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  • CANA's "DIANA"

    CANA is excited to soon complete its Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) efforts for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). We have an innovative proposal for an artificial intelligence (AI) solution to maximize efficiency and safety in DLA warehousing receiving activities. CANA’s proposed AI solution - DIANA, for Data Integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Network Applications - will predict what materials are contained within arriving trucks at DLA warehouses during any week - by truck and by day. This predicted information - the quantity of individual boxes and their dimensions - has been, to this point, relatively unknown because of Bill of Lading (BOL) inaccuracies and/or the availability of only total freight size and weight data. The ability to predict the dimensions and quantity of items inside any single truck provides a significant increase in knowledge and specificity in DLA planning factors, improving the efficiency and accuracy of workforce and equipment estimations within a particular work period. Compounded over days, weeks, and months, the reduction in wasted or insufficient labor and equipment is considerable. We anticipate this to positively impact customer experience and improve warehouse fulfillment metrics and key planning performance indicators. The potential for commercialization is real and present. The application is intended for a mobile device or computer, providing versatility and convenience to a wide range of businesses. Our next phase of software design will bolt on to most commercial warehouse management systems. We estimate the cost savings resulting in increased accuracy and availability of information to be over half a million dollars for a typical medium-size commercial fulfillment warehouse running 24-hour operations. CANA is keen to move on to the next steps. With the continued support of DLA, these steps will include prototyping, testing, and evaluation until we have achieved a state of technological readiness. We anticipate our DIANA solution to be a game-changer to DLA, and eventually, a solution we can offer to a wide variety of commercial partners looking to revolutionize their warehouse game. If you’d like to contact Cherish Joostberns, CANA Media, you can reach Cherish at cjoostberns@canallc.com

  • 90th MORS Symposium is back in person and CANA will be there!

    Next week in Quantico, VA the 90th MORS Symposium is being held in person. The event is in person for the first time since 2019. CANA team members attending are Norm Reitter, Renee Carlucci, Connor McLemore, Brian Morgan, and Walt DeGrange. CANA has three presentations during the weeklong event. Here are the days, times, locations, speakers, and titles of the presentations. Tuesday, June 14, 2022 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT WG06 Command and Control (C2) GRC Meeting Room 125 “Dreamcatcher: Attacking moving, distributed, defended targets in dynamic, high-threat environments” Connor McLemore Wednesday, June 15, 2022 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Special Session WC Lecture Hall #1 “Building Trust– Effective Strategies for a Positive Work Environment” Renee Carlucci Thursday, June 16, 2022 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM EDT FS01 Analytic Capability Development Breckinridge Hall Auditorium “Analysis + Trust + Communication + Experience = Awesome Analytics!” Walt DeGrange If you can't make it to one of the presentations and want to learn more about CANA please stop by our table at the partners' exhibit hall. Safe travels and see everybody at the 90th next week!

  • Five Years of the CANA Foundation

    Our mission is simple – We are committed to creating positive change and providing creative solutions to problems to enhance the lives of people, organizations, and the environment in our communities. 5 years. 5 years of purpose. 5 years of connecting. 5 years of giving. When Rob and Liz Cranston started CANA back in 2008, they were driven by a purpose and a vision - to create an organization that was innovative and devoted to excellence, but also supportive of an environment where generosity would flourish and together we could take on the tough challenges our world and our communities face. That desire to do good, to see a smile on someone’s face when they receive an unexpected gift or when they learn something new, is why we work so hard. Giving back is our raison d’être. The CANA Foundation was established in 2017 on the premise that we are blessed with individual talents, financial resources, and a successful company that provides a platform for the CANA family to connect with and give back to community areas we feel passionate and care about. We believe we have an obligation to use those skills and resources to help individuals and organizations in our communities overcome the barriers they face. This year, in 2022, we celebrate the 5 Years of CANA Foundation! These past five years have given us opportunities to give back to our communities in more ways than we could have imagined. Our team has turned their passions into purpose with over 45 completed initiatives. From helping students create their own children’s book to creating an analytics course for veterans, we have seen our team make a positive change in their communities. For the rest of 2022, we will commemorate the 5th anniversary of the CANA Foundation by showcasing some of our initiatives, the people behind them, and the future of the CANA Foundation. Stay tuned for more of 5 Years of CANA Foundation.

