By Cynthia Delaney
The Savannah River Site (SRS) has been Aiken’s “economic ocean” since 1952. Missions at SRS, one of America’s renowned sites in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex, have attracted some of the nation’s top nuclear engineers and scientists.
Last summer the Management and Operations contractor at SRS changed, bringing in Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, a company whose partners include Fluor Daniel, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin and Nuclear Fuel Services. At the helm is a retired U.S. Navy commander who led the nation’s submarine fleet. As the President and CEO of SRNS, he now finds himself developing a vision for a different kind of “ocean,” one that encompasses 310-square miles of land along the Savannah River.
Q. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CAPABILITY ARE IMPORTANT TO TECHNOLOGY GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY. HAVING RECENTLY ARRIVED AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE (SRS), WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS? HOW DO WE COMPARE TO OTHER “TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITIES,” AND ARE WE POSITIONED WELL TO COMPETE FOR BUSINESS GROWTH THAT WILL BENEFIT THE AIKEN COMMUNITY?
A. One of our first impressions – and this was not a surprise to us – is that there’s a tremendous talent pool at the Savannah River Site. For some time, we’ve been aware of the reputation the Site has, and our initial impressions confirmed that the reputation is justified, and that the people really represent a significant portion of the intellectual capital of the country in their field. It’s been very satisfying to begin to get to a better understanding of just what the workforce can do.
As far as “technology communities” go, I think the Aiken/Augusta area has a number of things going for it, and we’ve got at least one major discriminator: the Savannah River National Laboratory.
There are only a dozen National Laboratories, and the average person may not realize what a tremendous asset that is. Our ability to compete is linked, in large part, to our ability to continue to grow and advance the Laboratory.
Certainly, the National Laboratory isn’t our only asset. The area’s location, the cost of living, the nuclear friendly climate, the university and technical college infrastructure – these are all advantages as well, even in a highly competitive market.
Q. THE SAVANNAH RIVER NATIONAL LABORATORY (SRNL) IS TRANSITIONING FROM TIGHTLY FOCUSED SRS SPECIFIC MISSIONS TO A BUSINESS MODEL WITH BROAD DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL IMPACT. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO GROW THAT BUSINESS? WILL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR BRING NEW OPPORTUNITY TO THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA (CSRA)?
A. The future that we envision for the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is one of the most exciting parts of our work at SRS. That long-term vision is to firmly establish SRNL’s position as the premier applied science and technology laboratory in the DOE complex, with multiple programs and broadly diversified funding sources. We’ll do this by building on the Laboratory’s existing strengths, including SRNL’s internationally respected experts, experienced workforce, strong core competencies, and political support.
Using the Laboratory’s scientific and technical core competencies as a foundation, and expanding them as needed, we will continue SRNL’s support for SRS activities while increasing the amount of research and development work performed for outside sponsors. We will start by making greater use of the opportunities provided by SRNL’s status as the DOE Office of Environmental Management’s (EM’s) Corporate Laboratory – the “go-to” laboratory for leading EM’s technology planning and development. Then, we will use focused program development approaches to expand our efforts in the areas of environmental management, national and homeland security, energy security, industrial support, and Department of Defense programs. In particular, we will] make best use of the intellectual talent and facilities at the Laboratory by taking advantage of how well suited SRNL’s core competencies and other features are for tackling problems of regional, national and international significance.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has made a commitment to provide a strong impetus for creating new high tech business opportunities in the local area. Initiatives at the other DOE sites have shown us the role that technology transfer can play in new business creation. We will apply the lessons learned from those other sites as we develop serious and systematic efforts to transfer SRNL technologies to existing industry and to startup businesses.
Q. THE SRNS TEAM BRINGS AN AMAZING LIST OF PARTNER COMPANIES. NONETHELESS, COMPETITION ACROSS THE NATION MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENTED PROFESSIONALS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIRE AND DEVELOP “THE BRIGHTEST AND BEST?” WHAT DOES THE SRS OFFER THAT ATTRACTS A WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONAL?
A. I think SRS continues to offer a unique technical, engineering and operational challenge. It also offers an opportunity to learn from people who really know what they’re doing across a number of fields, some of them very unusual. Personally, I think it’s also an advantage that we’re doing this work in a very livable community. I do think, though, that we have to recognize that to some extent, we have to constantly adapt with changes in the talent pool. The next generation of workers doesn’t necessarily have the same paradigm as my generation did. We’ve got to remain consistent about the things that are fundamental to our workplace, but, at the same time, we’ve got to continue to be open minded about things that are important to the people who will take our place. That challenge is not unique to SRNS, but it’s certainly one we’ll be thinking carefully about.
Q. SRS IS MOVING BEYOND ITS TRADITIONAL MISSIONS TO EMBRACE THE NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE AND CONTRIBUTE TO NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY. YOUR CONTRACT GIVES SRNS UP TO TEN YEARS TO CHANGE THE FACE OF SRS. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH DURING THAT TEN-YEAR PERIOD?
