As our nation and Emory University celebrates Veterans Day on November 11th, this month is a time to remember the military personnel−active duty and veterans−who have stepped forward to serve. In this issue of Know Your Network, we celebrate servicemen and women. We asked Goizueta alumni to share insights, their rank and how their military journey still impacts life and work today.
Grant McGarry 17WEMBA
President
LTRC-Ops, Inc.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Grant McGarry is a former U.S. Army ranger, best-selling author of A Night in the Pech Valley, and a combat veteran with five deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in the War on Terror. Following the completion of his enlistment in 2011, Grant was a security contractor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, during and after the withdrawal of coalition forces. Upon his return to the U.S. in 2012, he worked at The Coca-Cola Company, co-founded The Darby Project (a veteran services nonprofit organization), and started LTRC-Ops, Inc.
Most importantly, Grant and his wife Karin have two boys, Gunnar and Gage.
What was your rank in the military?
Sergeant.
What element of the military journey do you still use today in life or work?
Discipline, Integrity, and Sacrifice.
Who inspires you and why?
Pat Tillman inspires me because he understood the true meaning of service and sacrifice.*
What is the best advice you’ve ever received, in business or life?
When I arrived at 1st Ranger Battalion, my team leader told me, “To fear no man.” To this day, I think about this and do my best to fear no one or anything but the Lord.
What is your definition of success?
To be content, happy and proud.
Is there a lasting lesson, memory or skill gained from business school that you particularly remember or credit your success to?
The lasting lesson is the desire to never stop learning. This is the key to unlock potential and achieve excellence.
What advice do you have for today’s business students?
Use the skills you learn to create jobs and inspire people to be the best they can be.
Please describe some professional and personal goals.
Personal Goals: To be a great husband and father and do all that I can for my country.
Professional Goals: Build a business that stands the test of time.
What is a professional moment or accomplishment you are most proud of and why?
I was recently nominated for the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame. It’s very humbling to know that someone considered me for this honor.
*Pat Tillman was an American football player who left his sports career and enlisted in the United States Army after the September 11 attacks. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.
