Bryant Trujillo

Background

About Bryant Trujillo

I probably would have laughed if you had told me years ago that I’d build a career in procurement and project management. But every job I had, from stocking shelves to navigating government contracts, prepared me for precisely this.I started in retail, keeping shelves stocked and inventory in check. Stocking shelves wasn’t exciting, but it showed me firsthand how logistics and supply chains work. Later, as a business owner, I saw those same principles on a bigger scale. Every choice mattered — which vendors to trust, when to invest in new technology, and how to keep operations running smoothly in unpredictable conditions.Then, out of nowhere, everything changed. A major earthquake rocked our region, shaking more than just buildings. It should have shut us down. But because we had modernized our systems and built flexibility into our operations, we weathered the disruption. That moment proved that good planning means ensuring a business can withstand the unexpected.Ever since, that mindset has guided me in every role I’ve taken on. When COVID-19 forced me to close my business, I didn’t see it as the end — I saw it as a chance to apply everything I’d learned about logistics and risk management in a new way.At the State of Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation, I developed an innovative procurement process for a decade-long contract assessing contaminated sites. The usual method wasn’t working, so my team and I rethought it from the ground up. We pushed for a fresh approach that met compliance requirements without sacrificing flexibility. It took work, but in the end, we built a multi-stage award process that other departments have since adopted — proof of why questioning the usual way of doing things can pay off.I believe that if something isn’t working as well as it should, there’s always a more innovative way to fix it. Having worked in both the private and public sectors, I understand the challenges on both sides—what business owners need and what government regulations require. I like figuring out where things break down and finding solutions that work.When I’m not at the office, I’m still a lifelong learner, expanding my expertise through project management certifications. If I’m not studying for my next certification, you can find me jogging, reading, or spending time with my family.I continue to wake up every day with a clear mission of adding value, impacting people and businesses, and learning something new every day.