From Service To CEO: A Veteran’s Journey

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you this morning. This is going to be a good one, gang. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast, CEO with PDS Optical, Mr. Sean Loosen. How are you, man?

Sean Loosen: Stone I’m doing great. Thank you for having me on here. It’s an honor.

Stone Payton: Well, it’s a delight to have you on the broadcast. I got a ton of questions, Sean. I know we’re probably not going to. Not going to get to them all, but I think a great place to start would be if you could paint for for me and our listeners, kind of an overview, mission, purpose. What is it that you and your team are really out there trying to do for folks, man.

Sean Loosen: We’ve got a great mission at PDS Optical. I talk about what our team over and over. Uh, our mission is to provide high quality, affordable prescription eyewear to our veterans each and every day. And so we’re in the business of providing prescription eyewear. We do a lot of business with the Veterans Affairs. And so veterans across the country, as I’m talking to my my people, I’m always trying to emphasize our mission and just try to put that front and center. What’s unique is, uh, at PDS, you know, it’s it’s funny, I talked about the P, the D and the s. I remember talking to one of my lab directors when I first started, and I was like, hey, do you know what the P and the S stand for? And he’s like, I’m sorry, I don’t. And so and I was like, all right, that’s fine. We can change that. That’s a great way to fix that. And and so it goes with our values there. We take pride in the work that we do. We have respect for the dignity of our veterans that we serve, and we have a commitment to exceptional service. So it’s really unique that it’s in our name there. And we’re proud of what we do each and every day. We get to help veterans, uh, see more clearly. So it’s a great mission.

Stone Payton: Well, that is so much more insightful, robust and inspiring than than what crossed my mind when you mentioned it. I was thinking pretty darn special.

Sean Loosen: Well, you know, I think that’s what my lab director may have said at the time. And so it’s, um, but, you know, it’s it’s, uh, it’s great that we have that in our name. And, uh, we did a whole rebranding, I think, uh, over the past two years. Our name prior was PDS consultants, which just doesn’t really ring optical. Uh, I remember I joked, we think we would send stuff sometimes to the VA hospitals and they would get stuck in the wrong corner because they wouldn’t send it to the optical shops. You’re like, who’s PDS consultant? So, uh, we did a rebrand and just really just had to reemphasize the PD and DSS and then our mission of what we’re doing each and every day, and we’re proud of that.

Stone Payton: So tell us a little bit about your personal backstory. My instincts are it wasn’t a straight path. Often it’s not. How did you find yourself in this role, man?

Sean Loosen: Yeah, it’s sort of a winding path here to to where I’m at today. Um, but, you know, I’m. I’m a military veteran myself. I’m an Army West Point graduate, uh, graduated in early 2002. And so commissioned as an infantry officer. Um, had a great time in the military. Uh, you know, did did a tour in Iraq. Uh, served in Alaska with the Stryker brigade there. And so I was at a crossroads in my military career. I was fortunate to get hired for, um, special forces. I went to a selection course. There’s more steps after that. So it was either go continue on in the military or get out. Um, and I ended up opting to get out and then found myself in, um, uh, working for a for a fortune 500 insurance company in Manhattan. Um ended up working there for a little bit and then moved up to Rochester, New York, where I live today. Um, for was supposed to be a short stint, but, uh, I met a girl there, and, uh, that that girl is my wife today, and, uh, we’ve got four, uh, beautiful young girls. And so I was with, um, my prior company for 15 years. Uh, great. Great, uh, experiences there. Sales leadership roles there. And then, um, so my father kind of jumping around here, my father ended up, uh, uncle started up, uh, actually, my uncle started up PDS late 90s, 1998, I think. Um, and I say, uncle, it’s I’m it’s in parentheses. He’s really not, uh, a blood relative.

