Ep 3 Introduction to Marketing Contracts with the Federal Government
Welcome to this episode of Aqua Talks! Join hosts Larry Aldrich and Mady Dudley as they dive into Larry’s fascinating journey, from cowboy aspirations to his federal procurement and marketing expertise. This episode introduces Aqua Marketing & Communications and its parent company, BrennSys Technology, showcasing how these two brands operate as powerhouse teams. Together, they provide full-service marketing and communications solutions tailored to small businesses, nonprofits, and federal agencies. From creative services like logo design to impactful public relations and social media campaigns, Aqua delivers results with a personal touch. Tune in to hear stories about their work with Veterans Affairs, their passion for outreach campaigns, and how they help clients get the most out of their marketing dollars.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- (1:08) Larry shares a story about his cowboy aspirations
- (3:38) Mady shares her honky tonk story
- (4:34) Larry shares his marketing solutions and communications experience and understanding of marketing for federal procurement
- (8:37) Larry talks about their Veterans Affairs Campaign
- (11:02) Larry says that he is passionate about the work Aqua does and invites listeners to reach out for a free consultation
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Aqua Marketing & Communications and its parent company, BrennSys Technology, offer comprehensive marketing and communication services tailored to various clients, from small businesses to federal agencies. These include public relations, social media management, creative services (e.g., logo and menu design), video production, program management, and outreach campaigns aimed at maximizing ROI and reach for their clients.
- Cowboy tourism is a top travel trend for 2025, inspired by cultural influences like Yellowstone and pop icons. This can include activities such as visiting Montana for authentic ranch experiences or attending rodeos in Texas.
- Successfully marketing to federal agencies requires understanding the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), adhering to its guidelines, and showcasing strong past performance to build trust and credibility.
RESOURCES:
ABOUT THE HOSTS:
Meet Larry Aldrich, host of Aqua Talks. With a background in the U.S. Air Force and as the founder of BrennSys Technology LLC, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Larry has decades of experience in the public and private sectors. In 2024, he acquired Aqua Marketing & Communications, merging the firms into a leader in destination marketing and public sector solutions. Join Larry for insightful, lively conversations and actionable marketing takeaways in each episode of Aqua Talks.
Meet Mady Dudley, a public relations expert skilled in crafting strategic campaigns that elevate brand awareness and generate buzz. With roles at Codeword, Red Rooster PR, and Paradise Advertising, she’s worked with top clients like JW Marriott Marco Island, The Dalí Museum, and Visit Indian River. Mady's achievements include amplifying earned media for Google and driving a 25% boost in referral traffic for a client within 90 days. Tune in to Aqua Talks, where the future of destination marketing takes flight.
Federal Procurement, Marketing Strategies, Communications Agency, Creative Services, Public Relations, Social Media Management, Veterans Outreach, Logo Design, Menu Design, Video Production, Federal Agencies, Small Business Support
Transcript
Hello,
rector of Aqua Marketing and [:Larry Aldrich: Hi, I'm Larry Aldridge, President and CEO of Aqua Marketing and Communications. Today, we're going to dip a little bit into my background where I started this in the federal industry before we dive into the conversation about federal procurement and marketing and marketing overall, we were having a little conversation earlier about the time I went to Vegas and went to the rodeo and got a lasso.
It was a great conversation until it got to the point where I was told I got a child's training lasso. So we're going to talk a little bit about an industry trend. Cowboy tourism. Since I clearly failed, talk to me a little bit about cowboy tourism and try to make me feel better.
Mady Dudley: So it's true. A lot of people these days are really wanting to go on vacation and feel like a cowboy.
owboy Carter, but travel and [:But, tell me a little bit more about this lasso story.
Larry Aldrich: Well, this lasso went to a rodeo in Vegas, really, uh, it was actually an amazing rodeo. It was, uh, the trade show was held at the convention center right across from resorts world. And a couple of friends went over, went to the trade show. I saw some things that I've never seen before, you know, coming from a little bit of an inner city boy and um, at the cowboy roadie, I thought was pretty exciting.
b a lasso. So I grabbed this [:We had a drink together. He laughed at me and said, you do know that is a child's training lasso you have there. I was happy. I, I, I was on top of the world. I thought I just needed a horse and a hat and I was good to go. But, um, It was a child's training lasso, which I eventually gave to a friend of mine who owns a horse farm.
Mady Dudley: Okay, so it's been actually put to good use. Yes, it's actually
Larry Aldrich: put to good use, so it was fun.
Mady Dudley: That reminds me of this story I have. I was in Texas with my friends, and we went to Billy Bob's. Has anyone ever heard of Billy Bob's? It's the biggest honky tonk in the world, and inside of the honky tonk, they also have a rodeo.
on this bucking bronco, and [:Larry Aldrich: Did you have a cowboy hat on?
