Andrew Hayes
The San Diego Business Journal recognized MRP Training Solutions CEO Andrew Hayes as one of the region’s 2022 Top 50 Influential Veteran Business Leaders. Awardees were featured in the publication’s special edition on November 8.
Every branch of the United States military and the Coast Guard were represented among the award winners.
“It is so rewarding to be among so many former Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, and Coasties building and managing great companies,” Andrew says.
Veteran influencers recognized among the San Diego Business Journal’s 2022 Top Influential Veteran Business Leaders included CEOs, founders, executive directors, vice presidents, authors, speakers, consultants, aviators, managing partners, entrepreneurs, engineers, health care providers, operations managers, and an archeologist and college president. These professionals work in various business sectors, including banking and finance, building and construction, communications, education and training, laboratories, law, manufacturing, nonprofits, pharmaceuticals, real estate, and technology.
MRP Training Solutions’ CEO retired as a Senior Chief Operations Specialist after a 20-year career in the Navy. He spent more than thirteen of those years at sea engaged in missions ranging from chasing drug runners and Soviet submarines to supporting troops during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, aiding special operations in East Africa, and rescuing thousands affected by a volcanic eruption. Ashore, Andrew was a Technical Advisor to Saudi Naval Forces for two years and taught combat systems at Surface Warfare Officers School and Fleet Combat Training Center.
“The Navy kept its promise to me,” Andrew says. “It wasn’t just a job. It was an adventure.”
After retiring, Andrew looked for a way to use his skills and interests in the marketplace. First, he managed a team of 10 at a telecommunications company. Then he started a wireless network engineering company that was acquired by an ISP, where he worked as Chief Technology Officer. When 9/11 happened, he wanted to do his part.
“I sent a resume to Reed Popovich, the founder of a small company providing training services to the Navy, and went back to work supporting the Navy as an instructor teaching afloat communications and network systems,” Andrew says. “While working for Reed, I earned business and law degrees.”
In 2013, when Reed was ready to retire, the two men discussed Andrew buying the company.
“I shadowed him until the deal was finalized in 2015,” Andrew says. “He continues to mentor me today, along with many other colleagues from the defense industry.
The degrees earned by Andrew proved extremely valuable in many aspects, including the acquisition, routine contractual matters, negotiations, and business operations. Recently, he completed a certificate in Business Strategy from Harvard Business School.
“All of these experiences prepared me for what I do today,” Andrew says.
Since Andrew acquired MRP Training Solutions, the company has grown from 10 to 30 employees and increased revenues by more than 60%. The company holds prime contracts to provide administrative and logistics “A” school instruction at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi, deliver the Information and Communications Managers Course at fleet concentration areas, and deliver oxygen equipment cleaning and calibration instructional support in Pensacola, Florida. MRP Training Solutions is also a subcontractor providing instructional support, program analysis, and mission support at several Navy commands throughout the country.
MRP Training Solutions received the Department of Labor Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award in 2021 and 2022. The company has also provided subject matter experts to a software developer for augmented reality/virtual reality simulators, is developing a new Introduction to Maritime C5ISR course for the military, government, and defense industry, and is in the early stages of an entry-level workforce development initiative in Mississippi and other states.
“The Navy gave me such a great opportunity. I traveled the world doing a job they make movies about, and I had a lot of fun doing it,” Andrew says. “Today, this business continues to give me opportunities to pay it forward.
“I am proud to have the privilege of recruiting other veterans who also want to give back and who care as much about the success of others as I do. We leverage diverse skills acquired in military service and continue preparing Sailors for the future.”
“The best feeling in the world is to give someone a job or prepare someone for a new job. I am grateful to head a company where we experience this every single day.”
About MRP Training Solutions
MRP Training Solutions, Inc., a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, has been in business since 1995. Headquartered in San Diego, California, MRP provides command and control, computer, communications, and combat systems training and engineering support, as well as logistics and administration training to military customers in California, Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, Virginia, Washington, Spain, and Japan.
MRP’s cadre of instructional designers, curriculum managers, technical instructors, and systems engineers provide training solutions to the US naval forces. MRP courses help leaders, operators, and technicians understand every facet of the naval warfighting cycle, enabling decision-makers to make better decisions faster.
About the San Diego Business Journal
Each week, the San Diego Business Journal delivers the market’s most complete package of business news and information on San Diego County’s companies, industries, and business people. The publication covers commercial real estate, banking and finance, biotech, health care, technology, defense, tourism, manufacturing, professional services, and San Diego’s vibrant start-up community.
