Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii held a change of command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), July 18.

Captain Marc R. Delao, Civil Engineer Corps (CEC), relieved Capt. Richard D. Hayes III, CEC, and took command of NAVFAC Hawaii's highly-skilled federal civilian workforce of more than 1,250 as well as 225 Navy and Air Force personnel.

During his farewell remarks, Hayes thanked the many commands, partnering organizations, and individuals who made his time in Hawaii significant and memorable.

He specifically addressed his immediate team, "To the men and women of NAVFAC Hawaii, I am so very proud to have been a member of your impressive team and to have experienced and shared your countless accomplishments and achievements. I thank you for your tireless support to our Warfighters and all of our customers whether it be providing services to the surge of ships during RIMPAC or the daily task of ensuring the lights are on, the water is running or a project is finished on time. You all do an outstanding job and I will forever treasure the time I have had as your Commanding Officer. This has been the very best tour of my career. You made it so."

Guest speaker Rear Adm. John W. Korka commended Hayes for his leadership and presented him with the Legion of Merit medal for his exceptional accomplishments as Commanding Officer NAVFAC Hawaii and Regional Engineer Commander Navy Region Hawaii from June 2016 - July 2018.

"Captain Hayes applied his vision, his deep sense of responsibility, and technical expertise ensuring NAVFAC Hawaii was properly trained and prepared for supporting shore requirements and maintaining the high level of shore readiness for our Pacific Fleet," said Korka. "The command has performed amazingly, sometimes under great pressure, and you have been there for our Navy."

During his tour at NAVFAC Hawaii, Hayes' commitment to excellence and focus on future growth and progress while supporting Pacific Fleet and other supported commands resulted in numerous accomplishments such as:

* Completing complex and politically sensitive real estate agreements while disposing of non-mission required land, infrastructure and facilities to include a momentous milestone in conveying the Navy's water and wastewater systems at Kalaeloa (former Naval Air Station Barbers Point) to Hunt Kalaeloa Water Company, LLC.

* Meeting all Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility Administrative Order on Consent milestones and successfully progressing to the agreed upon and enforceable timelines while maintaining a respectful relationship with members of the State of Hawaii Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency.

* Ensuring facility, environmental, and energy requirements were met to support the Region's mission, vision and goals including the submission for consideration of 52 Military Construction Unspecific Minor Construction, and Special Projects totaling $1.7 billion and executing $250 million of construction, repair, restoration and modernization project approved and funded for execution in FY17 and FY18.

Specifically, within NAVFAC Hawaii, Hayes drove his team to significantly increase efforts to attract, recruit, and retain talent despite a booming local economy where unemployment in Hawaii is one of the lowest in the nation. He helped increase command execution and productivity through a series of execution improvement initiatives which assisted in the command successfully completing nearly 250 mission critical contracted construction projects valued at ~ $400 million in less than two years. He propelled the command to improve supervisor skills by creating a supervisor certification program. Hayes led the NAVFAC Hawaii team to meet its Net Operating Results goals as well as executing the highest FY17 Shore Repair Maintenance program to date of $68.4 million. He was vital in implementing the Chief's "Funds Fidelity" mandate to ensure charges were applied correctly to help document the true corporate resource picture in austere times. Under Hayes leadership Public Works Department JBPHH made significant process improvements, culminating in increased efficiencies and enhanced customer service.

Hayes will report to his next assignment as Commanding Officer NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia in August.

Delao grew up in Marysville, California. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering. He holds a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and completed the Wharton School of Business Executive Development Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Delao is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of New Mexico and a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps. He is a Surface Warfare Officer, Basic Parachutist and Seabee Combat Warfare Officer qualified. Delao also earned a Master Training Specialist (MTS) certification and Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering Instructor of the Year honors in 2005. Prior to reporting to NAVFAC Hawaii, Delao was the Chief of Staff, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

NAVFAC Hawaii is the Navy's single touch-point for all facilities engineering products and services in Hawaii. It delivers and maintains quality, sustainable facilities through contracting, engineering, environmental, planning, and public works services to Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Department of Defense supported commands and other federal agency customers in the state.

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