“Forged through adversity, driven by purpose, service to those who serve”
This is a cornerstone to which Got Your Six Coffee Co was built on.
In December of 2016, Eric Hadley, the CEO & Founder, launched Got Your Six Coffee Co. Just a few months later, in July of 2017, GY6CC began selling coffee through an online e-commerce platform. We had the idea of using the power of coffee as a catalyst to brew better days for this country.
Since a very young age, Eric has actively lived a life of service to others. He credits his parents for involving him in Scouting, which instilled in him the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law . From 1985, when he joined Cub Scouts, to 1994 when he achieved the rank of Eagle, Eric steadily advanced through the Scouting ranks. However, his commitment to service extends beyond Scouting. He has also volunteered and served with his church and other organizations like Key Club.
After graduating high school in 1995, Eric chose to continue this line of service by working his way into the military. During the summer of 1995 he was sponsored by New Mexico Military Institute to attend the United States Army Early Commissioning Program at Ft. Knox KY. While competing against thousands of other college students he earned an army scholarship but ultimately turned it down because “there was no guarantee that he could go Armor or Artillery at the time”. Even though he turned down the scholarship he still attended New Mexico Military Institute, a 2 year junior college, because of the institute’s reputation of being one of the best academy prep schools in the nation.
Upon graduating from NMMI, Eric was accepted into Maine Maritime Academy in Castine Maine. During his time at MMA he competed again for an ROTC Scholarship and earned one with the United States Navy’s Merchant Marine Reserve Program. While in Maine he not only earned a BS in Marine Engineering Technology, but he also completed the requirements to become a licensed United States Coast Guard Merchant Marine Third Assistant Engineer and successfully completed all the requirements to become a United States Naval Officer.
On the 22nd day of December in the year 2000
he completed a milestone while standing before Naval Officers and repeating an oath of office to become an Ensign in the United States Navy Reserves.
A few days later he graduated from MMA and then in the spring of 2001 he went to work for the United States Navy’s Military Sealift Command where he spent the next 12 years working onboard Navy Ships whose mission is to perform logistical support for armed forces afloat. During this time he had the privilege of serving on such ships like the USS Coronado AGF-11 (a west coast command ship), the USNS Comfort T-AH-20 (the east coast hospital ship), the USNS Shasta AE-33 (an ammunition ship), USNS Supply T-AOE-6 (one of 4 high speed ammunition oilers), the USNS Grapple T-ARS-53 (Safeguard rescue and salvage tug) and several more…
After sailing countless miles, visiting 59 different countries, and successfully completing missions in disaster response, humanitarian aid, and more, Eric made the decision to transition to a shoreside role. He embarked on a new career as a Senior Engineering Consultant for the United States Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore MD. In April of 2012, following this transition, Eric voluntarily resigned his commission and received an Honorable Discharge from the United States Navy Reserves.
Two years later…
With the sitting administration’s funding issues affecting him, Eric made yet another transition, relocating his family to Springfield MO and joining Transocean in the oil industry. Within a year and after a couple of promotions, he achieved his desired position as a Subsea Supervisor (Trainee). However, upon arriving at his first assignment, he confronted the harsh reality of the oil industry downturn. Over the course of 2.5 years, he witnessed numerous co-workers being laid off, and then the call came. Following a major shipyard period aboard the Deepwater Nautilus, a drill platform contracted by Shell, the rig was decommissioned, resulting in the entire crew being laid off.
Eric, who had spent his entire career at sea,
suddenly found himself landlocked in Springfield Missouri, a place devoid of the oceanfront properties he needed to continue his career. After several months of job searching, his savings were depleted, and he had no choice but to dip into his retirement funds to cover expenses. It was at that point that Eric made the decision to make good use of his retirement savings, thinking, “If I have to use my retirement, I should use it for something worthwhile.”
This is where Got Your Six Coffee Co was born.
One of Eric’s friends and mentors, Clay Croft with Expedition Overland once said, “Turn your passions into a career and you will never work another day in your life”. This was a quote that hit home for him and one that he had held close during the time of change.
If you take the time to look at Got Your Six Coffee Co you will see that everything Eric is passionate about can be found in the pages that tell our story. As for the rest of the story… These pages are being written as we speak.
“Forged through adversity, driven by purpose, service to those who serve” – Eric Hadley, CEO/Founder
Today he spends his time running GY6CC with a small “band of brothers” if you will, who have volunteered their time to our mission. Just like it all started he still spends his time in the service to others. Be it through Got Your Six or through his church you can always find him serving.
One of Eric’s favorite quotes comes from Chief Tecumseh who once said “that a single twig will break, but a bundle of twigs is strong”. When you think about it, it’s about coffee, but then again it’s not about coffee. It’s about what we can do together as a team with coffee for communities all across this great country. To us, first responders, healthcare professionals, veterans, active military and their families are the glue that keep this country together. That is why we are using the power of coffee to brew better days.
