Luke Hillier, son of the company founder, returned in 1997 to the family business bringing with him significant government contracting and capital investment expertise. But most importantly, Luke brought a vision of something greater for the dive shop. Under Luke’s direction, an offshoot of LDC was created with a specific focus on serving the unique needs of government customers—Atlantic Diving Supply (ADS) was born.
While ADS was rooted in serving the local military diving community, Luke believed that the opportunity for us to provide solutions to customers’ challenges expanded well beyond diving equipment and far beyond the local community. By talking to customers and striving to truly understand their mission challenges, we became increasingly committed to a singular belief. We knew that our product expertise and personalized solutions could be applied to a broader spectrum of products that would significantly increase our legendary customer service to existing military customers as well as others across the defense industry.
OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM
Today, ADS has more than 300 employees—a big increase from the original five that started the company. More than one-quarter of the ADS workforce has served in the military or held a federal, law enforcement, or first responder role. An even larger percentage of us come from or are part of a military family.
These core values serve as a compass for the actions we take and the decisions we make.
Our all-in commitment to our customers means constructively questioning behaviors and activities that run counter to our mission and values. We are committed to keeping our eye on the goal and following through.
Digging beneath the obvious is the key to our success. We aren't afraid to go beyond expectations in order to uncover the real problems so that we can provide the best solution.
We believe in displaying an infectiously energizing spirit, approaching challenges and change with positivity, and being a battery charger for those around us.
Giving up is not an option. Our indomitable will to win and 100% effort sets us apart and allows us to turn ideas into results.
The ADS Team is known for challenging the status quo and identifying new ways to solve problems. This applies to both customer's problems and getting work done.
We hold each other and ourselves accountable to follow through on commitments, own up to mistakes and meet or beat deadlines.
#1 DLA SUPPLIER
#22 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR
#17 GSA CONTRACTOR
Military Friendly Employer 2023
Military Friendly Spouse Employer 2023
Military Friendly Brand 2022
America’s 5th Fastest Growing Private Companies
Great Place to Work: USA
Top Veteran-Friendly Company
16th Best Place to Work in Virginia
Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner
Nation’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work for Award