Why Listen:

Today's story is so different. Ranjeet has an incredible background of going from the Marine Corps as an Avionics Division Non-Commissioned Officer and then choosing to go down a path centered around food and operations, including roles like being a Plant Supervisor at Safeway, a Shipping Department Supervisor at Albertsons, an Operations Manager at Ralphs Grocery Company, and a Plant Manager at BakeMark. You probably recognize all of those names. You've definitely had one of his products from Aspire Bakeries, where his focus is on frozen baked goods. But so much to learn today about why he chose to focus on this industry. Today, he will talk about the advantages of being so focused in this way, what it's like to be a Bakery Director, and what his day-to-day life looks like.

As always, at beyondtheuniform.org you'll find show notes with links to everything we discussed, as well as over 417 other episodes just like this one, all offered for free.

About Ranjeet:

Ranjeet Singh is the Bakery Director at Aspire Bakeries, a North American baking company with a leadership position in specialty frozen baked goods. Some of their brands you may recognize are La Brea Bakery, Otis Spunkmeyer, and Oakrun Farm Bakery. Ranjeet served in the Marine Corps for nearly five years as an Avionics Division Non-Commissioned Officer. He worked as a Plant Supervisor at Safeway, a Shipping Department Supervisor at Albertsons, an Operations Manager at Ralphs Grocery Company, and a Plant Manager at BakeMark. He earned his BSBA in Management from Columbia College and an MBA from Syracuse University.

Why Listen:

One thing that will come through in this interview is how much Trevor is constantly learning from others and books as a professional and an entrepreneur. I am ordering three different books based on the ones he recommended in this episode. We talked a lot about how the riches are in the niches and Trevor's own story of entrepreneurship of how he started to do things and had a realization and pursued that. And it led to what he's doing right now, which is selling software specifically-targeted at the cannabis dispensaries, which are booming here in Colorado and elsewhere.

About Trevor:

Trevor Shirk is the CEO and Co-Founder of Terrayn, where he has generated $28 million in revenue with over 160 dispensaries. He graduated from West Point in 2008. Trevor served in the Army for more than eight years, where he was a Ranger Qualified Combat Engineer, including combat ops in Afghanistan. When he left the Army, he did Stanford's Ignite Program and became CEO of Strattex Solutions, where he did SEO and digital marketing strategy work. After that, he co-founded Terrayn nearly two years ago.

Why Listen:
This is a unique interview in that (1) it's a panel of three employees and perspectives from Verizon, and (2) in addition to the audio podcast, there is a video version as well. This is a great look at what it's like to transition to a large company, and the advantages that provides. The three perspectives of Tommy, Robert, and Hector provide an immense amount of quality advice around interviewing, preparing for your transition, and why Veterans should consider a career at Verizon.

About our Panel:
Tommy Jones is a Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition - Enterprise Sales & Services, as well as the Leader of Military Programs. He has been with Verizon for 6 years, and served in the Army Signal Corps as a Non-Commissioned Officer, retiring as an E-8.

Hector Milan(mil-e-on) recently joined Verizon as a Field Operations Manager. Previously, he served in the Army as a Master Trainer, Supervisor, and Recruiter, retiring as an E-8.

Robert Brandt has worked with Verizon for 22 years, holding roles as Facility Tech, Local Manager, and now as an Area Operations Manager. In his current role, he leads 12 local managers and over 200 associates across six work centers. He previously served in the Marine Corps Infantry.