About Us

High Reliability Group LLC was founded in 2016 to help our clients improve operations based on the principles of the US Nuclear Navy. Each one of our consultants has significant experience in the U.S. Nuclear Submarine Force or Nuclear Surface Navy along with post-Navy industry experience. We look forward to helping you on your journey to Extreme Operational Excellence.

Bob Koonce

Bob Koonce

President & Founder

 

Bob Koonce founded High Reliability Group after 20 years in the US Nuclear Navy where he served on five different nuclear fast attack submarines culminating in Command of USS KEY WEST (SSN 722). Following his retirement from the Navy in 2011, Bob has held a variety of leadership roles primarily in the Energy Industry where he has led business development, project management, and consulting efforts for large and small companies. He is an expert in leadership and High Reliability Organizations, a co-author of Extreme Operational Excellence, a book on the culture of excellence in the US Nuclear Submarine Force, a keynote speaker, and passionate about helping other leaders reach their goals.

Juan Contreras

Juan Contreras

Senior Consultant

 

Juan Contreras served 20 years in the Naval Nuclear Power Program retiring in 2005. His sea service included tours on a guided missile cruiser and multiple aircraft carriers while serving as Reactor Controls Leading Chief Petty Officer. His shore duties included an instructor tour where he served as the Production Training Group Lead at the S8G training facility. After leaving the Navy he began a career in the oil and gas industry which has included roles as Process Safety Manager, EHS Manager, Operations Supervisor and Director of East Texas Operations. His focus in industry has been on improving all aspects of operational performance, team building and employee coaching and mentoring. Juan has an MBA and an MS in Occupational Health and Safety from Columbia Southern University. He also holds certification as a PSM/RMP auditor, Process Hazard Analysis Leader, and Incident Investigation/Root Cause Analysis Leader.

Tim Doelger

Tim Doelger

Director Business Development

 

Tim Doelger is a nuclear submarine veteran, tech-savvy innovator, 2X founder and strategic business development expert with a remarkable career spanning over two decades. Tim’s journey is marked by a diverse set of experiences, beginning with his service in the US Navy as a Nuclear Submarine Electronics Technician, ensuring the flawless operation of critical electronic systems aboard James Madison and Ohio Class Trident Nuclear Ballistic Submarines.

With a Bachelor of Science in e-Business, Tim has made significant strides, showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit and leadership acumen.  Tim’s strategic business development expertise came to fruition as he learned that solving other organizations’ problems was one of the most coveted career paths to take. After over a decade providing mar-tech, data communication and cyber security solutions to C-Suite executives in fortune 500 companies, he became the Founder and CEO of TruFishing, Inc.  He led the creation of an innovative mobile app and web platform that revolutionized the angling tournament experience, incorporating machine learning and AI for species identification and video curation for viral sharing across social media. His passion for innovation and technology is further evident in his role as the Founder and CEO of Cast Further, LLC, where he spearheaded the development of revolutionary IoT products for anglers, earning accolades and awards at Princeton University for their innovation.

Tim’s commitment to solving complex problems, coupled with his military background, positions him as a dynamic leader capable of providing solutions to leaders in industries that require operational excellence in environments where the risk of failure is high.

Frank Gardner

Frank Gardner

Senior Consultant

 

Frank served 33 years in the Submarine Force and retired from active duty in 2018.  During his career, Frank led the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program for 5 years as the Naval Reactors Command Master Chief. His tours included 3 fast attack submarines, 2 ballistic missile submarines, 2 nuclear instructor tours, 2 tours on the staff of the Submarine Force commander, and as a shipyard zone manager for three submarine refueling overhauls. In his roles as Naval Reactors Command Master Chief and on the staff of the Submarine Force Commander he conducted dozens of operational and organizational culture assessments in a variety of industrial and operational settings. He specialized in assisting leadership teams in implementing change to improve processes, performance, and reliability.

Jeff Hedges

Jeff Hedges

Senior Advisor

Jeff Hedges has over 40 years of experience in senior leadership roles in both the military and in industry. Jeff has worked in a variety of industries in operations and HES roles including at Chevron Corporation, a privately held environmental services company, in the pulp and paper industry, and in the DOE nuclear complex. He has extensive experience in multiple organizations with leading organizational change in Leadership, Culture and Management Systems, both developing strategies and implementing sustainable change. His most recent position prior to joining High Reliability Group was General Manager of Operational Excellence for Chevron Corporation. Jeff has led several projects for HRG clients to design, develop, and implement full scale Operational Excellence Management Systems. Jeff has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and an MBA (Global Executive) from Duke University. Jeff resides near Austin, Texas.

Jim Hicks

Jim Hicks

Senior Consultant

 

Jim served 30 years in the US Nuclear Navy on multiple classes of Submarines, Aircraft Carriers, and Nuclear Repair ships. He holds two bachelor degrees, Business and Nuclear Engineering Technology, and an MBA. His previous positions include Quality Assurance Director for the Pacific Submarine Fleet, as well as Turnaround and Maintenance Director for the South Pacific and over 60% of the world’s oceans. Jim earned the Department of Defense Phoenix Award for building the number one military maintenance organization in 2012. He embodies operational excellence. After retiring from the military in 2013 as a Lieutenant Commander, Jim immersed himself into the oil and gas industry in Texas. He has been instrumental in leading numerous EPC projects, major turnarounds, and mega turnarounds. His team building expertise resulted in recognition for the top North American (industry-wide) Turnaround in 2020. He subsequently led the highly successful, largest mega-turnaround in company history. Jim has extensive experience in leading Operational Excellence Management System evaluations. He is an ideal mentor to leadership, engineering, and field staff in operational excellence, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.

