Thursday, June 7, 2018

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions,  Pocono Manor, PA

Curt Topper was appointed Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services on January 20, 2015 and was confirmed by the Senate on May 12, 2015.

 

As Secretary of General Services, Topper oversees Pennsylvania's state government operating agency responsible for the procurement of goods and services, the management of non-highway capital projects, the management of the Commonwealth's real estate portfolio, increasing and advancing contracting opportunities for small and small diverse businesses and the maintenance and protection of state-owned buildings and facilities.

 

Prior to his appointment to Secretary of DGS, Topper served at Georgetown University, where he renegotiated service and supply arrangements and introduced business process and system improvements to reduce the University's operating costs by more than $1 million.

 

Topper also served as deputy secretary of procurement for the Commonwealth from 2005 to 2008, where he led the department's new shared services centers for procurement, warehousing, and print production. In this role, he was instrumental in modernizing and streamlining operations and played a key role in the implementation of new procurement activities. Topper also negotiated key contracts and reduced costs for the Commonwealth by more than $200 million annually.

Mark R. "Hawk" Thomas is Managing Partner at The Reid Group, where he counsels and consults with federal business ventures through Reid Law PC and Reid Ventures LLC. Colonel Thomas is an industry executive, federal lawyer, military aviator, and electrical engineer with more than thirty years' tested leadership in federal contracting, technology development, and legal advocacy. Colonel Thomas advises, represents, and develops entities seeking to establish, protect, or expand their presence in federal markets. As both strategic mentor and outside legal counsel, he guides businesses through the regulatory labyrinth, technical challenges, financial complexities, and myriad legal mandates inherent to procurement transactions and disputes with federal agencies. He provides clients with specialized support arising from a unique confluence of senior acquisition credentials, broad technology expertise, seasoned business acumen, and specialized legal skills, together with the exceptional focus, intrinsic synergy, and superior value arising from these qualifications in a single source.