Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – Small businesses looking for opportunities to work with defense technology companies in and around Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane and the WestGate Technology Park filled the Capitol Ballroom of the Historic Indiana Limestone Co. Tuesday during the Defense Technology, Small Business Expo and Job Fair.
Representatives from 20 small businesses had the floor to make a 10-minute presentation of their company. Businesses ran the gamut of services and expertise, from environmental consulting, electronic systems, engineering, cybersecurity, IT and logistics.
The event was sponsored by EWA and Sigma Defense.
Robert Lanham, Sigma Defense planner / analyst, said about 100 people attended, a number he was pleased with.
“Everyone I’ve talked to said it was a good use of their time and we should do it again next year,” Lanham said. “The whole purpose was to fill that five-month gap between the Crane Connect 2 Mission events.”
Connect 2 Mission is an ongoing series hosted by the Crane Regional Defense Group to highlight departments at NSWC Crane and provide opportunities for networking. Lanham said the goal of Tuesday’s event was to give smaller businesses an opportunity to present their capabilities to an audience that would be similar to a Crane Connect 2 Mission event.
For defense-focused businesses, the event was another chance to learn about new opportunities.
Nathan Eckerle attended on behalf of MANTECH, where he is a cyber engineer and team lead.
“We were looking to connect with small businesses that have not been on our radar to see if there are any niche capabilities that align with upcoming opportunities,” Eckerle said. “There were definitely companies there that we weren’t very familiar with.”
MANTECH is a lead systems integrator providing engineering services across three government sectors – defense, intelligence and federal civilian. The company is headquartered in Virginia and has offices at the WestGate Tech Park in support of defense work for Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane.
The defense industry is always changing with established companies expanding and start-ups entering the space. Following the cancellation of the 2025 Buy Indiana, which annually attracts about 150 businesses interested in doing work with Crane and defense contractors, Eckerle said there have been fewer opportunities to learn about emerging businesses.
“There are a lot of good opportunities at the Buy Indiana Expo and since we missed that opportunity in April, this filled the gap,” Eckerle said.
There were breaks in the day for networking, which Lanham said added value to the event.
“Making connections, more than anything, is why we’re here,” said Lindsey Terrell, director of business operations for Paragon Force in Bloomfield.
Paragon Force employs about 100 people. Founded in 2009, Paragon Force offers engineering services and has a production facility offering custom foam products in addition to fabrication and kitting.
Lanham said the past eight months have brought much change to the defense industry sector – a new administration, changes in government contracting, return to office policies and cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency – have impacted contractors.
Lanham anticipates more work will shift to contractors because the government workforce has been reduced.
Most of the participating companies were from Indiana, but some traveled from California, Texas and Virginia.
“There were a lot of people not from the area who are realizing there are opportunities here and they are looking to be a part of it,” Lanham said.
Kaylee Diamond, NSWC Crane deputy for small business, delivered keynote remarks to open the event pointing out the vast opportunities to work with the base. NSWC Crane spent $460 million with small businesses last year.