In the past I've interviewed veterans involved in Franchises. Gordon started a company that has become a franchise with over 1,700 locations, and many of their franchise owners are veterans. He gives an incredibly vivid look at what it is like to start and grow a company, how to remain fresh and grow with your business, and how failures are never final.

Why Listen:

Comcast NBCUniversal was recently recognized by Military Times as the #3 best employer for veterans. With a commitment to hiring 21,000 members of the military community by the end of 2021, the global media and technology company is more than "military-friendly." It's "military ready."  In this interview we talk about why Veterans may enjoy a career at Comcast NBCUniversal, what it’s like to be a test engineer, and how finding bugs and breaking products help ensure that customers don’t do either of these things. We talk about finding a community after the military, ways to give back, the unexpected struggles Veterans face in their military transition, and more.

About Lou:

Louis Daleandro is a Manager of New Product Introduction, Xfinity Mobile at Comcast. He served in the Navy for over 15 years, first as a Mess Specialist on board the USS Baton Rouge SSN 689. He then served from 1992- 1994 as part of the DECOM CREW where he was "SS qualified." He then transferred to the USS MCKEE AS-41, Submarine Tender based out of Point Loma, San Diego, CA. He also deployed overseas to support the war efforts for Operation Enduring Freedom- Noble Eagle. He has worked at Comcast for over seven years, and is a founding member of Comcast’s VetNet leadership team. 

Why Listen:
Ben’s first job out of the Army was at Amgen, and he has worked there for nearly 23 years. In this interview we talk about the variety of roles he has held at Amgen. We also talk about Ben’s extensive experience mentoring many Veterans through American Corporate Partners. Ben shares advice for listeners based on his mentorship work and common challenges he’s seen Veterans face. He talks about the importance of understanding why you are leaving the military. He shares advice about networking and how a connection with another Veteran lead to his work in Research & Development. He talks about how to explain one’s background to someone who is not familiar with the military. He shares why it’s important to be as close as possible to selling a product or making a product. And we talk about much, much more.

About Ben:
Ben Chu is a Director, Global Program Management at Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company.  Amgen’s mission is to serve patients by developing innovative and transformative medicines. He started out at West Point, after which he served as a Combat Engineer in the Army for over 6 years. He has worked at Amgen for nearly 23 years, starting out in Amgen’s Engineering organization, and then, with the help of the veteran’s network, landed a PM role in R&D, where he has worked in a variety of leadership roles (Pre-Clinical, Clinical, Regulatory & Safety, and now Commercialization). Ben holds an M.S. Engineering from UCLA and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Why Listen:
After the loss of her leg, Patty continued to serve on Active Duty and eventually competed for the US in the Paralympics. In this interview she talks about how her accident changed her view on athletics, and how to shift one’s thinking from Post Traumatic Stress to Post Traumatic Growth. We talk about the difficulties Veterans face in their career transition around finding a new identity, and how to get out of your comfort zone and find new goals to combat this. We talk  about the “imposter  syndrome,” workalike balance, consulting, and more.

About Patty:
Patty Collins is a Principal at the McChrystal Group, which has leadership development offerings that are designed to equip leaders with the knowledge and tools to shape culture and cultivate performance within their organizations. Patty served as an Army Communications Officer for over 24 years, and spent over seven years assigned to Special Mission units within the Joint Special Operations Command. After her transition from the military, Patty was a member of the 2016 US Paralympic Team, representing the U.S. in the sport of Triathlon in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Patty holds a Master’s degree from the National War College and a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University.

Why Listen:
Elliot has a long history in startups and operations. In this interview, we talk about the hiring process on how to play competing offers off of each other in order to get the best outcome possible. We talk about a variety of ways to get a job. We talk about Elliot’s experience in the General Manager position, a role that may be appealing to many Veterans. We talk about changing one’s job title from a big to a small company and how to approach this. And we talk about operations - operations in a tech startup, as well as operations in the cost-driven physical products world.

About Elliot:
Elliot Wilson is the Vice President of Operations at ZipRecruiter, which is the smartest way to hire and get hired. He started out at the Air Force Academy, after which he served in the Air Force for nearly three years. He has worked as a Senior Product Manager at Pictage, General Manager overseeing 250 employees at Lovejoy, and Area Director of Distribution at Sherman-Williams. He holds both an MS and MBA from Loyola Marymount University. 

In the past I've interviewed veterans involved in Franchises. Gordon started a company that has become a franchise with over 1,700 locations, and many of their franchise owners are veterans. He gives an incredibly vivid look at what it is like to start and grow a company, how to remain fresh and grow with your business, and how failures are never final.

For those interested in a career in Management Consulting, Kristen does a fantastic job of breaking down what the projects and day-to-day life are like, as well as very tactical steps to prepare for your interview. But even if you're not interested in consulting, Kristen has great advice on how to explain your skills and make a connection with the person interviewing you for whatever job you pursue.

Trevor managed to go directly from Active Duty military to Bain & Company, something that less than 7% of military veterans in Management Consulting are able to do. He talks about preparing for one's transition to a civilian career as early as possible, and also being willing to take a step back and take the longview on one's career.

Jason Hodell is the CEO of Skullcandy, which markets headphones, earphones, speakers and other products. Skullcandy was founded in 2003 and acquired in October 2016 by Mill Road Capital for $200 million. Jason started out at West Point, after which he served as an Infantry Officer in the US Army for five years. After the Army, he picked up his MBA at Wharton.He had an impressive career prior to Skullcandy, which we’ll discuss in the interview, and joined the Skullcandy team initially as their CFO & COO.  Since that time the company has grown revenue from $210M to approximately $300m, and he was appointed as the CEO of Skullcandy  about one year ago.

Matthew Caldwell is the President and CEO of the Florida Panthers and Sunrise Sports & Entertainment. Matthew started out at West Point, after which he served in the U.S. Army for five years, conducting combat operations in Iraq and peacekeeping operations in Kosovo. Matthew worked as a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in their Investment Management Division, and then transitioned to Chief Operating Officer for the Panthers before being elevated to President and CEO. Matthew holds a JD/MBA from Northwestern University School of Law and the Kellogg School of Management

John Gossart is the Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of GoodWorld (www.GoodWorld.me), the FinTech startup revolutionizing philanthropy and social payments.  GoodWorld was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2016 and D.C.’s Best Technology Startup. Prior to GoodWorld, John was an original partner at RideScout (www.RideScout.com), the tech startup acquired by Daimler-Mercedes in 2014.

Alex Stone is the Founder & CEO of Athletes of Valor, who’s mission is to help veterans transition from service to career by leveraging the power of collegiate sports. He started out as a Sergeant in the Marine Corps, after which he worked as a Product Manager at Wellpower Sports Co, and then at Under Armour as both a Development Manager and then Product Line Manager.

Phil McConkey is the President of Academy Securities, our nation’s first and only post 9/11 military veteran and disabled veteran owned and operated investment bank and broker dealer. Phil has served in this capacity for the last 6 years. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served for five years as a Naval Aviator. After his military service, spent 6 years in the NFL, with the Packers, Cardinals, Chargers and the Giants - where he won the Super Bowl.