Ryan grew up watching his dad fly fighter jets. At the time he didn’t know that he’d end up following in his footsteps, but the events of 9-11 solidified his desire to serve. Ryan flew the F-15E, but also spent a tour flying the Thunderbirds. He traveled the world to showcase the Air Force’s “pride, precision and professionalism” through air shows and flyovers. Even during his active duty career Ryan was pursuing entrepreneurship. Originally he helped found, Flying Scarfs, a nonprofit offering an online market for Afghan products to help women in Afghanistan create an income in 2011.  This endeavor also gave him the passion to make sure all “profits had purpose”. Be Jet Clean Be Jet Clean was originally thought of during a deployment to Afghanistan. His fellow flight-mates had the same dislike for their current grooming products. Ryan didn’t like that his research showed him that “mainstream soaps have the same ingredients as car wash soaps.” Upon returning from this deployment he set to work creating over 2,000 products in his kitchen with the help of his now, co-owner, Dale Wood. When those items sold in just 3 months they knew they were on to something. Be Jet Clean continues to have the mindset of “profits for purpose” as they give 10% to help support and empower other veterans and veteran service organizations. If you listened to the podcast and are curious about Ryan’s call-sign of “Neo”, check out the origins here. Learn More Website: www.bejetclean.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bejetclean/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-y2wMNk24Fi-J2qbTTYQA VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Eric graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1997. He served eight years as a Naval Flight Officer. After service he built a successful real estate business. But, in early 2019 Eric served as board president for “Show Me Integrity”, a political reform organization. This became the springboard to combine his interest in politics and military service to found the nonprofit, Veterans for Political Innovation in 2021. Veterans for Political Innovation Their mission is to “make our political system less toxic and more competitive by mobilizing military veterans to fight to preserve democracy through election innovations.” To accomplish this, VPI is focused on supporting the following nonpartisan innovations: Top Five Open Primaries, Ranked Choice Voting, and Final Five Voting. “Veterans for Political Innovation will mobilize one of America's most trusted institutions, veterans, to help restore one of our least-trusted institutions, the politics industry." Learn More Website: https://www.veteransforpoliticalinnovation.org Upcoming Events:  March 16th; Nevada Launch March 30th; Cape Girardeau Roundtable and Happy Hour VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Billy’s earliest memory as a kid was tagging along with his dad while golfing. He really doesn’t ever remember not loving the game. His dad taught him how to play and it became a passion growing up. He remembers getting his first par at the age of 11.  He doesn’t remember what triggered the decision, but he decided to he wanted to attend the United States Naval Academy. In 2004 he graduated and continued serving for five years as a Surface Warfare Officer. After leaving the Navy, Billy has played golf as a professional career. He is currently the only veteran playing on the PGA tour. Billy Hurley III Foundation About five years ago he and his wife decided to found the Billy Hurley III Foundation. Its sole purpose is to "support, honor, and enhance the lives of military families; serving those who serve along side." Check out their upcoming fundraising event:   The Brave Golf Tournament, May 16th at the Naval Academy Golf Course.   Learn More Website: www.billyhurley3.com Brave Golf Tournament: www.bh3.golf VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Nicole began her work in broadcasting and film almost 20 years ago, volunteering with the local National Public Radio. She has a passion for it and received her Master’s Degree in Journalism and Public Relations in 2013. It was her experience as a military spouse that brought her the desire to highlight the struggles that the service members go through. Finishing up in 2018, she filmed, directed and produced the documentary, “The Journey Back to Normal - A Look at Complementary Therapies to Combat PTSD”. This was her second documentary but first sharing about the military experience.  She is continuing this journey as she is currently working on; “HiddenWounds: The Documentary”. Nate Brookshire is an active duty Provost Marshall with over 31 years of service in the Army . He has been a longtime advocate for facilitating long-term mental health care for veterans and their families and has been brought onboard to assist in the production of the documentary, “Hidden Wounds.”  In 2010, he co-authored the book, “Hidden Wounds: A Soldier’s Burden”. “Its fictional characters discuss the complex topics of suicide, survivor’s guilt, addiction and moral injury.” The book has been instrumental in sharing about the non-profit Hidden Wounds, whose soul mission is to help reduce barriers to accessing mental health care. Hidden Wounds: The Documentary is set to release early 2023. Its purpose is to highlight the “raw story of life after combat.” The trailer is available to preview, and has currently be nominated for; “Best Trailer at the Raleigh Film and Arts Festival” in October 2021.  Production is still in the fundraising stages and you can check out how to support it below.   Learn More Watch the Trailer   Website: https://www.hiddenwoundsdocumentary.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiddenwoundsdoc/?hl=en Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Amelio-Media-LLC-presents-Hidden-Wounds-The-Documentary-100722049020490/  VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.  

