SAME’s Omaha Post provided lunch for Project Healing Waters’ Second outing, which was held on July 22nd at Lake Cunningham from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event took place on the west side of the lake at Gate 3 off 96th street.

Thank you to those who volunteered by helping to serve lunch or assisting the participants with fly fishing. Your efforts contributed to the success of the event and made a positive impact on the participants.

For more volunteer opportunities or information about upcoming events, please contact Rob Hufford at lawrence.hufford.2@us.af.mil or at 301-803-8251.

Thank you to everyone who attended our 2023 Industry Day! Both Industry and Government provided extraordinary support of our event as we had record registrations and outstanding sponsorships and booth participation. This event will allow us to continue supporting our Post's scholarship programs and building interest in STEM locally.

Huge thank you to all of our Industry Day Committee members and volunteers, but special thank you to special gratitude to our Co-Chairs, Stephanie Heibel and Jeanne LeBron, for all their efforts!

General Membership Meeting Post Awards and Change of Officers

July 2022 - Omaha, NE

Awards Presentations

During the July 2022 General Membership Meeting Kandi Srb was presented with SAME's Regional Vice President's Medal. The RVP medal is presented to those members that have demonstrated exemplary service to SAME. In addition, Mike Huffstetler was presented with the Douglas A. Plack Golden Eagle Award. Kandi and Mike were recognized during the 2022 Omaha Industry Day but did not receive their awards until the July meeting due to supply chain issues.

Change of Officers

The SAME Omaha Post has installed news officers for 2022-2023. Newly elected members include president, Natasha Hartley; Secretary, Brec Wilshusen; Treasurer, Brian Schuele; Vice President for IGE, John Hudson; Vice President for Resilience, Morgan Sykes; Vice President for Professional Development and Personal Growth, Kandi Srb; Co-Vice Presidents for Leadership and Mentoring, Anne Peterson and Bill Glismann; Vice President for Relationships, Bobbi Jo Lang; Director for Young Members and Student Outreach, Stephanie Ling, Director for Communications, Ryan Watzke; and Director for Awards and Recognition, Stephanie Heibel.

 

USACE Crystal Castle Award Presentation

Colonel Mark Himes presented Natasha Hartley with a crystal USACE castle award in recognition of her service as Secretary during his term as President.

UPDATED: July 18, 2022

Change of Officers

July 2021 - Omaha, NE

Change of Officers

The SAME Omaha Post installed news officers for 2021-2022 during its July 2021 General Membership Meeting. Newly elected members include president, COL Mark Himes; Secretary, Natasha Hartley; Treasurer, Brian Schuele; Vice President for IGE, Mike Huffstetler; Vice President for Resilience, Brec Wilshusen; Vice President for Professional Development and Personal Growth, Kandi Srb; Co-Vice Presidents for Leadership and Mentoring, Anne Peterson and Bill Glismann; Vice President for Relationships, Bobbi Jo Lang; Director for Young Members and Student Outreach, Stephanie Ling, Director for Communications, Ryan Watzke; and Director for Awards and Recognition, Stephanie Heibel.

UPDATED: August 5, 2021

Project Healing Waters

June 2021 - Omaha, NE

Fly Fishing Event

Our SAME Omaha Post continued our partnership with Project Healing Waters this past weekend. For the first time since the pandemic arrived, we were able to restart our tradition of providing lunch for the attendees of the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Event. Project Healing Waters benefits for veterans, particularly those that have suffered PTSD and physical trauma. Through the winter, they tie flies and build fly rods. During the summer, Project Healing Waters sponsors monthly tournaments in which participants compete for an opportunity to win an expenses-paid trip to a major trout fishing destination, usually in the Rocky Mountains. Our SAME Omaha Post provides lunch at these tournaments.

Our (SAME) participation was limited to three volunteers. For this tournament, Bobbi Jo Lang, John Remus, and Dave Packard cooked brats and burgers for the participants and PHW volunteers. Our July tournament will be held in Weeping Water.