Sean Loosen: He’s just, uh, my dad’s best friend growing up from Brooklyn. It’s one of those type of relationships. They’re stone. So, um, and so, uh, Rich Murray is his name. Started it up back in late 90s and, um, you know, kind of grew from one contract slowly, um, with eyeglasses and then, uh, to 2 to 3. And then fast forward to 2019, they ended up, uh, acquiring, uh, a lab where they were subcontracting out. And, um, and it kind of because it kind of grew and got bigger and bigger. And at that point, my father and Rich were in their early 70s, were looking to, you know, find a succession plan. And so they they started talking to me and, and, uh, kind of here I’m at, you know, I got, I got involved as a consultant sort of learning the business, uh, early 2020. Um, and then unfortunately, my, my father, uh, got Covid in 2021 and, um, passed away from that. And so that sort of, uh, accelerated the whole process of me stepping in, uh, as CEO in 2022. 22. So I’ve been with, um, I’ve been in this role coming up on three years and sort of, you know, meandering path, um, you know, wasn’t, wasn’t looking for this, really, but, um, it’s a it’s it’s a great opportunity, obviously. Again, our mission. I’m proud of what we do. Um, we got great people. Um, and, uh, it’s just, you know, I wake up every day being grateful for what we can do.

Stone Payton: So my uncle Rich was Uncle Jeff. So I know exactly what you’re talking about, having that kind of relationship. But he’s Uncle Jeff, you know? That’s just who he is.

Sean Loosen: Everybody’s got that. Yes. Um, yeah, we’ve got that in our family now here too. So it’s. Yeah.

Stone Payton: Uh, a great deal of leadership responsibility in that journey. Uh, so coming from and through that, have you developed, uh, a philosophy of leadership, a set of working disciplines or an are an overarching philosophy.

Sean Loosen: Yeah, I think that’s that’s a great question, Stone. I think just having a military background, um, the way I’ve always approached a leadership philosophy is just, you know, mission first team, always that sort of mentality right there. And, um, meaning, you know, keep the mission front and foremost, but obviously understand that there’s a balance. And so you can’t get your job done without having, uh, good people, uh, in the right seats, in the right place, doing the right things. And so, fortunately, you know, I when I stepped into the company three years ago, we’ve we had a lot of people in the right seats. And, you know, we’ve got a great operation going here. And so I’ve always tried to lead that way. Um, just making sure. And I think I said this earlier on, like I always I’m like on repeat mode. Sometimes I’ll talk about the mission and just keep trying to weave that into any type of story I’ve got on, whether it’s staff meetings or, um, talking to our team. Just, you know, how it relates to what we’re doing. Our mission of serving veterans and providing high quality, affordable prescription eyewear to them each and every day.

Stone Payton: So at this point in your career, what are you finding the most rewarding? What’s the most fun about it for you these days?

Sean Loosen: That’s a great, uh, you know, it’s, uh, there’s a lot really. You know, I think, like I mentioned, we we, we help veterans, see, like, you know, I’m a veteran myself. Um, we get thousands of, uh, of of compliments from veterans that we’ve served and just talked about how, you know, the great things that we’re doing for them each and every day. And, you know, I’ll read that that feedback from all our, um, VA’s that we’re working in, um, you know, the challenge of, like, how can we kind of get better and better each day? We’re constantly challenging our team to not be complacent. Um, we’re making changes within our team to, you know, just improve around the edges and just try to get better and better. Um, and so it’s just completely rewarding in those areas. And then just being around our team itself, like we we continue to, as I mentioned, just, uh, enhance our team and get better and better. We’ve created some new director roles within our operation this year, and it’s just exciting to see some of this, this talent. Um, you know, take the next step and, and help keep delivering on our mission.

Stone Payton: Well, I’d like to dive into this mission and values thing a little bit. And this is being a little bit selfish because I think this is going to help me personally. And look, gang, if you ever want to get a lot of really great free consulting from bright, dedicated, passionate, proven leaders, get yourself a radio show. It’s a great way to get some help. But but I’ll confess to you, Sean, I’m a pretty creative guy. So, like, I can come up come up with a, I can craft a, you know, a good written representation of our mission and values, and I can make it look sexy on the walls and all that. But when it comes to tactical execution, like, what do I do on a Tuesday morning to live into this mission and espouse these values? What have you learned on that front? Are there is there some discipline, some rigor, some structure to that that you employ?

