WEBVTT - Tapping Military Skills to Create Disaster Relief

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week with kirol Messer on Bloomberg Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>All Right, you are listening to Bloomberg Business Week. In

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<v Speaker 1>honor of Veterans Day this week, we have a great

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<v Speaker 1>guest to really wrap up our day, a thoughtful one.

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<v Speaker 1>Jake wood is co founded CEO at Team Rubicon. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a global nonprofit that he founded about a decade ago,

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<v Speaker 1>and over that time, a hundred and twenty five thousand

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<v Speaker 1>Team Rubicon volunteers have responded to disasters around the globe

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<v Speaker 1>in over seven hundred communities. They've raised nearly a quarter

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<v Speaker 1>of a billion dollars for the work that they're doing.

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<v Speaker 1>He's also author of a book, It's Once a Warrior,

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<v Speaker 1>How one veteran found a new mission closer to home.

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<v Speaker 1>I already know who I want to give it to

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<v Speaker 1>for the holidays. And Jake joins us on the phone

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<v Speaker 1>in l A. Jake, so nice to have you here

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<v Speaker 1>with us. Welcome to Bloomberg. Yeah, Hey, thanks girl for

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<v Speaker 1>having me. Yeah, you bet. There's a lot I want

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about. I want to talk about your book,

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<v Speaker 1>but I want to talk about your experience. You were

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<v Speaker 1>in the Marine Corps. Tell me a little bit about

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<v Speaker 1>that and especially the experience when you came home. Sure,

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<v Speaker 1>so I joined the Marine or after college. I ended

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<v Speaker 1>up enlistening in two thousand five after league the University

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<v Speaker 1>of Wisconsin, and I served in the Marine Corps from

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand nine UH in an infantry unit. And my

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<v Speaker 1>first tour was in Iraq in two thousand seven. A

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people probably remember the surge that the US

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<v Speaker 1>authorized there. So I was a part of the surge

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<v Speaker 1>in an infantry battalion and later served in Afghanistan as

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<v Speaker 1>a as a sniper and a small sniper team in

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<v Speaker 1>in Helmont Valley. And you know, these were two challenging tours.

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<v Speaker 1>They were the two bloodiest years of both wars, and

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<v Speaker 1>so you know, I saw a lot of combat, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know, really, just like many veterans, I came to

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<v Speaker 1>that point in in my life where I had to

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<v Speaker 1>make a decision of whether I was going to stay

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<v Speaker 1>in and continue fighting or whether I was going to

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<v Speaker 1>get out. And there was a tough choice, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>you know, again, it's the choice that every vetter has

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<v Speaker 1>to make at some point. And I ended up deciding

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<v Speaker 1>to get out of the Marine Corps. I was really

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<v Speaker 1>proud of everything I've done, but I just did not

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<v Speaker 1>want war to find my life. And so I came home,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think, like many veteran I didn't exactly know

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<v Speaker 1>what was going to be next. I figured I might

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<v Speaker 1>go back to school and give an m b A.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought it maybe come to Wall Street and work there.

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<v Speaker 1>But about two months after I got out, the Haiti

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<v Speaker 1>earthquake cap and that was really the startup to movemon.

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<v Speaker 1>What was interesting too, and just in the beginning of

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<v Speaker 1>your book you talk about your specifically, we're talking about

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<v Speaker 1>a friend of yours, um Charlie who who who died

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<v Speaker 1>um over in the Middle East. You weren't there when

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<v Speaker 1>he did, but it got you thinking and you realized

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<v Speaker 1>too that when you came home to your family, you

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<v Speaker 1>had a loving family, you had a loving girlfriend, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the reality you right, was that those people

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<v Speaker 1>who knew you better than anyone no longer understood you.

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<v Speaker 1>That Iraq and Afghanistan had changed you. And I think

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<v Speaker 1>that is so much you know better than anybody, that

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<v Speaker 1>that's so much the case for veterans who go abroad,

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<v Speaker 1>go elsewhere, and then come back home. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I think for those who have seen combat.

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<v Speaker 1>Their lives are forever marked by their life before war

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<v Speaker 1>in their life after. And that doesn't have to be bad.