  • Coast to Coast

    CANA Attends Key Events By Will Berry Pentagon Energy Expo The Pentagon Energy Expo took place over two busy days in September, one sunny and one rainy. Regardless of the weather, the courtyard of the Pentagon was the ideal setting for over a hundred exhibitors ringing the central courtyard walking path to demonstrate emerging technology capabilities that will help preserve U.S. military dominance in future contested logistics environments. The Expo was hosted by a number of Department of Defense sponsors including the individual Service branches, and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD), Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)), Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF), and the Operational Energy Prototype Fund (OEPF). These sponsors had the opportunity to view a variety of cutting edge technology, including vehicle electrification, installation energy resilience, batteries, energy storage, energy distribution, power generation, software, and cybersecurity. One of the standout exhibits was the eTHOR, a project funded by OECIF, sponsored by National Information Warfare Center-Pacific (NIWC PAC), and project-managed by CANA. eTHOR will provide a network of electric vehicles capable of storage, transport, delivery, and exportation of energy in a contested environment. In addition, the system is an agile 5G network infrastructure, deploying and extending 5G’s low latency, high bandwidth capabilities to the expeditionary force enabling unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and all domain command and control. The goal of the system is to increase the efficiency of energy logistics in a contested environment and provide sufficient network communications to enable the future force. A tag line of the Expo was, “[e]nergy is the key enabler that will keep the Joint Forces in the fight to achieve decisive victory.” With that in mind, the eTHOR exhibit showcased electric vehicle technology and exportable energy all-in-one by having a DANNAR Mobile Power Station (MPS) at the eTHOR booth. It was a unique visual draw that brought hundreds of visitors to the exhibit. Amongst those visitors was Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks, resulting in a special opportunity to directly share the significant energy plus 5G communications capabilities the eTHOR system will bring to bear. In regards to the Expo, Deputy Defense Secretary Hicks was quoted that energy innovation, "...has to do with national security and what it takes to have the capabilities we need for the warfighter today and going forward.” Well said, we believe, and the eTHOR project is excited to deliver. Unmanned Systems West The Unmanned Systems West Conference took place late September in San Diego, CA, and was a fascinating forum of presentations, analysis and discussion. It focused on how the military, government, technology industry, and academics can work together to develop capabilities that advance Unmanned Systems (UxS) capabilities to benefit the warfighter on land, sea and air. The conference was billed as an opportunity to further dialogue on tactical and technical priorities and the challenges of autonomy and artificial intelligence and to shine a light on ongoing research and innovation that will help integrate both UxS and robotic capabilities. It was successfully achieved on all fronts. Over the two day conference, there were a number of common themes woven through the presentations and panel discussions, including the need for increased collaborative research on design to decrease prototyping systems costs and to increase design speed. Ideas, such as low-cost platform sharing based on common vehicle chassis, were recognized as a tactic to accelerate change; otherwise we risk losing from an acquisition perspective. While there were many different perspectives offered by the presenters and panelists, the iterative design notion – to collaborate, develop, test, fail fast, and evolve – was a common theme that encapsulated the pathway to effectively meet requirements and achieve success. On Day One, the conference was capstoned with a special presentation by one of our partners, NavalX So Cal Tech Bridge Director, Captain Ben Cohen, USMC, who discussed industry innovation needs and requirements. Attendees were enlightened to Capt Cohen’s unique perspective as a Marine Corps warfighter and as the new Director of the NavalX So Cal Tech Bridge. Amongst other things, Capt Cohen discussed bringing warfighters into the academic/industry ecosystem by highlighting the need to focus capabilities on the diverse pool of end users first, with the technology to follow. By focusing on the end user first, the culture of the warfighter is taken into account, which is paramount because, as Capt Cohen stated, “...culture eats strategy for lunch.” #innovation #warfighter #autonomy #5G #connected

