Common Sense

In a small agricultural town in Northern Maine, the art and science of potato farming breeds its own strains of common sense.  Schools throughout the county used to begin in mid-August, run for a month, and then close in September so that students in grades six through twelve could spend three to four weeks helping their families and picking potatoes.  Most farmers in the area couldn’t afford automated harvesters, so the community came together to pitch in and manually pick potatoes for forty-five cents a barrel.  School buses would pick students up at dawn and transport them directly to the fields, where they were assigned a section for the day based on how efficient a worker they were.

As a young boy, Roger Waldron was one of those students.  “We would get competitive in the fields, trying to find the best and fastest way to pick the potatoes,” he recalls.  “But we also helped each other if someone was having a bad day, or if their section was just too big.”

Because of the harvest, there were no football teams in his town, so basketball became a central uniting force in their small town.  In fact, the community revolved around the winter basketball season.  Roger played from sixth to twelfth grade, serving three years on the varsity team and one year as captain.  “We had a court in our hometown that everybody played on,” he recalls.  “High school students, college students, even guys from the Air Force base would come down to play on our little court.”

Whether it was in the field or on the court, Roger’s innate love of intellect and reason was most alive when people from diverse walks of life were brought together.  In such company, he was fueled by the exchange of knowledge and leaps of innovation that inevitably flowed from open communication.  He observed how common sense is built through the realization of common goals, and how both contribute so vitally to the common good.  Now, as President of The Coalition for Government Procurement (The Coalition), a trade association that has specialized in “advocating for common sense in federal acquisition” for over thirty years, Roger is committed to promoting these principles across a national spectrum, changing the way government and industry work together today.

Comprised of approximately 250 member firms, the Coalition serves to promote “common sense” policies that improve acquisition for government and industry players, as well as for the taxpayer.  “Our membership provides the vast majority of commercial solutions to the federal government,” Roger explains.  “We embrace the concept of open communication because the importance of promoting an ongoing dialogue between the government and the industry can’t be overstated.  It’s the only way to better understand what the government’s issues and concerns are versus those of the industries.”  The Coalition sees government contracts as partnerships that must work for both sides in order to have a positive outcome.  “The government wants a great outcome, but it also has to be a business opportunity for the people on the other side,” he reasons.  “You have to find that perfect balance, which requires a public conversation.”

Through his work with the Coalition, Roger works closely with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), as well as the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  “We provide a platform where discussions can take place between the government and industry in a setting that focuses on operational issues,” Roger says of the Coalition’s memberships.  “We engage members directly, inviting agencies to our meetings to talk about what they are doing to create positive business intelligence.  Having these conversations in this kind of a framework is a big benefit.”  Additionally, the Coalition advocates on behalf of its membership, providing feedback and strong insights on policies in the process of implementation through the federal rulemaking process.  “The Coalition’s full name is The Coalition for Common Sense in Government Procurement,” Roger details.  “Our goal is really to provide sound business opportunities for the private sector that result in the best value for customer agencies in the government.”

While there may be other associations that are similar in their nature of work, the Coalition is set apart by its diversity and range of membership.  “Our association is unique in that we cut across the spectrum of commercial firms,” Roger remarks.  “We don’t just focus on information technology; we also have furniture companies and office supply companies.  We cover what is basically representative of what is being bought in the commercial marketplace.”  With this in mind, the Coalition is comprised of ten committees, including a furniture committee, office products committee, services committee, IT committee, green committee, and public buildings committee.  “We differ from similar associations in that we do cut across all industry sectors,” he affirms.

Roger’s untiring commitment to promoting deep understanding between government, industry, and individuals stems from a fierce commitment to intellectual advancement that stems in large part from his father’s influence early in life.  The senior Waldron attended Bowdoin College before earning his law degree from Harvard University, and after working for two large banks, he continues to run a small law practice today, even after two hip replacements.  He always pushed Roger to get involved in as many opportunities as he could.  “My Dad always told me that I should do well in school because I had the ability,” Roger recalls.  “What he really gave me—something that has stayed with me throughout my life—is a deep and genuine intellectual curiosity.”  From a young age, Roger found he wanted to learn, always flipping through his father’s political magazines and even watching the Watergate hearings on TV after school.

While receiving a head-start from his father intellectually, Roger also learned the value of hard work from an early age.  After several seasons helping out with potato picking, he decided to get a job delivering mail at the bank where his father worked before school and during vacations.  Potato picking taught him the true meaning of hard work, but working at the bank taught him more specific lessons about being a team player, such as how to uphold one’s commitments and responsibilities, as well as how to be part of an organization.

During his childhood, Roger aspired to become a basketball coach when he grew up because of the important role it played in his community, but he found himself slowly growing away from that idea as time went by and instead focusing his attention on politics—a field for which his father also cultivated his passion.  Like his father, he attended Bowdoin College, where he studied government and history before working in the Maine legislature for a year as an aide.  He went on to attend law school at the University of Richmond, especially appreciating the experience of being in a new place that wasn’t too far from home.

