritus and am an AFCEA ambassador, cheerleader and active participant at AFCEA events.
I have made lifelong friends; been introduced to, and worked with, service providers who have positively affected Connected Logistics’ growth; and Connected Logistics has pursued and subsequently been awarded task orders we may not have competed for were it not for relationships developed and maintained through AFCEA. We were thrilled to be named the 2021 AFCEA Small Business of the Year, and tout this on our business cards, corporate signature lines, and in requests for information and requests for proposal responses.
My advice to other government contractors evaluating which networking organizations to join and how best to get involved include the following:
- Become an AFCEA Corporate Member
- Identify a primary point of contact within your organization to drive the company’s strategic investments of time and money across the AFCEA ecosystem
- Accelerate the return on your investment in AFCEA by leveraging the power of LinkedIn
- Don’t just attend AFCEA events—volunteer; contribute your time, experience and resources; apply for seats on AFCEA’s Committees; and get involved with your local AFCEA chapter
Eric P. Strauss is the chief growth officer for Connected Logistics and the responsible manager at Canopy Health, a VA T4NG2 IDIQ SDVOSB Prime.