  • Veterans Day for Marines

    Every Marine knows the date, the 10th of November, which makes the following day, Veterans Day, a bit different. Veterans have Veterans Day to commemorate their military service on the 11th of November. And the Marines have the Marine Corps Birthday to commemorate their roots, one day earlier. All active duty and former Marines will wish each other a happy birthday on the Marine Corps Birthday. Marines will also tell you that the timing of these two back-to-back American holidays is ideal since it gives Marines a day off after their Birthday Ball celebrations and festivities. America’s military is a unique breed of people who are called to serve, not only to protect their country but, more importantly, they’re called to serve through their oath: to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. The distinction between country and Constitution is vital because it prioritizes the principles spelled out in the Constitution ahead of the desires of our citizens or the values we codify in-laws. A Unique Breed U.S. Marines are a unique breed of America’s military. While each of the military branches have different missions and specialties, one key fact that makes Marines different from the rest of the U.S. Armed Forces is that all Marines are combatants. They are all basic riflemen trained to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, or repel the enemy's assault by fire and close combat. More specifically, the Marine Corps does not have doctors, dentists, chaplains, etc. However, since the Marines work so closely with the U.S. Navy (a separate military branch) they receive health and spiritual services from Navy doctors, medics (called corpsmen), chaplains, etc. Additionally, the Marines are a small, tightly integrated military corps with both tactical fixed-wing (fighter jets) and rotary-wing (helicopters) to support their ground troops. The U.S. Army only has tactical helicopters to support their ground troops. If the Army needs fixed-wing combat support, they’d call on the U.S. Air Force. Celebrations and Observances Veterans Day is officially observed with two minutes of silence at 11:11 AM PST to commemorate the ending of WW I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. (It’s celebrated at 11:11 AM PST instead of EST so that all time zones in the United States can celebrate it simultaneously.) Additionally, dozens of parades and ceremonies are held, throughout the country, along with deals, discounts, and freebies, to honor our Veterans. While Veterans Day is marked with two minutes of silence, the Marine Corps Birthday is observed with two hours of pageantry, throughout the world, at Marine Corps Birthday Balls. The highlight of the Marine Corps Ball is the cake-cutting ceremony which follows a basic script where the first piece of cake is presented to the guest of honor. The second piece of cake is given to the oldest Marine present who then presents the youngest Marine with the third piece of cake to symbolize the passing of experience, knowledge, and tradition from the old to the young. Even though active duty Marines aren’t yet veterans, they greatly appreciate having the next day, Veterans Day, off from work to rest up from the previous night’s celebrations. Semper Fi and thank you for your service. Joe Moreno Joe Moreno is a Director of Development at CANA Advisors. You can follow him at joemoreno.com or contact him via email at jmoreno@canallc.com.

  • The CANA Foundation

    5K Celebration “5for5” By Kassie McRostie CANA established the CANA Foundation in 2017 on the premise that we are blessed with individual talents, financial resources, and a successful company that provides a platform for the CANA family to connect with and give back to community areas we feel passionate and care about. We believe we have an obligation to use our skills and resources to help individuals and organizations in our communities overcome any barriers they face. Truly, we rise by lifting others. This year, in 2022, we celebrate five years of the CANA Foundation! These past five years have given us opportunities to give back to our communities in more ways than we could have imagined. Our team has turned their passions into purpose with over 45 completed initiatives. To celebrate the five year anniversary, CANA decided to do our own internal 5K competition! Over the months of June, July and August, the CANA team was challenged to complete as many individual 5Ks as they could over the course of the three months. The “5for5” could be done in any form - kayak, bike, run, walk, skydive, or whatever they wanted! The best part about the celebration is, for every 5K our team members did, we put the CANAer’s favorite charity into a raffle drawing. At the end of the summer, we randomly selected three of the submitted charities to receive a special CANA Foundation donation. Our team had fun sharing photos of themselves at various stages of their 5Ks; we were able to share so many different perspectives! From the beach to the mountains, Team CANA completed over 347 5Ks and over 1,079 miles. If you can imagine, that’s the driving distance from Ontario to Tennessee! Needless to say, our CANAers showed up and rocked the “5for5.” The winning charities selected for CANA contributions ranged from womens’ groups to animal shelters to veterans organizations. We still have three months left to celebrate the CANA Foundation’s 5 Year Anniversary, so stay tuned to see how we wrap up this year! #giveback #CANAFoundation #teamCANA #charity #outreach #teambuilding

  • CANA Welcomes Shawn Charchan and Mark Raffetto to Team CANA!