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<v Speaker 1>You know. For some people they struggle with, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>moving on from war. They struggle coming home. I think

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<v Speaker 1>many people also find strength in their experiences and they

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<v Speaker 1>come back. But certainly, you know, when Charlie died, it

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<v Speaker 1>was a Marina I went through sniper school with. It

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<v Speaker 1>was this realization for me that I, you know, I

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<v Speaker 1>the people in my life couldn't possibly grasp that loss,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was a it was a moment of clarity

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<v Speaker 1>for me that again I would forever be transitioning back.

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<v Speaker 1>It would never end, and it made you want to

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<v Speaker 1>do what well, you know, it made me want to

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<v Speaker 1>figure things out. And I guess that didn't really know

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<v Speaker 1>what that was going to be in that in that moment.

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<v Speaker 1>But when when Haiti happened, I just felt compelled to help.

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<v Speaker 1>I felt like I had you know, after four years

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<v Speaker 1>in the Marine Corps, I felt like I had developed

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<v Speaker 1>some skills and had some experiences that could help in

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<v Speaker 1>that situation. And so, you know, we organized the team.

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<v Speaker 1>We went down to Haiti four days after the earthquake.

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<v Speaker 1>We did some tremendous work while we were down there,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's really when we discovered that there was this

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<v Speaker 1>potential to build a new model and disaster response by

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<v Speaker 1>really tapping into the skills and experiences of military veterans

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<v Speaker 1>and and and it's interesting too, because I mean it's

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<v Speaker 1>grown tremendously and you've had you guys have had quite

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<v Speaker 1>an impact around the globe. Yeah, you know, I think

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<v Speaker 1>we have built a model that is really compelling. I

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<v Speaker 1>think when people hear about the work that we do,

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<v Speaker 1>come answer I get is Wow, that seems to make

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<v Speaker 1>so much sense. I can't believe they thought of that before.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's always a good thing to hear when you're

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<v Speaker 1>an entrepreneur. It's it's much better than somebody scratching their

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<v Speaker 1>head and saying, gee, I makes no sense. But but

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<v Speaker 1>but you're right. I mean, we've we've scaled to over

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred thousand volunteers across the country with an affiliate

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<v Speaker 1>in Canada. We've responded to over seven hundred and fifty

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<v Speaker 1>disasters and crises around the world and here in the US.

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<v Speaker 1>So I mean, this is this is a disaster really

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<v Speaker 1>for a major scale. So Jake Um, I want to

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<v Speaker 1>get into your book, But I also want to find

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<v Speaker 1>out what you guys have been doing when it comes

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<v Speaker 1>to COVID, because you have been actively involved. Yeah, we've

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<v Speaker 1>been involved on all fronts. Really we were. We were

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<v Speaker 1>tracking COVID early when it was making his way through Luhan.

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<v Speaker 1>You're not caught left footed? Um? And are you surprised then? That? Can?

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<v Speaker 1>I ask you? Are you surprised that the world kind

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<v Speaker 1>of seems to have been caught flat footed, especially in

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<v Speaker 1>such a global, globally connected world, that we weren't kind

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<v Speaker 1>of more in tune to what was going on in China. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I think it was a reflection of, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, certain leadership styles. I think there was a

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<v Speaker 1>tendency among some leaders to kind of stick our head

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<v Speaker 1>in the sand and kind of rely on hope as

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<v Speaker 1>a strategy versus really confronting the brutal facts of what

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<v Speaker 1>was transpiring. I think, you know, certainly, I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>that anybody anticipated that it would be this bad when

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<v Speaker 1>this was making its early rounds through central China, But

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<v Speaker 1>it became pretty evident, you know, at a certain point

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<v Speaker 1>when it was racing through Beijing and other major cities

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<v Speaker 1>that yes, this was coming UM, and I was a

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<v Speaker 1>little surprised with just how flat footed many corporations and

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<v Speaker 1>you know, levels of our government were. Um. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>we reacted swiftly. We reorganized our entire company to to

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<v Speaker 1>get into the fight, and we did. You know, we

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<v Speaker 1>did everything from search about ten thou volunteers into food

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<v Speaker 1>banks across the country to support partner organizations like feing

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<v Speaker 1>America too. We deployed a hundred medics to Navajo Nation

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<v Speaker 1>and treated a three thousand COVID patients there. We've been

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<v Speaker 1>operating mobile test sites throughout the West, UM screening patients

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<v Speaker 1>for COVID UM and just about everything in between. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's been a it's been a pretty challenging year

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<v Speaker 1>for us. And along the way, we knew that Mother

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<v Speaker 1>Nature wasn't going to care about COVID, and so we've

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<v Speaker 1>been responding to hurricanes along the Gulf, tornadoes and floods

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the Midwest, UM, all in the COVID environment, which

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<v Speaker 1>of course has been a major complicating factor. Yeah, no doubt. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, the one thing I wanted to ask you, like,

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<v Speaker 1>and let's get into your book a little bit, because

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<v Speaker 1>I think what's interesting is there are organizations out there

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<v Speaker 1>right that do similar things to what you guys are doing.

