Former Lieutenant Commander Hugh Middleton is an inspiring example of finding a post-military passion in philanthropy.

SUMMARY

Former Lieutenant Commander Hugh Middleton was a U.S. Navy Seal. He is now Vice President of Operations and Development of Patriot Point. Hugh's story is an inspiring example of focusing on philanthropy and how we can all give back to veterans in their post-military careers.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• 02:10: Listen in as Hugh describes his military career, including BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition School) to become a Navy SEAL
• 03:52: Why Hugh transitioned out of active duty by 2005

• 05:19: Giving back to his country is what pulled Hugh toward different opportunities
• 06:37: Post-active duty transitions included director of international training, program manager for three different programs in Afghanistan, running a team of intelligence analysts, and co-founder of Kopis Mobile
• 08:55: Opportunities that found Hugh and opportunities that Hugh found
• 10:13: Degree of ambiguity to work through, but familiarity of personal and professional network helped solidify opportunities multiple times after leaving active duty
• 11:25: Kopis Mobile is a software engineering firm with a broad selection of services

• 12:00: How Hugh's experience as a SEAL helped him transition into Kopis Mobile
• 15:10: The specialness of Patriot Point and how Hugh came to be involved
• 19:42: Hugh's advice on working on full-time jobs and spreading yourself too thin
• 20:54: It's okay to say no sometimes so that you can provide the best you to whatever you're committing yourself to
• 21:34: Hugh's advice on transitioning from the post-military life

• 22:54: Don't be afraid to fail because it can be a learning and growth opportunity
• 23:52: Gene's business tip: Figure out who your U.S. representative is because they represent about 750,000 voters. Connect with them because they are responsible to look out for your interests. As it relates to your business, they can make introductions, but they need to know about you and your company. Reach out to them and get to know them.

CALL TO ACTION

If you're interested in learning from others with respect to federal acquisition, budgeting, funding, or if you're working for a defense company in particular, you can benefit from The Big Top. It's a place where like-minded professionals come together and share non-competitive information that is of mutual value. You can ask questions, get direct access to Gene, and learn from others so that you don't have to learn through the School of Hard Knocks. Go to genemoran.com/thebigtop.biz.

Get all the resources from this episode on genemoran.com/e9.

Connect with Gene on linkedin.com/in/genemoran/ or visit genemoran.com.

Connect with Hugh Middleton on linkedin.com/in/hughmiddleton/.