Our Facilitators
Federal contracting authority meets strategic mediation. The combination of a retired Civil Engineer Corps officer and warranted Contracting Officer with a Pacific Rim negotiation specialist provides project teams with a complete, neutral partnering solution.
Why the dual-threat model works
High-complexity military construction requires two distinct skill sets: someone who knows exactly what the Government can and cannot do under the FAR, and someone who knows how to guide competing corporate and human interests into enduring alignment.
Nickolas Florez
Nick brings a rare combination to the partnering table: an engineer’s grasp of how projects are built and a warranted Contracting Officer’s understanding of how the Government administers them. He founded the partnering practice that OPAL Pacific carries forward today.
- Education: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona; Master of Science (M.S.) in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas.
- Construction Expertise: 35+ years of active heavy civil works experience, contract administration, and CPM scheduling.
- Federal & Military Service: Retired U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) Officer with 15 years as a warranted Contracting Officer for both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army.
- FAR Authority: Deep internal knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, military project execution limits, REA processes, and claims avoidance.
- Facilitation Practice: Extensive history as a third-party neutral facilitator across the Pacific Rim, establishing field-level escalation ladders and helping project teams solve conflicts constructively.
Sharon Cassidy
Sharon has spent three decades aligning competing interests across the Pacific Rim—carriers, contractors, regulators, federal agencies, and island communities. She designs and runs the structured sessions where trust is built and issues are settled before they harden into disputes.
- Education: Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in International Business and B.B.A. in Real Estate from the University of Hawaii.
- Pacific Rim Experience: 30+ years supporting telecommunications, infrastructure, and commercial construction projects across Guam and the Pacific; 20+ years of director-level executive leadership.
- High-Stakes Mediation: 25+ years leading multi-party stakeholder engagements, establishing regional consensus, and facilitating collaborative outcomes between defense agencies and private contractors.
- Advanced Dispute Training: Completed formal Sales Negotiations training through Acclivus (relationship-based negotiation & conflict resolution frameworks), and advanced structured dialogue training through Xerox Corporation.
- Federal Defense Leadership: Organized and facilitated four AFCEA TechNet Guam defense conferences (2009–2013); Executive Board Member, Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (2017–2021).
- Cross-Cultural Fluency: Extensive experience navigating multinational partnerships across Japan, Asia-Pacific nations, and the U.S. mainland; conversationally fluent in Japanese.
Put our facilitation team to work on your contract
We confirm availability for initial partnering sessions within one business day of inquiry.
Schedule Your Session →