By: Matt Craig, Director of Crane Community Support for Radius Indiana
Crane hosted three major events this spring that show its buying power and connects it with businesses at both a state and national level.
Crane showed its commitment to working with Indiana businesses at the annual Buy INdiana Expo held at French Lick April 9 with the Jasper Chamber of Commerce serving as the 2019 host. The event aligns Hoosier companies to unique opportunities to expand their business through contracts with Crane, but also allows Crane to find new and innovative products and services to support the U.S. military. Nearly 200 companies participated in this year’s expo, where more than 300 Crane representatives held breakout sessions/workshops to educate vendors on conducting business with Crane and also connected interested parties with key contacts.
The base’s $2 billion annual business base pours more than $2 million a day into the Indiana economy — with much of the expenditure coming from procuring goods and services like those showcased at Buy INdiana. A recent economic analysis of one Crane command noted over 6,100 contracts, which exceeded $1.1 billion in awards.
Crane also works with a variety of defense industry contractors, across the nation and globally, who help develop new technology and fulfill mission requirements. Crane connected with hundreds of those contractors at the Advanced Planning Briefings for Industry meeting April 10 at the WestGate Academy. The purpose of the APBI meeting is to provide a collaborative forum for industry and academia to engage with Crane leaders on future technology efforts, requirements, potential contract opportunities, as well as how to do business with Crane.
An Industry Contracting Symposium at WestGate April 18 rounded out the month. Crane’s Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the base’s public works department co-hosted the event with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for construction and support contractors to learn about contracting requirements, the selection process and upcoming contract opportunities at Crane. Recently announced contract awards already include $95 million for new construction, demolition and renovation of facilities as well as infrastructure work during the next five years across multiple commands.
Combined, these events attract hundreds of businesses from Indiana and around the country. As Crane grows its work with the Department of Defense, it draws attention to our Radius Indiana region and state and offers additional opportunities for business growth. We look forward to a year of continued growth and prosperity for Crane and its ever-expanding contractor community.