In honor of Veterans’ Day, a look at U.S. vets who became successful businessmen
Navigating the job market as a civilian can be tough for veterans once they leave the military. Veterans may have a difficult time finding a position that maximizes the skills that they learned while serving. The CEOs and business owners on this list found a way to harness their leadership skills and not only survive but thrive in their careers. They built and led billion dollar businesses that top the list of the most successful companies in the world. Some of the richest men in the world are decorated fighter pilots, Army captains, and Vietnam veterans.
An Army Veteran Co-founded Nike And Became A Billionaire
Phil Knight is one of the richest self-made billionaires in the world. Born in Portland, Knight attended the University of Oregon where he studied journalism and ran track. After graduating in 1959, he served active duty in the U.S. Army for one year and the Army Reserve for the following seven years.
Knight enrolled in Stanford Business School in the early 1970s, which is when he started Nike (originally named Blue Ribbon Sports) and began designing athletic shoes that were soon sought-after by Olympic athletes and by 1983, the company was worth $867 million, according to Business Insider.
An Army Veteran Founded Universal Health Services
Alan B. Miller’s career goal was to improve the healthcare system, so he decided to take a risk and leave his position as vice president at a top advertising agency in New York City to start his own healthcare company. In 1979, Miller founded Universal Health Services and turned it into a Fortune 500 company.
But before that, while attending college on a full scholarship for basketball, Miller joined the U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and afterward was commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army, serving in the 77th Infantry Division.
Former Chairman, CEO, And President of Lockhead Martin Is A Marine Veteran
Retired executive chairman, CEO, and president of Lockheed Martin, Robert Stevens has an impressive resume. His background includes a master’s degree in engineering from the Polytechnic University of New York, a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia Business School and he is a graduate of the Department of Defense Systems College Program Management. On top of it all, Stevens is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
He’s been awarded both the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s inaugural LeJeune Recognition for Exemplary Leadership and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Globe and Anchor Award.
Former U.S. Army Captain Runs The Largest Energy Company In North America
U.S. Army veteran Richard Kinder is the executive chairman of Kinder Morgan, Inc. Kinder Morgan is one of the largest energy companies in North America.
Born and raised in Mississippi, Kinder served in the U.S. Army as a Captain in the Vietnam War before attending college.
Dolby Laboratories’ Founder Was An Army Veteran
Headquartered in San Francisco, Dolby Laboratories employed 2,368 and has been in business for almost 60 years. Ray Dolby founded Dolby Laboratories in 1965, the same year that he invented the Dolby Noise Reduction System that changed audio recordings forever.
In the early 1950s, Dolby attended college in the San Francisco Bay Area at San Jose State College. He served in the United States Army for two years before finishing his education at Stanford in 1957. Dolby passed away in 2013 at the age of 80.
Former CEO of GM Was a Naval Officer First
Dan Akerson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1970 and served as an officer on a Naval destroyer from 1970 to 1975. Since then he’s had a massively successful career as the former Chairman and CEO of General Motors, and the former Managing Director of The Carlyle Group.
Akerson’s father is also a veteran who served as a Naval officer during World War II aboard the destroyer DUPONT.
The Walton Brothers Were Both Veterans
Walmart is one of the most well-known and successful store chains in the world. The retail corporation was founded by brothers Sam and Bud Walton, both of whom were veterans. The brothers grew up on a farm during the Great Depression and did their best to help their family make ends meet.
Sam (pictured) served as an Army captain from 1942 to 1945, while his brother Bud served in the Navy as a bomber pilot in the Pacific. Sam saved up $5,000 from his Army tenure to open the first Walmart store in Bentonville, Arkansas in 1951.
