NextFlex participated in the “DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) and Manufacturing USA Panel” of the 2023 Mentor Protégé Summit. The session was moderated by Steve Luckowski with speakers: Nigel Francis, Executive Director, LIFT; Kimberly Gibson, Ecosystem Director, America Makes, and Ed Hendricks, Director of Business Development, NextFlex. The audience consisted of DoD Mentor-Protégé Program Managers of the Army, Navy, Airforce, DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency), DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Department of Defense), MDA (Missile Defense Agency), NGIA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency), other DoD Small Business Program offices, and companies representing large and small contractors of the Defense Industrial Base.
In this session, each panelist described their organization’s unique mission and ecosystem, their engagement with small businesses, as well as their ongoing programs that support small businesses and the impact of these programs. In addition to explaining NextFlex’s mission of advancing FHE technology, growing the ecosystem and securing Human Capital, Ed Hendricks provided highlights of the California Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (CADENCE), NextFlex’s support to DoD with Agency Directed Projects, and Project Calls – all with the tie-in to the support of small, emerging businesses of the Defense Industrial Base. Panelists answered questions from the audience regarding how they can engage with each of the institutes – emphasizing the value of membership, participation, and the collaborative impact of inclusion in the FHE ecosystem.
