Steve Hady is the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Manager for Oceaneering’s East Coast region.
Before joining Oceaneering, Steve served 30 years in the U.S. Navy. He draws parallels between the values the Navy instilled in him during his decades of service and Oceaneering’s core values, including the company’s commitment to workplace safety.
Steve takes pride that Oceaneering’s commitment to HSE extends throughout the business from remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for the offshore energy industry to commercial ride vehicles for theme parks, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), space suits and equipment for the Aerospace industry, and even Submarine Rescue Systems.
Steve enlisted in the U.S. Navy shortly after high school. While he was undecided about life after school, the Navy was an obvious choice. His father served there for 27 years as a Hospital Corpsman.
“I was totally undetermined on where I wanted to go in life,” he said. “I initially joined for three hot meals a day, a bed to sleep in, and the bonus of a paycheck.
“I had a reasonable idea of what the service would be like (due to his father’s service),” he said. “Once I was in, however, I found my “work family” and because of the Navy, I met the love of my life and future wife. We have been married for over 33 years.”
Steve said that in the Navy he found direction, mentoring, and support. He also took on new challenges and new jobs as he was promoted. He served in multiple roles including Submarine Independent Duty Corpsman, Chief of the Boat (the senior enlisted leader onboard a submarine), and finally achieved the rank of Master Chief Hospital Corpsman, qualified in submarines.
In his years with the Navy, Steve also had opportunity to participate in the Navy’s 30-year Diversity Strategy, where he held several roles including Designated Federal Officer, Executive Director of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission (MLDC), a federal advisory commission tasked with reviewing Diversity in the Armed Forces; and Senior Enlisted Leader for the Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) for the Undersecretary of Defense of Personnel and Readiness.
“I was blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest young men and women this nation has to offer,” Steve said.
“I met people from all walks of life. I had the opportunity to observe technicians that worked on our equipment, create solutions that fixed material issues, and allowed our submarine to stay on station and complete the mission.”
Steve’s blend of discipline, leadership, patience, and problem-solving skills attained in the military has been useful in his current position with Oceaneering.
“I served as the only medically trained person onboard a submarine,” Steve said. “At the time, I would have to make a medical decision or a recommendation on what may be affecting someone’s health. Those decisions either kept the submarine on station or brought them off station, thus changing our national defense posture.
“The same critical thought processes are applied to safety discussions to make appropriate recommendations that may affect a business unit within the company, or the company, while also doing right by our employees to keep them safe.”
Steve has also found that Oceaneering’s five core values are parallel to the core values of the U.S. Navy.
“I see our company’s core values as being integral to its culture, so much so that our HSE policy mirrors those core values and directly ties into each other. There are three core values in the Navy: Honor, Courage, and Commitment. There are five Oceaneering Core Values: Do Things Right, Solve Complex Problems, Grow Together, Outperform Expectations, and Own the Challenge, which meld together nicely.”
In his role as HSE Manager, Steve has witnessed the amazing things that Oceaneering does, and highlights the company’s commitment to safety.
“The safety of our employees is ‘baked’ into all aspects of what we do. Working for a company that cares that much about its employees is very important to me. The safety of our employees was a consistent theme throughout this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
When asked what advice he would give to transitioning veterans, Steve said to continue to do what made you successful in your military career.
“It is up to you to demonstrate through your work what you have to offer,” he said. “Learn about your new company/business and then show yourself to be of value. Don’t rest on your military laurels so to speak.”
Steve Hady holds a bachelor’s degree in Management from Maryville College and has been with Oceaneering for seven years.
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