Scott Kimmel

Scott Kimmel

Senior Consultant

 

Scott served 21 years in the Navy Nuclear Power program as both enlisted and a Commissioned Officer. During his enlisted 11 years he trained sailors for the Nuclear Power pipeline.  He also had operational time on submarines.  After becoming a Limited Duty Officer, he stayed with the maintenance of Naval Submarines in both shipyards and submarine tenders.  During his time in the Navy, he was able to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration.  He retired from the Navy in 2004.

Upon completion of his Naval service Scott went to work at one of the Navy’s public shipyards for 19 years, during which time he held positions of Assistant Project Superintendent, Deputy Project Superintendent, and achieving Project Superintendent on projects that lasted multiple years and required hundreds of thousand-man days to complete.  Scott received a Meritorious Civilian Service medal for his efforts.  The last years at the shipyard Scott was the Operations Manager in charge of assembling, training and motivating High Performing teams to execute these arduous projects.

Scott brings his expertise in both complex maintenance and building teams to perform this work in a safe environment, correctly, and on time. 

Bryan Lethcoe

Bryan Lethcoe

Senior Advisor

 

Bryan served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, both as an active duty submarine officer and in various leadership and staff roles in the Navy Reserve, retiring with the rank of Commander.  Since leaving active duty, Bryan has over 15 years of experience working in a variety of segments in the Oil and Gas industry, including onshore and offshore pipeline integrity technology development, pipeline integrity consulting, offshore drilling technical audit and field support, and LNG technical audit and operational excellence.

Kevin Mooney

Kevin Mooney

Senior Advisor

 

Kevin Mooney has over 36 years of leadership and management experience in both private industry and the U.S. Navy. Over the
past 16 years, he has held senior leadership positions in two large North American shipyards. Kevin had previously served for
20 years as nuclear submarine officer in the US Navy. Kevin has guided numerous organizations through challenging
circumstances including transformations, turnarounds and integration following acquisition. He gets results by building
strong teams and creating an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect, and accountability.

Kevin recently completed a term as President/COO of Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As part of Canada’s strategy to restore its dormant shipbuilding industry, he transformed a startup-like shipyard to more efficient full-scale production. Kevin has held executive roles at General Dynamics NASSCO Shipyard in San Diego (4000+ employees/$2B+ annual revenue). He ran operations during a period of rapid growth, including doubling the trade workforce and completing major capital improvements. He also led the supply chain and program management teams, including strategic growth and acquisition efforts. NASSCO acquired and integrated two shipyards as a result of these efforts. Kevin’s 20-year Navy career included an assignment as Commanding Officer of a nuclear attack submarine.

Kevin graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and earned a M.S. in
Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America. He has also completed the
Executive Program Manager’s Course at the Defense Acquisition University.

Brian O'Neill

Brian O'Neill

Senior Consultant

 

Brian served 22 years in Navy Nuclear Power and retired from active duty in 2009.  He is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and earned his Master in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. He served aboard a ballistic missile/special operations nuclear submarine and multiple nuclear and non-nuclear surface warfare ships. His shore assignments include an evaluator tour at a Nuclear Power Training Unit and as Force Personnel Officer at Commander Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. Since leaving active duty, Brian has held variety of line management and corporate oversight roles in commercial nuclear power. A number of these assignments were serving in an audit/assessment capacity where he would assist leadership teams in evaluating and then improving operational excellence.

Jim Speicher

Jim Speicher

Senior Consultant

 

Jim has a broad range of technical leadership and executive management experience as a veteran of both the nuclear propulsion and commercial nuclear power sectors.  His passion for operational excellence and organizational health has developed from both front-line and senior leadership positions in high reliability organizations over 35 years, managing operational risk and contingency planning for high-consequence activities in shipyard, manufacturing, information technology, technology development, finance, and non-profit work arenas.  He has international experience as a senior advisor, mentor, and leadership development expert and has expertise in teamwork strategies, cultural transformation, corrective action programs, and quality management systems.  Jim was awarded a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission license as a Senior Reactor Operator and earned an M.S. in Operations Research and B.S. in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering.

Bruce Talbot

Bruce Talbot

Senior Consultant

 

Bruce served 31 years in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force retiring from active duty in 2012. During his career he was Reactor Controls Leading Chief Petty Officer and Engineering Department Master Chief on five fast attack submarines. He has also served in the nuclear repair department of a submarine tender, the staff of a Submarine Squadron and as a shipyard availability coordinator. His final position in the Navy was Command Master Chief of a Naval Reactors Training Facility. Bruce focuses on providing leaders the tools and techniques required for continuous improvement through proper monitoring, critical self-evaluation and effective feedback. Bruce holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering Technology from Thomas Edison State University.