Honoring One of Our Own on Veterans Day: Chatting with USMC Veteran and TOC Co-Founder Jeff Graves
Today we honor all the service members who have answered the call to serve. It’s thanks to heroes like them that we can go about our daily lives working and living in this beautiful country we call home!
In honor of Veterans Day, we asked our own Jeff Graves to take a few moments to share his thoughts on the journey from military service to co-founding a company, sharing lessons learned along the way.
What or who inspired you to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, and how long did you serve?
My parents were both Naval Officers, so I grew up with their Officer caps on the mantle, constantly reminded of the honor and responsibility that come with serving. On top of that, my fraternity of “dumb jocks” ended up sending 22 brothers to the Marine Corps over a three-year span. To us, it made perfect sense that the next chapter of our life as a fraternity would be as brothers in arms. I served for four years, eventually leaving as a Captain. Those were some of the most formative years of my life.
How did your time in the Marine Corps shape who you are today?
It completely transformed me. Those four years were an incredibly intense time filled with non-stop training and even a little conflict called the Gulf War. Before the Marines, I was just a fun-loving athlete and fraternity guy. But the Marines are known for turning boys into men, and I feel lucky to have experienced that transformation. Once I had the opportunity to lead a platoon, I realized that leading—whether in service or in life—was all I ever wanted to do from that point forward.
So, how did you end up in the benefits enrollment space once you transitioned back to civilian life?
I’d say it was probably more happenstance than anything else. Unum was recruiting military officers and promised a solid career path. They were spot on — joining Unum was not only a solid career move but ultimately set in motion the series of events that led to Drew Brantley and myself co-founding The Orientation Company. It’s funny to look back and see how all those pieces fell together over the years. Unum was another great training ground, and I connected with some amazing people who I still work with to this day.
How has your experience as a veteran impacted your approach to building a company?
Building a company, to me, feels a lot like leading a platoon. You find and train great “Sergeants” and then let them do their thing. My role is to make sure they have everything they need to succeed, then get out of their way and trust them to perform. That mindset has been invaluable.
What leadership lessons from the military have stayed with you?
There are a few that I live by that have guided me in business as much as they did in the Marines:
• Always lead by example.
• Stay positive, no matter how tough things get.
• Never quit.
• Think outside the box … be nimble and stay a step ahead of your competition.
As a veteran, what does Veterans Day mean to you?
Veterans Day is a powerful reminder of the incredible men and women who have served this country. It’s a day that fills me with pride knowing I had the chance to contribute, even in a small way. It’s important to remember and honor that legacy.
ABOUT THE ORIENTATION COMPANY
We are proud to be a veteran’s business enterprise and member of the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA). At The Orientation Company, we partner with clients nationwide to provide full-service HR/benefit solutions that make their culture shine. Leveraging our decades of industry experience and a “people over everything” mentality, we help companies achieve excellence around new hire onboarding, long-term care insurance and other special-purpose enrollments, annual enrollment, employee service, and communications. Ultimately, we exist to help our clients maximize their return on investment in benefits while improving their employees’ lives.