After graduating from law school, Roger started interviewing for jobs in the federal government in Washington, D.C., and stumbled into government contracts by a stroke of luck when he was hired by GSA.  “I think things happen for a reason, because I love that I’m in government contracting,” he says.  “It impacts everything the government does while also connecting intimately with the private sector, and I love working in that capacity.”

During his first three years working at GSA, Roger learned about procurement, working with the Federal Supply Service and the Federal Technology Service.  He credits Stuart Young, his office mate at that time, for being a particularly influential mentor in his career.  “Stuart trained me to be a great attorney,” Roger describes.  “He helped me learn to think analytically and in a practical way.”

In 1991, he went to work for the GSA’s Federal Computer Acquisition Center (FEDCAC) in Lexington, MA, where he was the only attorney on staff.  FEDCAC focused on conducting high-dollar IT procurements for other government agencies at the time, and Roger served as counsel to FEDCAC for five years, working on several major procurements during the law change in 1996.  One such project included the integrative automotive fingerprint ID system for the FBI, which pushed the envelope in terms of technology at that time.  “It was a great experience,” he recalls.  “I grew a lot during that time, since I was the only attorney and had to make a lot of judgment calls.”

Along with the law changes in 1996, GSA was downsizing at the time, so Roger returned to Washington, where he was able to work on reforming the Multiple Award Schedule program that has grown to over $50 billion in annual purchases by customer agencies utilizing its contracts.  In 2001, he went on a detail to manage an office in the Federal Supply Service, which led to a job as manager, working on policy and operational guidelines.  He worked in that capacity for several years and then went on a new detail to the Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer, where he served as the Acting Senior Procurement Executive for about 18 months.  “I love that I was able to do so many different things at GSA,” Roger affirms.  “That’s a great thing about government service—any job is what you make of it.  Doing such a wide range of things gave me a great background for what came next.”

Throughout his time at GSA, Roger frequently interfaced with the Coalition, developing a deep respect for the company and the good work it did.  Then, in 2003, the Executive Office of the President named him a government representative on the Services and Acquisitions Reform Act (SARA), a panel of experts authorized to review the current system.  The chairman of the panel was Marcia Madsen, who heads up government contracts at Mayer Brown LLP.

After the panel ended, Roger was ready for a career change.  “I had done everything I possibly could at GSA,” he says of his decision to leave after twenty years.  “I had started looking around when Marcia asked me if I would be interested in joining the firm to work in their government contracts practice.  It was an alignment, so I decided to try it out.  It was a great learning experience for me and really improved me as a lawyer in terms of my writing.  We would sit and analyze one word in a sentence, checking its implications, wondering what response it would evoke, hoping it made the right point.  It really raised the bar for me professionally.”

Roger had spent four years with Mayer Brown when Bill Gormley, chairman of the Coalition, approached him about the opportunity to serve as the association’s new President.  “I knew Bill from my time at GSA,” Roger explains.  “It seemed like such a great opportunity.  I’d be doing policy work from a different perspective and adding a voice on different issues pertaining to common sense in the acquisition process.”

Roger quickly found his new position to be a perfect fit, and leading such a large endeavor has been a new and welcome challenge.  Since taking on his current role, he’s made quality his primary focus—both in the events the Coalition puts on, as well as in the influence and expertise being provided to members.  “One element I find most rewarding about working at the Coalition is the ability to relate what I’ve learned throughout my career,” he remarks.  In addition to his day-to-day work and his focus on the long-term development of the Coalition, he makes time to write a procurement issues column for the association’s weekly newsletter, the Friday Flash, affording insight and recommendations.

While the Coalition continues to do well in the business world, Roger is most proud of its dedication to giving back, most notably by hosting a yearly charity golf tournament to help wounded veterans.  On a personal level, he feels most proud of his wife and three children, hoping to instill in them the same level of intellectual curiosity that has led him to the success in business he sees today.

Reflecting back over his professional journey, Roger identifies leadership as greatly dependent upon picking the right people, and upon showing those people appreciation.  “You have to make sure folks understand their roles and have the tools to be successful,” he explains.  “They have to take ownership over the success and quality of a role I put them in.”  On a more personal level, he believes there is great value as a leader in showing your dedication to the mission of the company, while also maintaining open lines of communication.  “With small organizations, you’re truly all in it together, so you have to be very open and listen,” he continues.  “You also have to foster a creative environment where people are willing to throw out ideas and engage.  Without that, you can’t engender the kind of innovation an organization needs to remain at the forefront of its field.”

In advising entrepreneurs entering the business world today, Roger stresses the importance of being flexible.  “The pace of change is so much faster these days,” he observes.  “With that in mind, make a commitment to be flexible, open minded, and able to adapt.  That’s a lot of what youth is, so take strides to preserve that trait as you grow and develop, both personally and professionally.”  He also strongly believes in the importance of developing expertise in an area.  “If you’re an expert, that stays with you,” he affirms.  “You’re a thought leader.”  As his life’s work demonstrates, it’s only common sense.

‍