The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 17, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is CEO finalist in the Private Company: Annual Revenue >$100M & <$500M category Steve Kelley, CEO and president of J&J Worldwide Services. Here, he talks about the company’s growth, taking risks in his career, and how his faith has helped him overcome struggles.
What key achievements did you have in 2022/2023?
In 2022, we continued our year-over-year, double-digit organic growth and double-digit profitability. We also achieved several transformational milestones, including consolidating legacy business systems and migrating to new platforms, enhancing our leadership team with the addition of industry leading executives in operations, finance, legal, and HR; and continued our geographic expansion with program startups in five new countries and opened new corporate offices in Franklin, Tennessee, and Reston, Virginia.
What has made you successful in your current role?
Drawing on my experience in various roles over my 30-year career in the defense industry. I started out at the project level, and advanced over time, taking on roles with progressive responsibility in operations and business development. The experience I gained from supporting every stage of the program lifecycle prepared me well to serve in my current role as CEO. I have spent my entire career supporting the defense industry, which affords me the opportunity to lead from a perspective of having lived every aspect of this industry.
What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
The turning point in my career happened at 22 years old, when I decided to join the government contracting community.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
Seeing the growth in our leadership team. Each team member has made huge leaps forward. Seeing them succeed brings me great joy.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
As our mission statement says, “We SERVE Heroes.” We do not choose the mission. The mission chooses us. We go anywhere and do anything to support the warfighter worldwide.
How do you help shape the next generation of government/industry leaders?
My true passion is sharing with our emerging leaders and high potential team members the respect and love I have for our nation and our mission. I feel a responsibility to pass along my knowledge and experience to help develop our next generation of industry leaders.
What’s one key thing you learned from a failure you had?
Failures happen, but it’s what you do next after a failure that defines the organization and the person.
Which rules do you think you should break more as an industry leader?
Embrace inclusivity and promote a more diversified workforce to broaden the industry perspective.
What’s the biggest professional risk you’ve ever taken?
Moving my family around to support the growth of the company. My wife, Tracy, is my backbone and has never batted an eye when we needed to move.
Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of?
Year-over-year growth and serving our heroes.
What was your biggest career struggle and how did you overcome it?
Balancing God, family and work. I learned to always prioritize God, family, then work. When I do that, work becomes easy and you have more time than you can ever imagine.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Trust your instincts, know your strengths, and bet on yourself and your team.