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<v Speaker 1>But what's really novel and unique and kind of heartwarming

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<v Speaker 1>is how you work with veterans who often come back

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<v Speaker 1>and don't have a purpose. I've been involved with UM

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<v Speaker 1>a group called the Veterans Yoga Project, and it's a

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<v Speaker 1>very similar thing of just kind of teaching veterans how

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<v Speaker 1>to kind of cope, but also then be part of

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<v Speaker 1>this community to help others. And I feel like that's

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<v Speaker 1>what you're doing. You're taking veterans who maybe come back

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe are a little bit lost, UM and trying

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<v Speaker 1>to figure out a way to kind of get them

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<v Speaker 1>involved and give them a sense of purpose again and

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<v Speaker 1>then also helping out the world. Yeah. I mean, I

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<v Speaker 1>think we take the approach that, UM, we want to

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<v Speaker 1>challenge veterans to be the best version of themselves, and

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<v Speaker 1>we want to convince them that they are better skilled,

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<v Speaker 1>more experienced, and more capable than anybody on the planet

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<v Speaker 1>to help these these falling crisis And so we don't

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<v Speaker 1>we don't treat veterans like the object of our charity.

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<v Speaker 1>They are the agents of our mission. And you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think that that's a really powerful way to help

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<v Speaker 1>somebody heal is to say, hey, listen, your country still

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<v Speaker 1>needs you. Why don't you get back in the game,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, deployed down to southwest Louisiana after a hurricane

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<v Speaker 1>and help peace that community back together. And I think

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<v Speaker 1>what happens is in these men and women, they rise

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<v Speaker 1>to the occasion. They get it overseas, they we do

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<v Speaker 1>it here at home, but we have to ask them

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<v Speaker 1>to well. And I was gonna say, in doing this

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<v Speaker 1>over the last decade and then putting it down on

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<v Speaker 1>paper and writing your book, you know what kind of

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know, maybe what surprised you in this process

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<v Speaker 1>as you grew, it grew, the organization got more people involved. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what surprised you. Oh, I mean, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>along the way, this has been an entrepreneurial journey, just

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<v Speaker 1>like any other company. I mean, we're a nonprofit. We

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<v Speaker 1>rely on philanthropy, but you know, at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the day, we're stilling a product, We're building teams, We're

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<v Speaker 1>having to establish processes and run I t you know,

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<v Speaker 1>capital projects and all of that stuff. So I think,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, my answer to that would be any any

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<v Speaker 1>challenge that any business leader you know, running a major,

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<v Speaker 1>multimillion dollar enterprise runs into I've seen and I think

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<v Speaker 1>maybe what's caught me most off guard though, is just

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<v Speaker 1>the frequency that disasters are happening in this country and

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<v Speaker 1>in the world. I mean, there are literally hundreds of

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<v Speaker 1>disasters happening in the US annually. We don't hear about

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<v Speaker 1>most of them. But don't tell that. Don't tell that

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<v Speaker 1>person in a small town, in a rural community whose

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<v Speaker 1>home just got knocked down by a small creek flood

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<v Speaker 1>that her tragedy is any less serious than somebody who

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<v Speaker 1>just got devastated by Hurricane Harvey. I mean, it's the same.

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<v Speaker 1>And so you know that, you know, we we need

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<v Speaker 1>to think outside the box for how we face this challenge.

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<v Speaker 1>It's it's certainly exacerbated by climate change. We need to

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<v Speaker 1>we need to, you know, shift our thinking and how

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<v Speaker 1>we approach building more resilience. And that's why I think

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<v Speaker 1>that the model we've built a team Rubicon has been

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<v Speaker 1>so powerful. Well it's interesting that you say that too,

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<v Speaker 1>because I feel like this year, this year where we've

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<v Speaker 1>been dealing with COVID, still are dealing with the pandemic.