UPDATED: June 29, 2021

Hudson Joins Stanley Consultants

January 2021 - Omaha, NE

John Hudson, Army Account Manager

COL(Ret.) John L. Hudson, P.E., F.SAME, has joined Stanley Consultants as their Army Account Manager based in Omaha, Nebraska. John’s primary responsibilities will be to manage the firms existing and future contracts with the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and other Army clients. Hudson brings more than 26 years of expertise in delivering large national security and public infrastructure engineering and construction programs, as well as hydropower production, construction management, water resource management, disaster response, environmental compliance, inland navigation and stakeholder and public relations. Stanley Consultants provides program management, planning, engineering, environmental and construction services worldwide for serve federal, municipal and industrial clients in the national defense, energy and infrastructure sectors.

UPDATED: January 21, 2021

John Hudson, PE Named SAME Fellow!

December 2020 - Omaha, NE

John Hudson, PE, FSAME

John Hudson has been named a SAME Fellow this month. His 26-year military career as an Army Engineer Officer culminated as the District Commander of Omaha District, during which he oversaw the historic 2019 Missouri River Flood response and $400M restoration effort. John also served key positions as the Executive Officer the Chief of Engineers, District Commander of Nashville District and Senior Engineer at Defense Logistics Agency. Throughout his military career he has maintained an active role in SAME Posts at nearly every assignment. He has served as the Post President at both the Nashville and Omaha Posts, been an active board member, and significantly contributed to both the Society and our Nation. COL Hudson has consistently been a strong proponent for US Army Corps of Engineer engagement with SAME to strengthen industry-government collaboration and has presented at numerous SAME conferences, workshops and luncheons.  

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri of Science and Technology, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering (Structural) at the University of Kansas. His military education includes the Army Command and General Staff College, Combined Arms and Staff Services School, and the Engineer Officer Advanced and Basic Courses. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Texas.

Among many of his career accomplishments and awards include:

• A Silver and Bronze de Fleury Awards for exceptional service to the Army Engineer Regiment
• Legion of Merit for service to the Nation culminating as Commander of Omaha District
• Three Bronze Stars including; service as the Executive Officer in the 9^th Engineer Battalion, 172^nd Infantry Brigade in South-central Iraq in 2008-2009, a battalion comprised of six companies and over 800 soldiers, service as the Officer-in-Charge of the Central Baghdad USACE Reconstruction Office 2005-2006 where he was responsible for overseeing over 100 projects worth $280M within the “Green Zone” and Southwestern Baghdad and service as Combat Engineer Company Commander in 54th Engineer Battalion during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 where he led a company of 100 soldiers as part of the lead echelon in the initial attack to Baghdad
• 3rd QTR 2011 Field Grade Officer of the Quarter at the Defense Logistics Agency for exceptional performance facilitating construction material procurement in Central Asia in support of operations in Afghanistan
• Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society
  
• Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
  
• Eagle Scout
  
• Numerous other Military Awards to include: Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4 OLC), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4 OLC), Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC), Combat Action Badge, Ranger Tab and Parachutist Badge
  

UPDATED: December 30, 2020

Michael D. Huffstetler, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP Named SAME Fellow!

December 2020 - Omaha, NE

Mike Huffstetler, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, FSAME

Mike Huffstetler has been named a SAME Fellow this month. He has been an active member of the SAME for 22 years, having been a member of 10 Posts throughout that period. Mike’s service to the Society reflects his diversity of support from volunteer Committee membership through elected Post and National leadership positions. His current role as Chair of the Membership Community of Interest will allow him to develop policies that will benefit all members as he works to fulfill the goals of the 2025 Strategic Plan. Mike’s strength lies in his passion for development of young leaders, within SAME, through STEM programs as early as the middle school level, in the development of young professionals in Architecture and Engineering, and to the members of the military community. He has selflessly promoted the growth of young leaders through involvement in the U.S. Coast Guard, in his professional position within Leo A Daly Company, and within the local community and public-school system. Mike has been recognized for his dedication to these principles, providing quantifiable results through his sustained efforts and reflecting wholehearted subscription to the Society’s Mission, Vision, and Values.  

