Jay Greenwell

Global Director of Controls & Integration

Audia

I learned about the company while going through the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) in the Navy. I attended a hiring conference and found Uniform Color Company. I interviewed for the President and Director of HR at the time, but since then I've been with Audia for 16 years while continuing to serve in the Navy for a total of 24 years of military service.

Shortly after starting with UCC I found that I missed what active duty gave to me personally. I had considered going into the Navy Reserve but knew it would be difficult navigating both career paths. Surprisingly, I received nothing but support from UCC at the time. I enlisted into the Reserve and saw success on both fronts. I served in roles at the Pentagon, served a deployment to Iraq, and even served as the Command Master Chief of an Operational Battalion out of Jacksonville, FL. These were demanding roles, but Audia took care of my family and ensured I still had a clear path to success in my civilian career.

My current role is very loosely defined and lies in a gray area between IT and production. Someone that understands why rules exist in IT cyberspace and that understands what makes production equipment function safely could fill this role. To help ensure Audia is successful long-term, a person best suited for this role would see a long-term target and be comfortable building strategy.

I am fortunate enough to work with all manufacturing sites and with all levels of personnel throughout Audia. For example, I travel to the EU site frequently. The people at the plant and in the nearby towns are amazingly friendly. I have made several friends over there, and I am thankful to see them each time I travel to the facility in Voderady.

There are differences in languages and personalities, but one thing is absolutely constant, people love to help each other. It seems to be embedded into the soul of the company; Audia is built to provide a custom process to build a custom material for our customers when they need it. Audia’s people find a way to get the job done the right way and to have fun doing it.

I am thankful that I feel valued for my personal skills, not just my job. In each position at Audia, I have been able to further define my role based on my personal skills and passions. People are frequently moved into positions that are best suited to their passions while given the flexibility and resources to make improvements around them.

There are two major contributing factors from military service that help me in specific situations: life/death situations and time. In practically all stressful situations in business, it is rarely life threatening. Through my deployment, I’ve been in these life/death situations, and it helps to stay calm in taking control of the scene. This factor puts each issue in perspective for me. The other big factor is time. I have lived through being deployed away from family for nearly a year and disappeared under the ocean for months. That is time I will never get back. If my team needs time with family or there is a special occasion with their son or daughter, then that will always take priority. The rest of us will cover for them until they are able to get back to work and help us out. We take care of the company and make them profitable, so that we can take care of our family.

I was fortunate to achieve the highest possible rank in Enlisted service. I am absolutely confident that I could not have done this had I been employed with any number of other civilian companies. I thank Audia for their support of my military career, their support for my family while I was deployed, and for their support of all other Veterans that they employ. Aside from that…Have a fine Navy day, Shipmates.