Get to know: GSA Region 1 – New England

Acquisition

Get to know: GSA Region 1 – New England

Learn the history of GSA's region 1, encompassing Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Amelia Brust@abrustWFED

July 12, 2019 10:17 am

2 min read

This story is part of Federal News Network’s ongoing series: GSA @ 70: Mission evolved

Headquartered in Boston, the General Services Administration’s New England Region supports federal workers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

What you may not know about the region

Region 1 has handled the transactions on 111 historic lights under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program. Forty-five lights located offshore were sold by Region 1 on its auction website, generating over $5 million in proceeds — which are given to the Coast Guard for use by its Aids to Navigation Teams, according to GSA. A majority of the lights conveyed remain active beacons after the historic structures are conveyed to the new owners. The region also encompasses 606 miles of the U.S.-Canada border.

Regional Administrator Christopher Averill: How has the region changed over its history?

Christopher Averill, GSA Region 1 administrator

“While my time in the region is just beginning, I talked with several key members of the team, who highlighted some of the changes that have occurred within the region. First, and probably the biggest change, is that Region 1 became its own region. Up until the [mid- to late 1970s], New England was part of what is now Region 2, covered out of New York.

“For the Public Building Service over the years, Region 1 progressed from doing everything in-house to leveraging the expertise of the private sector and its technology to transform how we build, lease, and manage facilities.

“Additionally, the biggest change for the Federal Acquisition Service over the years is that the region has evolved from providing product-based solutions such as office supplies and laptops to providing more comprehensive service-based solutions in the areas of Professional Services and Information Technology for the Department of Defense and Civilian agencies.

“Finally, our Regional Office of Small Business Utilization has evolved from a regional staff function to a national program, supporting GSA’s and it’s federal agency partners’ efforts to meet or exceed federally mandated small business program goals.”

Who are the region’s longest serving GSA employees and what do they do?

Nicholas Capaldi, a fleet operations manager, and Ronald Tyler, a program support assistant for the Public Building Service, each have 38 years of experience at GSA.