Answer extracted from the Bulkloads Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How did military service shape your transition to civilian business leadership?
A family lineage of military service traced back to the Revolutionary War instilled a sense of duty from childhood, and witnessing family members serve made military commitment feel like a natural path. After his deployment to Iraq and combat experiences with the 3rd Infantry Division, he navigated post-traumatic stress and civilian reintegration—a process that taught him resilience and decisive decision-making skills he later applied directly to building his business.
From generational duty to personal combat experience
His military journey began long before his own commission. Both sides of his family had served continuously since the Revolutionary War, with relatives appearing in nearly every major American conflict. Growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where his father and grandfather had worked for RJ Reynolds and Phillips 66, he saw military service as a shared family expectation—not a forced obligation, but a natural calling.
In 2007, he commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Appalachian State University ROTC program and served six years on active duty as an armor officer. His most defining experience came during a 12+ month deployment to Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division, where he faced direct combat situations that tested every aspect of his character and judgment. As he reflects, the full episode explores how those moments under fire shaped his tactical thinking.
Resilience as a business framework
The transition from military to civilian life was not seamless. Combat-related stress and the psychological weight of reintegration required sustained personal work. Rather than viewing this struggle as a setback, he recognized it as his first major leadership challenge—one that demanded the same deliberate problem-solving he'd used in theater.
This resilience became his operating system in business. After reintegrating, he spent 12 years at Deloitte Consulting supporting federal agencies including the Defense Health Agency, Veterans Health Administration, and the FDA. When he founded Carolina Expressways as a freight brokerage, the episode details how his Deloitte experience and military discipline informed his early business strategy, from hiring decisions to operational risk management.
"I think everything happens for a reason in many instances, and sometimes you can't really recognize that in the moment."
The Guest — Founder and Owner of Carolina Expressways; former U.S. Army armor officer commissioned in 2007 through Appalachian State University ROTC, with six years of active duty including 12+ months of combat deployment to Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division. After military service, he spent twelve years at Deloitte Consulting supporting federal agencies before launching his freight brokerage and logistics firm.
This perspective—accepting uncertainty and finding meaning in hardship—became the lens through which he approached entrepreneurship. Listen to the full conversation to hear how he built Carolina Expressways while managing federal policy changes and market disruption, or discover what initially motivated him to enter the freight brokerage industry without prior trucking experience.
See also
What motivated a military transition officer to enter the freight brokerage industry without prior trucking experience?
The guest was inspired by a mutual friend who owned a trucking company and served as a mentor through the initial business case development. After 12 years at Deloitte Consulting supporting federal agencies, transitioning to an industry with a clear problem to solve aligned with his entrepreneurial vision.
Key takeaways
- A family military lineage extending back to the Revolutionary War created an early sense of duty and made military service feel like a natural calling.
- Six years of active duty and 12+ months of combat deployment to Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division taught him decision-making under pressure and resilience.
- Managing post-traumatic stress and civilian reintegration became his first major personal leadership challenge, teaching skills directly applicable to business.
- Twelve years at Deloitte Consulting provided strategic discipline that he carried into launching Carolina Expressways and managing federal sector relationships.