    CANA would like to welcome aboard Shawn Charchan as our Technical Director of Energy Solutions, and Mark Raffetto as our Senior Operations Research Analyst! We are excited to have Shawn and Mark a part of team CANA. Get to know them below! Shawn Charchan Technical Director of Energy Solutions “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” - George S. Patton Shawn joins our team with ten years of experience as a Marine, having served first as a logistician and later as a uniformed operations research analyst. After transitioning to civilian life in 2010 Shawn began work as a Senior Operations Research / Systems Analysis (ORSA) and team lead and quickly found a home providing both analysis and development of bespoke analytical tools in support of the Operational Energy (OE) community, including the Service Energy Offices, OSD, and DARPA. In his new role with CANA, Shawn will be responsible for developing energy-related offerings and transitioning those offerings into opportunities in which he will provide management, modeling, and simulation development, solution integration, and analysis support. He also presently serves as the Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (MS&A) coordinator across the multiple current and proposed pilots CANA supports via the Southern California (SoCal) Tech Bridge. Shawn holds a bachelor's degree in Quantitative Economics from the United States Naval Academy as well as a Master's in Operations Analysis from Naval Postgraduate School. You can reach Shawn at scharchan@canallc.com and on Linkedin. Mark Raffetto Senior Operations Research Analyst “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein Mark Joins the CANA team with 27 years of experience in the United States Marine Corps flying helicopters, testing weapon systems, and teaching in the Operations Research Department at Naval Postgraduate School. He educated officers from each of the Services in objective testing, robust modeling, and defensible statistical analysis of the DoD’s toughest problems. His experience and perspective will help CANA teams ensure not only that our models work correctly but most importantly that the correct model is built for the intended purpose. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Psychology from the State University of New York and a Master’s of Science in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School. You can reach Mark at mraffetto@canallc.com and on Linkedin.

  • CANA Welcomes Jesse Kemp to Team CANA!

    We are excited to announce our recent addition to Team CANA, Jesse Kemp! Jesse joins CANA as a Principal Program Manager. Get to know Jesse below! Jesse Kemp Principal Program Manager Jesse joins our team with over 27 years of experience in the U.S. Marine Corps. His career highlights include multiple overseas and combat deployments serving in a wide range of command and staff billets along the way. As the director of logistics integration at Headquarters Marine Corps, Combat Development and Integration department from 2017-2020, Jesse oversaw the development of strategic modernization initiatives related to Force Design 2030 including the redesign of prepositioning concepts, design of supply and energy chains for contested environments, and development of unmanned capabilities. As the Marine Corps’ senior military operations research analyst from 2020-2022, Jesse oversaw the service’s analytic strategy for understanding and refining Force Design 2030. At CANA, Jesse will support product and business development efforts within the company’s existing service areas as well as help forge new areas for future growth. Jesse holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Washington, D.C., a Master of Science in Operations Research from Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. You can reach Jesse at jkemp@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

  • Welcome Aboard Adam Evans and Donovan Holloway!

    Please welcome to the CANA Team Adam Evans, Principal Operations Research Analyst, and Donovan Holloway, Senior Project Manager! We are excited to have Adam and Donovan a part of our team. Get to know them below! Adam Evans Principal Operations Research Analyst “Only Socrates knew, after a lifetime of unceasing labor, that he was ignorant. Now every high-school student knows that. How did it become so easy?” - Allan Bloom Adam has a little over 22 years of experience stretching across intelligence analysis, campaign analysis, and more recent analysis of operational energy capabilities. He spent nearly 20 years living in Asia where his time in naval service and later work for a COCOM staff was separated by a few years studying Korean and attending graduate school in Seoul. Over the years, Adam cobbled together degrees in Finance, Korean, History, and Statistics and has finally figured out what he wanted to do when he grew up. His last 15 years have been spent studying maritime operations in campaign contexts. Adam joins CANA as a Principal Operations Research Analyst focusing on projects that explore the impact of operational energy on combat performance. In his personal time, he enjoys gardening, reading, and fishing. Every year Adam tries to find time to read his favorite book, Silas Marner. You can reach Adam at aevans@canallc.com or on Linkedin. Donovan Holloway Senior Project Manager “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” – Douglas MacArthur Donovan has over 23 years of military experience in various roles including positions as an Aviation Maintenance Administration Specialist, Intelligence Officer, and Project Officer; where he was able to hone his leadership, strategic vision, and project management skills. During this time, Donovan led multiple projects and participated in operational planning for deployments and several large-force exercises. His military operational experience includes deployments to Iraq as an Aerial Observer and Helicopter Door-gunner. Upon retiring from the United States Marine Corps, Donovan sought to hone his skills in Project Management and joined the CANA team as a Senior Project Manager. Donovan brings diverse experiences and a wealth of human-focused problem-solving skills to CANA and the Project Management Competency. Donovan holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Auburn University as well as a master’s degree in Information Technology Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. Additionally, he has a Cyber Security Certificate from the Naval Postgraduate School and is pursuing a Project Management Professional certification from Syracuse University. You can reach Donovan at dholloway@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

  • Welcome Aboard Our Director of Business and People Operations, Anna Sterrett!

