President & CEO, MATRIC, Inc., and Chairman & CEO, Appalachia Development Group, LLC
By Jennifer Jett Prezkop
Steve Hedrick’s first job was that of a soldier, serving as a commissioned officer and scout platoon leader in the U.S. Army. Embracing a lifelong calling to be a professional soldier, he had just graduated from West Point and was looking toward the future with the same mentality he seems to apply to all opportunities that come his way: go big or go home.
The vital lessons he learned as a young platoon leader helped lay a solid foundation for both his career and his favorite pastime: helping move West Virginia forward. “Mission first, soldiers always. Work hard, be relentless, have a will to win that is bigger than the challenge before you. Take care of your people and equipment, and you’ll do well and create the opportunity for others to do well,” he remembers of those lessons.
Understanding this mentality, it is easy to see why Hedrick was chosen to lead MATRIC, a South Charleston-based strategic innovation partner and research and development center where professionals are solving the most difficult science and technology problems. MATRIC is keeping innovation alive in West Virginia’s chemical valley. Its success is West Virginia’s success, and at the end of the day Hedrick is fighting for a better future for the Mountain State.
“West Virginia is where we decided to stay and fight for a better life for the people around us,” he says of his family. “While we love our hills and clean air and water, it is the people who gave us cause to stay. I take great pride in leading the MATRIC team to do something bigger and better than any one individual could accomplish alone.”
Hedrick didn’t join MATRIC and call it a day, though. He sees too many other opportunities around him to stop fighting for the future. With the rapid growth of the natural gas industry in Appalachia and the untapped potential that exists here, he and his associates envisioned an underground natural gas liquids storage hub and the job creation and economic growth it would spur. Not one to simply dream, Hedrick led the effort to put plans in motion, and the Appalachia Development Group (ADG) was born, created to make the Appalachia Storage and Trading Hub a reality.
There are two characteristics in particular that have helped Hedrick find success: resiliency and confidence in the team. “The truth of the matter is that I am stubborn and notoriously dissatisfied with the status quo,” he says. “When my team and I decide something will happen, I have the firm belief that we will deliver every time.”
Hedrick takes his experience and proven leadership skills beyond MATRIC and ADG into the community because he sees the importance of enabling others to help make West Virginia a better, more prosperous place. Hedrick serves as the chairman of the board for the Charleston Area Alliance and sits on the board of directors for the Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation, Advantage Valley, Thomas Health System, Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, West Virginia Manufacturers Association (WVMA), West Virginia Regional Technology Park Corporation, Shale Crescent USA and Chemical Alliance Zone. He is also involved with the West Virginia Business Roundtable and American Institute of Chemical Engineers. In the past, he has served as chairman of the Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce, WVMA’s Marcellus to Manufacturing Committee and the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee, and he has volunteered for United Food Operation, Inc., Habitat for Humanity and the United Way.
Hedrick believes motivation comes from a resolve borne of core beliefs that have taken root over time. For him, those core beliefs are built on the importance of service to others and the will to win, especially when it comes to West Virginia. He finds inspiration in these words from Nelson Mandela: “I never lose. I either win or I learn.”
“Those words encompass an attitude that allows us to seek to win every day, knowing that we will win in the long run even if we must endure learning days along the way,” he says.
Despite its challenges, Hedrick believes West Virginia’s—and Appalachia’s—best days are still ahead, and that’s a battle he will continue to fight.
1989 Enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point
1993 Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point
1995 Promoted to first lieutenant in the U.S. Army
1996 Deployed for JTF-6 Counter-Drug Operations
1999 Honorably departed active duty from the U.S. Army
2003 Named head of polymer polyol manufacturing at Bayer MaterialScience, LLC
2005 Named head of TPU manufacturing at Bayer MaterialScience, LLC
2010 Appointed vice president and general plant manager at Bayer CropScience, LP
2013 Named president and CEO of MATRIC
2017 Founded Appalachia Development Group, LLC
2019 Elected chairman of the board for Charleston Area Alliance