Mady Dudley: Yes, yes I did. Did you
Larry Aldrich: have the boots?
Mady Dudley: No, yes I did actually because we were going to go two step in after. Larry, I loved hearing about your vacation and I know our viewers would love to get you, to know you a little bit more. So can you just start off by talking a little bit about your
Larry Aldrich: I have a MBA in marketing management.
I bring over 20 years of experience of marketing and communications experience. I started in the federal industry. I've worked in the private sectors and since aqua marketing communications, I'm doing a deep dive into. Tourism, destination and hospitality.
nt, um, specifically to your [:I would love some pointers for anybody who's wanting to get started in that space.
Larry Aldrich: Federal procurement, uh, marketing to the federal government. It's, it's a unique field. It's a, it's a field where you have to do your research. You have to understand the FAR. You have to understand the language of the federal government, the, a lot of the do's and the don'ts.
The FAR is the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that's basically laws, and who you sell to, how you sell to them, how you market to them, and finding the decision makers, and a lot of it is making sure you follow the rules. A lot of those rules in federal procurement are laws.
Mady Dudley: If I was a decision maker in those spaces, why would I want to hire Brentsys or Aqua?
al. And why Brentis or Aqua? [:We can provide a full complement of marketing and communication services from PR to social media to video production to you name it, we do it all the way from program management, account management. We provide those services. We, we are a company full of educated professionals. We have, everyone in the organization has a strong background and they're filled in the verticals that we have set up.
ve done this work before and [:We'll continue to work with you and work with you again. So we can show them what we've done and show them how we've done it. And we've produced and executed.
Mady Dudley: You mentioned federal businesses or the federal agency, as well as, uh, travel and tourism, if I'm a small business and I'm interested in hiring Brunsis, is that a possibility?
need a public relations, uh, [:So we have the capability and the opportunity to be able to work with organizations, whether large, small, medium, federal agencies, DMOs, beaches, we can help everyone. Get the reach that they need to get the return on investment they need for the dollars that to bring in the business.
Mady Dudley: When we first started working together, you showed me one of the campaigns you worked on for PTSD awareness.
And I'm curious what one of your favorite campaigns that you've worked on is.
Larry Aldrich: Actually, that is one of my favorite. That's a contract that we do with the Veterans Affairs. And we redesigned a website, we migrated it from Ruby on Rails to Drupal, and we do all of the content. We have regular meetings, content meetings, where we talk about the content we're putting on there, how it looks, the feel.
also do video production. We [:Mady Dudley: That's great. And how is it for you as a veteran, someone who served, um, in the Air Force, working to push these initiatives with fellow veterans?
Larry Aldrich: Wow. I, I get it. I have multiple feelings about that. And when I say multiple feelings, they're all good feelings of, uh, uh, happiness and joy, sometimes sadness. I lost a friend recently who had PTSD last year, actually. So, I mean, it makes me think about him sometimes, but it makes me think also what we're doing is helping him and veterans like him.
Mady Dudley: Yeah,
that we work on with the VA [:I'll send them some of the things that we've done. After they've been distributed and let them know, see this, that you worked on right here has been distributed to millions of veterans all over the world and sometimes seeing their faces when I just come out of nowhere and tell them that, uh, it brings a little bit of joy to my heart also.
So it's touching, uh, but it's also a great sense of accomplishment.
Mady Dudley: Yeah, I'm sorry for your loss. That's. Awful, but it's great the work that you're doing. I really appreciate it and have had family who served. So thank you Yeah,
Larry Aldrich: I I enjoy all of the uh veterans that i've worked with the veterans that i've served with and the the current active duty Military now
Mady Dudley: larry.
nything else you want to add [:Larry Aldrich: Other than i'd say i'm passionate about the work that we do Some of the work that we do is fun. Some of it is not so fun meaning it can be sad from time to time. But when you do outreach, you have to get everything out there. You have to meet, meet, uh, as many people as you can.
You have to touch as many opportunities as you can. It's all about the impressions that we make, uh, online now. Um, as you can see, it's all about the the amount of people that the reach, the depth of the reach. So other than that, I would definitely say we, we work hard. We put in a lot to get to where we are now and we'll continue to work hard and, and go further beyond.
eting. Um, if you're a small [:And if you want to find more information about the podcast, please visit Aquatalks. com. You can leave us a review, you can like us and follow us on social media.
Larry Aldrich: If you would like a free consultation, please reach out to us on Aquatalks. com. Send us an email, send us a link, a like, follow us, we're around, please stay tuned for our next episode.
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