Sean Lanier is a veteran Army helicopter pilot. About 8 years ago he realized there was a problem. ROTC scholarships were seeing just over half of their recipients graduate and commission.  How can the armed services find the right candidates, get them matched with a college that fits them and have their success rate improve?  Sean found building relationships with high school guidance and career counselings was the perfect place to start. Helping graduating high schoolers find a school that fits their personality and still offers an ROTC program has allowed the success rate to improve dramatically. This coupled with continued coaching and mentoring in the transition process. Resolve Solutions Resolve Solutions, founded in 2018, has dedicated its mission to placing talented candidates in schools that fit with ROTC scholarships. They also are committed to “providing educational and financial support along with early college preparation.”  That is honestly just the beginning. They hope to help students create generational wealth by capitalizing on coming out of college with little to no debt, learning the benefits of the GI bill for furthering their education, the VA loans to become home owners and more. It will have a life long impact. Learn More Sean LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-sean-lanier-297ab87/ Resolve Solutions Website:  https://resolvesolutions.org/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/resolvesolutionsinc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/resolvesolutio2?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResolveSolutionsInc/ VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Todd Connor, is a Navy Veteran, small business owner and cofounder of Veterans for Political Innovation. Todd has a passion for entrepreneurs, especially veterans. He founded Bunker Labs in 2014. Bunker Labs helps veteran entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Todd owns his own business, the Emerson House and recently set his sights on political office. Veterans for Political Innovation Todd has a passion to help change the political playing field. He found most people are dissatisfied with the current political system but are unsure of the solution. His experience as a business owner and veteran has given him a unique perspective on the two party system. A solution he found, states should go to a "final five" voting system and much of the current frustrations would be eliminated. He is looking to his fellow veterans to help spark this political innovation. With over half of veterans registered as Independents, most miss out on voting in a primary. The "final five" voting system would remedy this problem.  Veterans for Political Innovation’s mission is to “make our political system less toxic and more competitive by mobilizing military veterans to fight to preserve democracy through election innovations.” Learn More Website: www.veteransforpoliticalinnovation.org Todd’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddconnor/ VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.  

Sports have been a major part of Will Huff’s life. Growing up playing football and lacrosse, he was recruited to play for West Point Military Academy.  After graduation Will served for over 23 years as an Army Officer. He learned life long lessons from serving in the military but also from his coaches. After his Army career, Will returned to athletics working in the Towson University Athletic Department and then also for the Chesapeake Bayhawks, a Major League lacrosse team.  With his background and experience he decided to join Soldiers to Sidelines in June 2020. He felt it was the perfect combination helping veterans and military spouses find a passion and opportunity in the athletic coaching world. Soldiers to Sidelines Soldiers to Sidelines was founded in 2014 by Harrison Bernstein, who had been coaching high school, NCAA, and NFL football for over 14 years. He was coaching high school football at the time and decided to invite a few veterans to practice. This was the small seed that has grown into Soldiers to Sidelines. They offer service members and military spouses a pathway to coaching athletics, from the community level all the way up to the professional level. This past year it has seen exponential grown when they leveraged the aspect of virtual courses. This has allowed them to reach service members and spouses around the globe, some still active duty.     Learn More Website: https://soldierstosidelines.org/ Will Huff’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-huff-3a699593/ VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Mike Morgan launched Flags of the Fallen on Veterans Day this past year. After the tragic losses of 13 military members in the Afghan withdrawal of August 2021, Mike had an idea. Mike made a connection with 13 service members lost and the 13 stripes on the American flag that these brave men and women were defending. He thought, “How can I show my gratitude?” Not being a veteran himself, Mike consulted several veteran friends to make sure he created these 13 flags with proper protocols and insignia. During those conversations it was impressed on Mike to create these for others too. He found that every veteran he spoke with knew someone that gave that ultimate sacrifice. This was a way to honor and remember them and show gratitude to their families. Flags of the Fallen Flags of the Fallen was founded to “remember those we lost by caring for those they left behind by building wooden flags for their families and loved ones.” They build wooden flags for the families of both fallen military members or first responders. You can visit Flags of the Fallen website to donate to the cause or nominate a family. Learn More Website: https://www.flagsofthefallen.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flagsofthefallen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flagsofthefallen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Flagsof_Fallen VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Drew Everett and Nick Wyatt have known each other since grade school. As they got older they knew they wanted to go into business as a team. Nick headed to the Marine Corps and Drew went to the Army. After both serving in their respective branches it was time to take the next step toward entrepreneurship. Nick’s dad was about to retire and had a shoe insole business. It seemed like a natural handoff. That is where Apex Gear Co. started. As they learned about e-commerce and web development there came a time when someone approached them about adding a product to their website. Long story short they essentially wanted to create and “Amazon experience” but featuring all Veteran made products. They have worked hard on getting this process automated and have since added over 80 veteran brands.  They are continuing to grow and are looking for new vendors to be added. It’s a marketplace featuring all veteran companies and goods, most made right here in the United States. Learn More Website: www.apexgearcompany.com Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/apexgearcompany Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apexgearcompany/ VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Jay Jackson spent 15 year serving in the Air Force. He started out in security forces and ended up in air traffic control. His transition out was not what he planned, but took the challenge head on harnessing his entrepreneurial spirit. He first started, Serve, Impact and Prosper, a consulting agency and later was introduced to buying businesses. This led to the launch of Galaxy Group. He would tell you he’s always had entrepreneurship in his bones. Even while on active duty he had a food truck and a lawn care business. Once hanging up the uniform it was a natural path to continue to follow.  Serve, Impact and Prosper helps coaches and consultants scale their business without the complicated ads and sales funnels. Jay’s experience of 15 years starting, buying and growing businesses will help you in your own business. He is looking to grow his community in the Tampa, FL area. Galaxy Group has acquired three different companies over the last two years and they’re not stopping there. Their goal is to have over 20 million dollars in revenue. In addition Jay is on a mission to transform 1 billion lives. Learn More Website:  tableofceos.com LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/li/jay-jackson-coaching VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.