Mike has held increasingly challenging positions throughout his 33-year career in the AEC industry. A graduate of the University of Virginia and the US Air Force Institute of Technology, Mike served as a Civil Engineering Officer at Norton AFB, then at Eielson AFB, as liaison officer and later Executive Officer to the Commander at USACE Transtlantic Division, and then as primary USAF liaison officer for USACE in the Pentagon for the $1.2 B PENREN Program. After his military career, Mike worked for a several well-recognized design and construction firms on both military and civilian projects. One of Mike’s most interesting civilian projects was his role as Deputy Program Director during final stage of design of the $900M, 1.3M SF International Terminal at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, including a 14-gate concourse, 1,100 car parking deck, APM link to existing concourses, test track extension, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities, and TSA passenger and In-Line baggage screening functions. Specialized areas of the new terminal include 54,000 SF of concourse hold rooms, 80,000 SF of commercial space, and 19,000 SF FIS processing and check-bag screening areas.

Currently Mike serves as Vice President and Corporate Director of Federal Programs at Leo A. Daly in Omaha.

UPDATED: December 30, 2020

Bill Glismann, PE Named SAME Fellow!

December 2020 - Omaha, NE

Bill Glismann, PE, FSAME

Bill Glismann has been named a SAME Fellow this month. He is a Professional Civil Engineer who has actively served the SAME Omaha Post for 27 years, including as Post President. As a private consulting engineer, he is involved in the management and design of wide variety of projects including roadways, airfields, building sites, military bases, trails, and parks. His experience includes design projects with many military agencies throughout the Midwest. Bill also has distinguished his service to SAME through his leadership of the Omaha Post’s STEM program. The program matches volunteer SAME mentors with teams of students and teachers from area high schools and junior high schools to study and develop engineering-related projects for a competition, reaching over 300 students each year. Of the over 5,000 students he personally touched through the program, many are full-time engineers and architects, some are student post members, and many have pursued military engineering as a career. Bill’s dedication to the Omaha Post initiative to promote STEM careers to students has propelled the program through 23 years of growth to become a premier program in the Omaha metropolitan region. Bill has been the recipient of the Regional Vice President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Society; several Omaha Post President’s Awards of Excellence and the Douglas A. Plack Golden Eagle Award.  

One of Bill’s more interesting career successes was the Novozymes project in Blair Nebraska, situated on a 66-acre property with the Biorefinery Campus encompassing 30 acres. The plant is the largest enzyme production plant for biofuels in the United States and currently employs 120 people. The $200,000,000 campus included 20 buildings, 2 miles of roads and extensive utility and process piping. Buildings included state of the art fermentation and mixing facilities and the complex control center.

Bill’s career, since 1985 has included 21 years as Design Engineer and Civil Engineering Department Manager at Batheja & Associates plus 13 years as Senior Project Manager at HGM Associates, Inc..

UPDATED: December 30, 2020

Fisher House Visit

December 2020 - Omaha, NE

Fisher House Visit

Our SAME Omaha Post hosted a tour of the Fisher House in Omaha, Nebraska this month. The Fisher House provide free, comfortable housing located at military and VA medical facilities around the world for families while their loved ones are receiving care. Worldwide, they are able to serve 1200 families per day and have served over 500,000 since its inception.  

Our Post met with the Manager of the Omaha Fisher House, Ms. Colleen Vonderhaar.  She shared the Mission of the Fisher House Foundation and gave us the history on the Fisher Family, the Foundation in whole, and the Omaha House.  She then gave us a tour of their 16 Bedroom House.  One of the philosophies throughout the Foundation is that the Houses are supposed to feel like a Home and not a Hotel.  They want them to be inviting and relaxing.  While each bedroom appears to be a hotel room it was still a softer, gentler atmosphere.  There is also a large kitchen, tv room, dining room, library nock, and laundry facility.  She explained how the guests are allowed to utilize any of these facilities at any time and they do their best to keep it stocked with snacks, goodies, and cleaning supplies so that the guests don’t have to worry about these items as they’re traveling in from a distance away to be with their loved one who is in the hospital.

Photos from our visit, including Rob Hufford our Veteran Outreach and Community Involvement Coordinator receiving a commemorative coin for organizing this great event, can be found here.

UPDATED: December 16, 2020