Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast Commanding Officer Capt. Mike Monreal spoke at the annual Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Industry Day event, Dec. 4, at the University of North Florida Adam W. Herbert University Center in Jacksonville, Florida.

The conference consists of a full day of guest speakers and provides networking opportunities for businesses and professionals in the field of engineering that help strengthen national defense and daily business operations.

“NAVFAC Southeast is partners with industry,” said Monreal. “The focus is to have a forum that we partner with industry, large business, small business, and a full spectrum of business partners.”

The command’s goal of attending the conference is to inform local business partners of current and future NAVFAC Southeast projects and plans.

“The industry forum allows us to have meaningful dialogue with business leaders about how we can improve as a command,” said Monreal. “We are able to exchange ideas and consider new innovative ways that the industry may already be doing that will allow us to get better, faster, and more accurate in our business approaches.”

The SAME Industry Day conference was attended by approximately 220 members and guests. Doug McCutchen, president of the Jacksonville Post, would like to see the organization continue to grow with new members.

“We typically look for people involved with architecture, engineering and construction,” said McCutchen. “I encourage anyone interested in becoming a member to visit our website at samejax.org.”

SAME provides a strong bridge between industry and Department of Defense partners. Jacksonville is home to two strong supporting government agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District (USACE JAX) and NAVFAC Southeast.

“Our goal of hosting this event is to bring industry and federal agencies together,” said McCutchen. “It’s all about the national defense of the nation.”

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit www.navy.mil/.