I am writing to you today to express our appreciation for your investment in the Shipbuilding Supplier Industrial Base through ASSA. 2020 has been a most interesting and challenging year. I believe ASSA successfully adapted to the new normal and had an extraordinarily successful year in supporting our member companies and in our advocacy for Buy American for US Government shipbuilding programs. I have attached an annual report to recap this unique year. In short, we:
held a successful DC Fly-in meting with 12 members of Congress and Peter Navarro at the White House;
held a Congressional Reception where we presented Congressman John Garamendi with The Honorable Thad Cochran Leadership Award;
continued our Buy American Advocacy to ensure that 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier suppliers are protected;
formed a government relations team to continue advocacy throughout the year;
held virtual meetings to provide our members with access to key Navy, Coast Guard and Congressional leaders;
participated in a meeting to provide input to RDML Anderson’s 90-day assessment;
presented the Founder’s Award to ASSA’s former CEO, Laura Haas Knox for her contributions to our industry;
provided members with an up-date on the FY21 NDAA Conference Agreement – Industrial Base, Buy American provisions; and, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill;
made national headlines in Breaking Defense in support of our Buy American advocacy;
sent multiple press releases and position papers to members of Congress and the media including the Acquisition Reform Working Group offering our position on Buy American.
In 2021, we plan to establish a Digital Marketing Committee to help us devise and implement strategies to increase our national presence. Please let Tish Williams know of any staff within your company who would like to be a part of this group. We believe the first part of the year will continue to require us to meet virtually but it will not stop us from achieving our goals. In 2021, our DC Fly-in will need to be virtual meetings with members of Congress; and we will continue to hold our meetings virtually until travel and face to face meetings can be restored safely. The annual list of meetings and events is attached to add to your calendar. We are incredibly pleased to welcome several new member companies this year: Chris Deegan with Gibbs & Cox, Terry Allvord with Quantum Marine Stabilizers and Mike Stobbart with ListerChain. Our voice gets louder with more companies joining ASSA, so we ask you to consider encouraging other companies who should be invited to join with us as we continue to advocate our position to Buy American.
We look forward to working with you in the New Year.
George E. Williams, CEO
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