[Edwardsville, IL/Sept. 3, 2025] Tapping into the vast opportunities for small businesses in the aerospace and defense sectors was the focus of the closing panel of a recent Global Aerospace Summit in the St. Louis region. Panelists included Terressa Bebout, Director of Commander Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRC) and Office of Small Business Strategy at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR); Bill Seamon, Director of Small Business Programs at Air Mobility Command (AMC) at Scott Air Force Base; Kyle Anderson, Executive Director and CEO of the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois - an economic development agency; and moderator Theresa Ebeler, Center Director at Illinois APEX Accelerator, which assists Illinois businesses with federal, state and local government contracting needs. These industry leaders highlighted what government agencies are looking for, where to find contracting opportunities, industry best and worst practices and more.
Bebout and Seamon emphasized small businesses’ critical role in supporting the military’s industrial base, noting that both the Navy and Air Force are actively seeking innovative, agile suppliers for everything from avionics and aircraft maintenance to advanced manufacturing and IT. The two expressed their organizations’ continuous need for skilled artisans, sheet metal mechanics, plastic and molding experts and sustainment partners for aging and next-generation fleets. “We need every small business manufacturer we can find,” Bebout said.
Seamon added, “Air Mobility Command has KC-135s that were designed before I was born, and I’m not very young.” He said that due to the fleets’ deterioration, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), which is responsible for sustaining and modernizing fleets, recently requested industry information to better increase aircraft availability across mobility fleets, calling on contractors and industry partners for assistance. He shared that there are needs related to new aircraft communication systems that go beyond line of sight, alternate navigation techniques and next generation engines.
Ebeler acknowledged that despite so many opportunities for collaboration, many small businesses have a certain level of intimidation when approaching government contractors. In reality, federal and state entities - including those with operations in the St. Louis area - want companies to contact them. She said suppliers should come prepared to position themselves as someone who can offer a solution to the contracting agency’s problem. Ebler also urged companies to develop capability statements when engaging with agency contacts and to do it well before meeting them in person. When a company sends in a short 15-page capability brief, she said it allows people like Seamon and Bebout to better connect a contractor with who they need to talk to in the future.
“Preparation is key,” said Ebeler. “Have your capability statement ready, do your homework and don’t be intimidated by the process.” She also noted that companies should always ensure the information they have on file with different agencies is up to date and stay up to speed on cybersecurity compliance requirements.
Bebout addressed common misconceptions about working with the government. She clarified that working with the Navy does not require active-duty military service—there are many civilian roles available. NAVAIR’s last fiscal year workforce totaled 43,500, with 29,700 of them being civilians, highlighting the broad range of opportunities for individuals and businesses to support military operations without wearing a uniform.
Bebout stressed that potential bidders shouldn’t pass on a proposal because they can’t fulfill every single element; instead, they should consider reaching out to the prime contractors to address their capabilities to gain an opportunity to sub-contract. They also should ask questions that might alert the contracting entity to the need to break an RFP into two separate parts or, at the very least, help to shape future solicitations. If a contracting entity reaches out with questions on a specific number in a proposal, Bebout said it likely means the bidder has made an error of some sort and needs to take that as an opportunity to fix it.
Anderson provided additional insight on the tremendous opportunities within the St. Louis region’s Metro East, which is home to facilities operated by Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., West Star Aviation and Boeing, as well as Scott Air Force Base. In a recent study, the Leadership Council found that the Scott Air Force Base, which is based in St. Clair County, Ill., has a direct $8.9 billion impact in the area and $12 billion in indirect economic impact.
“So what does indirect mean? It's veterans living here; it is all that secondary and tertiary business that is generated as a result of what Scott Air Force Base is doing directly,” Anderson explained. He invited small and mid-size companies to use the Leadership Council’s network to connect with potential contractors.
Anderson also encouraged them to look to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) website to find opportunities. The website - nga.mil - includes information on active government patents that are for sale focused on products needed for geospatial initiatives as well as others that are aerospace and aviation oriented. “You buy the government patents and you can manufacture it,” said Anderson. “There are so many opportunities that are not being capitalized upon.”
Businesses can also utilize Illinois APEX Accelerator to help better navigate government contracting opportunities. It provides insight on registrations needed and the prerequisites for engagement with federal agencies and to be able to participate in grants, as well as guidance on proposal writing and compliance. Additionally, Bebout and Seamon indicated there are various websites small and mid-size businesses can access to see potential long-range acquisition estimates and other opportunities, including contracts with Boeing. Among those are:
The Department of Navy OSBP website, which includes helpful tips for becoming Navy Procurement ready and the Long Range Acquisition Estimates for upcoming larger contracts of all 10 of the Navy Buying Commands, as well as descriptions of what supplies/services each buying command has the authority to procure; The System for Award Management site at https://SAM.gov/, where businesses can register to do business with the U.S. Government and more; NAVAIR OSBP site at https://www.navair.navy.mil/osbp/ and AMC’s site at https://www.amc.af.mil/Home/MILO-and-Small-Business/
Seamon stressed the importance of showing up to networking events like the Global Aerospace Summit. Whether planning, sitting on a panel or simply attending events, companies and contractors alike foster professional connections that will last longer than the convention itself and potentially help individuals win future contracts.
“I've been able to participate in many events, meet a lot of people, network with people, and that's helped me to fulfill requirements, increased my bench strength, and it's helped the people that I've talked to by finding the right people for them to talk to within the Air Force,” Seamon said.
The key takeaway from the panel was that small and mid-size businesses are not only welcome in the federal contracting space but essential to the defense industrial base.
Held August 13 – 14 in O’Fallon, Ill., the inaugural Global Aerospace Summit was presented by the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois in partnership with Madison County, St. Clair County, and Bi-State Development’s St. Louis Regional Freightway. It drew 400+ industry leaders, educators, government officials, workforce development experts and career seekers who learned about the St. Louis region’s aerospace assets, its potential for continued growth and innovation and various initiatives to grow the workforce. To learn more about the Global Aerospace Summit, visit https://leadershipcouncilswil.com/gas2025/.
Media Contact: Julie Hauser ; 314-629-3887 (cell)
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