A. Our first, basic objective is to achieve ten years of safe, successful stewardship and operation of the missions that have been entrusted to us. That may sound obvious, but it’s so important as to warrant restating. This remains one of the major operating sites in the Department of Energy system, and it’s important that we perform well on day to day safe operation.
Beyond that, we hope to help our client – the Department of Energy – deal with the change that is already on their doorstep … new missions, new technologies, continual fiscal pressure, bifurcation of the contract and the scope of work, and an aging workforce.
To that last point, one of our most important success measures will be whether or not we can hire and train our replacements. We have to look 20 years and beyond and realize this site has needs to continue to be positioned to have important roles for the nation. So we need a workforce that can live up to those future challenges and learn the competencies that will be needed then.
So, 10 years from now SRS should at a minimum be defined by continued excellence in safe and effective operations, a renewed and strategically important National Laboratory, and a refreshed workforce that retains the skills, competence and experience of the first 60 years but is postured for stability over the next several decades.
Q. CONSIDERING THE TECHNICAL AND INTELLECTUAL CAPABILITIES IN RESIDENCE, THE LAND MASS AVAILABLE, AND UNPARALLELED COMMUNITY SUPPORT, THE SRS HAS AN IMPRESSIVE PORTFOLIO OF ASSETS. WHAT DOES SRNS CONSIDER TO BE THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE OF THESE ASSETS? WHAT ROLE WILL THE COMMUNITY PLAY IN HELPING TO DETERMINE THAT “BEST USE?”
A. We have some ideas, but we’re also very aware that it’s the government’s property.
Whatever happens in the future, it has to be consistent with what the Department of
Energy views as an appropriate use of the land and facilities. I think DOE will be open to a lot of possibilities, not only those that are within the traditional DOE framework, but also in areas like power generation, to name one example. Whatever happens, I think it’s paramount that the large missions of the site be broadly supported within the local community. We understand the importance of keeping the community engaged, and we’re comfortable with our role in doing that.
The important point is to continue to maintain the support that exists for SRS remaining an “enduring” site. There’s been a lot of work done by many different parties to see that SRS is a site with a future, and that’s one of the things that attracted us.
Q. PARTNERSHIPS ALREADY EXIST BETWEEN SRS AND REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO STRENGTHEN THOSE PROGRAMS, AND WHAT EFFECT DO YOU EXPECT IT TO HAVE ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY?
A. The partnerships that SRS has with the education community, both K-12 and higher education institutions, are critical to address the human capital issues that we face as a Site. That’s true not just of SRNS; that’s true of everyone doing business on the Site. Our plan is to continue to work with existing partners, such as those with Aiken Technical College and the University of South Carolina Aiken, and look for new opportunities to provide resources to ensure a highly skilled workforce, such as Augusta State University and Clemson University.
We think anything we do to work with education has a potential beneficial impact to the local economy. Even though our primary interest is helping foster the kind of skills we need at SRS, many of those skills are transferable to any number of businesses.
The National Laboratory should also continue to be an excellent source of partnering opportunities for universities and colleges to participate in scientific research and technology development.
Opportunities for individual researchers are one more way to take advantage of this unique asset.
Q. SRNS IS DERIVED FROM SEVERAL WELL KNOWN PARENT COMPANIES BUT ALL ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO THE AIKEN AREA. WHAT STRENGTHS DO YOUR PARENT COMPANIES BRING TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND HOW WILL YOU BE INVOLVED BEYOND THE BORDERS OF SRS?
A. Fluor Daniel has a long history in South Carolina, so we do have some name recognition going for us. All of our partner companies – Fluor, Northrop Grumman, and Honeywell, and our primary subcontractors, Lockheed Martin and Nuclear Fuel Services – are deep, resourceful companies, who are well renowned in project management, construction, defense, manufacturing, technology innovation and other areas. It’s a good group, and we’ve got very responsible, mature leaders from each of the parent companies.
We’re still relatively new to the area, but we’ve been very encouraged by the welcome we’ve gotten. Over time, you’ll see us more involved with some of the community institutions that are important to the region, and we certainly plan to continue to encourage employee participation in activities outside the Site.
Q. SRS HAS MANY WORKERS NEARING RETIREMENT AGE. WHAT WILL SRNS DO TO ASSURE THAT PATHWAYS EXIST TO PROVIDE THE HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE YOU REQUIRE? WHAT TRENDS DO YOU SEE OVER THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS IN SKILL SETS NEEDED IN OUR COMMUNITY?
A. To some extent, the trends are similar to what they’ve always been: we need people who are literate in science and math. That’s always going to be fundamental to the type of work we do. Certainly, we’ll always have a demand for people who can perform higher-level scientific and engineering work.
As long as we set a tone that demonstrates that SRS offers a professional challenge and a stable future, we’ll attract our share of interested people. It’s going to take people working together – not just us, but our client, our university partners, the community, our parent companies – but I’m confident we have the creativity to be successful.
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