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<v Speaker 1>UH And then you layer on top of that what

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<v Speaker 1>happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis and other Black Americans.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, these are not um Certainly, the pandemic is

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<v Speaker 1>a new problem, but the inequities, the injustices that have

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<v Speaker 1>been um laid bare, are not new. They've been with

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<v Speaker 1>us for years. And I do wonder it sounds like

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<v Speaker 1>the work you guys are doing. I would you wonder

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<v Speaker 1>if if somehow we get to a better side. And

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<v Speaker 1>from what you are seeing as you guys work around

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<v Speaker 1>the globe, do you feel like you know something is

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<v Speaker 1>different this time around and we are moving towards creating

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<v Speaker 1>a better society. Well, I I certainly hope so. I

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<v Speaker 1>think you know, you talk about how we've been that

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<v Speaker 1>that long arc of justice right to a more equitable society,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think we're getting there, never at the speed

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<v Speaker 1>that we want. One of the things that going back

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<v Speaker 1>to what has surprised me, you mentioned racial justice. From

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<v Speaker 1>the beginning I have seen the disaster justice is racial justice.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean the inequities that have been driven by housing

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<v Speaker 1>policies historically in this country are putting have put minority

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<v Speaker 1>homeowners into highly vulnerable areas of land. They're susceptible to disasters,

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<v Speaker 1>and so they are disproportionately impacted by by disasters, and

0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:13.440
<v Speaker 1>they they're also often left behind in recovery efforts. You know,

0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:18.480
<v Speaker 1>money flows disproportionately to two white neighborhoods from federal administration

0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:21.240
<v Speaker 1>and block grants. I mean this is well well researched

0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.520
<v Speaker 1>in evidence, and so you know, we need to create

0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.480
<v Speaker 1>more equitable disaster response systems as well. It's a part

0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:30.000
<v Speaker 1>of that solution. What do you hope someone who reads

0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:33.160
<v Speaker 1>your book, what do you hope that they come away with?

0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.040
<v Speaker 1>Because you really get into a lot of details about

0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:40.120
<v Speaker 1>your experiences and and building team Rubicon. Yeah. I had

0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:43.040
<v Speaker 1>two things really. I think the first is what a

0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:46.320
<v Speaker 1>really raw and authentic experience for a young man who

0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:49.160
<v Speaker 1>win over war and experienced combat is you know, how

0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:51.559
<v Speaker 1>how that you know that young man or woman really

0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:54.800
<v Speaker 1>internalized the conflict that they saw. I think the second

0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:57.640
<v Speaker 1>one is listen, this is this is a hard time

0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:03.680
<v Speaker 1>for America right now, um politically, economically, from a healthcare perspective,

0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:07.280
<v Speaker 1>with COVID, I think Americans are a really lacking inspiration.

0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:09.920
<v Speaker 1>I think many of them have lost hope that you know,

0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:13.040
<v Speaker 1>America can come back together and every time I see

0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.360
<v Speaker 1>these men and women from Team Rubican dropped everything to

0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:18.719
<v Speaker 1>deploy to a community they've never been to, to help

0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:22.360
<v Speaker 1>people they've never they've never met. I'm reinspired by what's possible,

0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:25.240
<v Speaker 1>and I hope that people picked up this book and

0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:28.840
<v Speaker 1>and find themselves reinspired and convinced that America's best days

0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:32.359
<v Speaker 1>are still ahead of it if if we choose UM

0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:35.200
<v Speaker 1>not optimistic. Note, I really appreciate that, and thank you

0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:36.720
<v Speaker 1>so much. I hope you come back and talk to

0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:38.600
<v Speaker 1>us a little bit more about the work you guys

0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.520
<v Speaker 1>are doing. UM would love to check in with you again.

0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:43.400
<v Speaker 1>Jake Would. He is co founder and CEO at Team Rubicon.

0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:46.760
<v Speaker 1>It is a global nonprofit uh and you should check

0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:49.079
<v Speaker 1>out his book Once a Warrior, How One Veteran found

0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:52.040
<v Speaker 1>a new mission closer to home. Jake of course joining

0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:55.319
<v Speaker 1>us on the phone from l A and really timely considering,

0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:58.600
<v Speaker 1>you know, helping out certainly veterans and then really helping

0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:01.400
<v Speaker 1>out so many of the disasters that we are seeing,

0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:04.600
<v Speaker 1>helping out in those disasters and helping those people that

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<v Speaker 1>are impacted