    Team CANA would like to welcome Anna Sterrett, our new Director of Business and People Operations! We are excited to have Anna as a member of our team. Get to know Anna below. Anna Sterrett Director of Business and People Operations “We can choose courage, or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” - Bréne Brown Anna is experienced as an innovative director, supervisor, private practitioner, and trainer, with over 25 years of progressive behavioral health, education, and managed care experience. She has a proven track record in roles of supervision, quality assurance, and leadership. Prior to joining the CANA Team, Anna was an Education Director for a not-for-profit agency, which serves underprivileged and disadvantaged children and adolescents. Within that role, Anna was directly involved with the development and oversight of the clinical model within the educational environment. She was the project lead for the internship program, training and professional development, and trauma-sensitive classrooms. Anna also took point on quality control and regulatory compliance with the Department of Human Services, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and The Joint Commission. Anna holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania. She is licensed in the state of Pennsylvania as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and possesses a certification in Project Management from Coursera. As the Director of Business and People Operations at CANA, LLC. Anna is responsible for managing internal business capabilities and developing CANA’s people strategy across the company. She is uniquely positioned to manage and supervise business operations to include, including financial, contracting, and internal and external social media outreach. Together with the line directors, Anna promotes and supports personnel management which involves resourcing, recruiting, reporting, and retention. You can reach Anna at asterrett@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

  • Welcome Hiring Our Hero Fellow, Nick Ulmer!

    "All models are wrong, but some are useful." - George Box Nick joins CANA as a Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellow as he transitions from over 22 years of active duty military service. Nick spent his active duty years as a Navy Supply Corps Officer where he gained experience and leadership in logistics, inventory and supply chain management, budgeting, contracting, and manpower analysis. He is on the Executive Council of the Military Operations Research Society, Chairperson of the Veterans Interest Forum for INFORMS, and is a Certified Analytics Professional (CAP). While at CANA he is supporting work with FMI, WS2, and AERT. Nick graduated from Missouri University of Science and Technology with dual B.S. degrees in Management Information Systems and Economics, an M.S. in Operations Research from Naval Postgraduate School, and executive courses at UVA Darden and UNC Kenan-Flagler. Nick can be reached at nulmer@canallc.com and on Linkedin. To learn more about our veterans programs, visit https://www.canallc.com/veterans. #hiringourheroes #teamCANA #CANAAdvisors #CANAConnect CANA Advisors is a veteran-owned, woman-owned, equal opportunity company based out of Gainesville, Virginia in the United States of America.

  • CANA Independent Research & Development (IRAD)

    Live, Virtual, and Constructive Simulation (LVC Sim) by Chris Cichy The vision of this IRAD is to utilize a game engine that supports modifications and scripting to develop Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training environments to support concept, doctrine, and requirements development. LVC Simulation (LVC Sim) training has multiple markets within and outside of the Department of Defense; it is applicable to any agency in which training is cost or effort prohibitive, in this case, interagency firefighting. LVC Sim, built on an open-world gaming engine, would allow real-time wargaming capability with a minimal investment and could be made playable by a large audience to increase the sample size and remove currently existing stovepipes. Playable demonstrations and videos can be made to visualize and pitch new technology and concepts and could be used to develop new marketing tools for a customer’s requirements. For this particular IRAD, CANA could augment its game modification experience through a proposed innovation challenge, or “hackathon.” The goal of this hackathon would be to modify one virtual twin of a technology from an automated firefighting research and development project led by partners NIWC Pacific and the NavalX SoCal Tech Bridge called Project Vesta. With this head start in development and the experience gained by working with the innovation challenge participants, CANA would develop each of the assets from Project Vesta and create playable use cases for the pilot. Randomizing certain variables within the game world would then allow for a Project Vesta specific virtual training system. The long-range potential is limitless. Follow-on exploration might include producing a virtual training environment for autonomous vehicle software; developing tactics and doctrine lesson plans as modification packs; synthetic training data for Artificial Intelligence (AI) models; or developing synthetic environments with integrated Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) for the training of deep learning models. They are ideas on the cutting edge, and CANA is excited by what our team will think up next! #CANA #socaltechbridge #projectvesta #navalX #innovation #AI #LVCsim #GAN

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