ERT’s presence at major industry gatherings reflects a strategic approach for growth and collaboration. Our business development staff and leadership actively attend events to network, engage with key partners, and strengthen relationships that drive future opportunities. At the same time, our program experts are selected to present at leading conferences, demonstrating how ERT transforms ideas into action through innovative solutions. These combined efforts highlight ERT’s commitment to fostering partnerships and delivering impactful results. Below are a few highlights of the industry events we attended this past fall.
Von Braun Memorial Dinner
On October 29, ERT joined leaders from across the aerospace community at the Von Braun Memorial Dinner, the Space Club’s premier annual event and largest fundraiser. The evening honored scholarship recipients and recognized individuals and organizations shaping the future of space exploration.
“I’m honored to be a member of the ERT team attending this year’s Von Braun Memorial Dinner in Huntsville, Alabama, [a] wonderful evening celebrating the achievements and partnerships that continue to advance innovations and space exploration,” said Vice President of Business Development, Mary Beth Stoddard.
ERT was proud to have Douglas Grant, Director of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction at the Missile Defense Agency, and his wife Kelley at our table. Since October 2020, Mr. Grant has led design and construction efforts supporting missile defense capabilities across the Department of Defense.
ERT’s Chief Growth Officer, Chris Rodriguez shared, “the Von Braun Dinner was filled with productive conversations and insights into the space and defense sectors. ERT is actively growing our presence in the defense sector and I’m proud to lead the team responsible.”
FOSS4GNA 2025
From November 3–5, ERT experts Dylan Lee and Abdul Siddiqui represented the company at the FOSS4G North America Conference, showcasing cutting-edge geospatial technologies.
- Dylan Lee presented a poster on ERT’s Scalable Flood Mapping Evaluation System for NOAA, leveraging container orchestration to enable large-scale evaluations beyond previous capabilities.
- Abdul Siddiqui delivered a talk on how the QGIS Processing Framework empowers scientists and geospatial professionals to build performant, modern software tools.
Both sessions were well attended and highlighted ERT’s leadership in environmental modeling and resilience.
Small Business Alliance Meeting
Mary Beth Stoddard and Nancie McCraw attended the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Small Business Alliance Meeting, reinforcing ERT’s commitment to collaboration and service. “Deliver. Pursue. Serve. One of the many messages this morning where I enjoyed connecting with friends and colleagues—ERT proud,” shared Mary Beth Stoddard.
Silicon Valley Space Week
ERT’s Chief Innovation Officer, Jeffrey Arnold, Ph.D., attended the Silicon Valley Space Week, a premier gathering of over 200 global space companies, investors, and technology providers. The event featured C-suite executives, senior government leaders, and technical experts discussing topics such as:
- Building the Modern Space Stack
- On-board AI at Scale
- Navigating Regulation in Commercial Space Contracts
- Government Funding Mechanisms in Space Defense
- Golden Dome Technology Challenges
The conference offered invaluable insights into commercial space and military satellite operations, innovation strategies, and future planning.
Space Force Association Fall Social
Jeffrey Arnold, Ph.D. also engaged in networking at the Space Force Association Fall Social, connecting with Virginia-area space industry representatives and learning about upcoming support projects for Space Force programs. Through these engagements, ERT continues to strengthen industry relationships, share expertise, and drive innovation across space and defense domains.
Spacepower 2025
As a proud sponsor for the Guardians Award Gala, the ERT Team attended Spacepower 2025. Vir Thanvi, Vice President of Enterprise Engineering shared, “the future of space exploration has always excited me. Hearing from the government and industry leaders at this year’s Spacepower got me thinking about what innovative solutions we can bring to the table that solve complex challenges and realize bold visions.”
Our team met with industry partners and connected with government customers to discuss evolving requirements, and innovative ways we can accelerate solution delivery with consideration of commercial priorities. This included senior USSF leadership, policymakers, and peers to forge new partnerships. Our team attended demos, saw new technologies, and explored advanced solutions for space security, defense, and operations.
“Spacepower was a great opportunity for us to showcase ERT alongside some of the biggest companies in the industry. I am already eager for us to return next year,” said Chris Rodriguez, CGO.