Sean Loosen: We just as I mentioned, like I will try to talk about it. Um, we’ll just keep it front and center, like with our team there. Remind our team. So, you know, we’re in the manufacturing. Um, so part of our role is manufacturing. So we’re making the eyeglasses and and just talking to our, making sure our leaders are telling our, uh, people that are putting together those eyeglasses, hey, that’s going for a veteran there. Like, that’s going to help them see better. Like just reminding them of the why of what we’re doing. Um, and then also, uh, another part of our job is we have opticians working for our company too. So they’re they’re the boots on the ground. They’re the ones meeting with the veterans, helping them fit those eyeglasses, talking about, uh, their needs for eye care, etc.. And so just again, like making sure that they, they have that ingrained in their heads of like, it’s just not we’re just coming. We’re just punching in the clock and then getting out. No, it’s it’s what we’re doing is a noble, uh, service for our veterans each and every day. So it’s, you know, it’s tedious. Uh, again, like, which is why I mentioned I, I’m, I’m always just sort of repeating it over and over the why. Uh, but I think it’s effective, too. Um, especially for me too, because sometimes you can kind of get pulled into other areas. Um, but when you recenter yourself back into, uh, the why and the mission of what we’re doing, it really helps and just sets us on a good path there as a company.

Stone Payton: Now, you stepped into or I’m operating under the impression that you stepped into a successful operation Serving people, providing opportunity for for the, the the folks who get the job done to to live with some purpose. But but you’ve really built this thing. Not you alone, but you. You’ve been able to help facilitate some pretty serious growth and scale. Can you speak to that a little bit?

Sean Loosen: Yeah, it’s it’s so yeah, I definitely stepped into this company with, um, with us being a market leader within our operations. Um, but it was also like at a tricky time, too, because as I mentioned, in 2019, we, uh, acquired the labs. And so, you know, I could we were we weren’t, in my opinion, we weren’t fully operating as one. You know, it was you have a lab in Kentucky. We have a lab in Florida. And they were calling themselves, you know, the Florida Premium Lab, the old name. And the Florida Kentucky Lab was calling itself. Correct. So I was like, no, let’s let’s get away from that. We’re all we’re all PDFs, right? So it’s PDFs, Kentucky PDFs, Florida. And just really trying to bring us all in as one. And then, um, you know, as I mentioned too, like the mission, the core values just re-emphasizing those things, like, we I don’t know if we really had a lot of those, um, values in place and just talking about that with our company. Um, so just, just those are the little things that I’ve been trying to do with, with, with stepping in. But yes, I’ve been very fortunate to step into a very, um, successful, um, company there. But again, like, we’re we’re not complacent. Uh, we we constantly challenge ourselves. How can we get better and better each and every day? And, um, and we’ve got a great team, as I mentioned, in place. Um, it’s not only myself as an owner. We have three other owners that have been within the, you know, 60 plus years of optical, uh, experience there, too. And so, um, very proud of proud of what we could do.

Stone Payton: So how does the whole sales and marketing thing work for an organization like yours? It’s a different world than, of course, that I’m in, but I got to believe there’s still that responsibility. Um, and an important part of the organization to go out there and get the work. Keep the keep the work. How how does how does all that work in your world?

Sean Loosen: Yeah. So it’s, uh, a lot of the business that we’re doing is the government contracting side. So it’s very formal. Uh, there’s, you know, an RFP that’s pushed out there. Um, and so we’re a veteran owned business. Uh, there’s there’s only a couple other companies that can bid on these types of. So they set aside these these, um, these contracts for companies like myself. And so we’ll get in there and we’ll, we’ll try to figure out how we can deliver the best value to, uh, the government there. And um, stepping back from that too, they, they the way they set it up, it’s, you know, based on, uh, visions, they’ll call it veterans integrated service networks. And so it’s basically a couple of states compiled together there. Um, and, um, it’s it’s they look at pricing, they look at service, they look at, uh, your past history. And, um, so we try to deliver the best in, in, in those kind of three areas there, uh, where we could, uh, win the contract there too. And so, thankfully, you know, we’ve been able to do that. Um, and we again, continuously try to figure out ways where we can be creative to deliver the best value to, uh, to the to the government.

Stone Payton: Well, what I’m hearing is for all the differences, and surely there are in in your world and securing the business and the world that I come from. But I’ll tell you what it sounds like it’s true for you guys, too. There’s just nothing that sells. Like doing good work.

Sean Loosen: Yeah. No that’s, that’s, that’s, that’s well said. Right. Like so we you know we were in a lot of the hospitals. Now I think we’re in over 40 states right now. And uh, you know, we’re constantly, you know, measured on, uh, how we’re doing, you know, whether it’s, uh, customer feedback, uh, turnaround times. And so we do get a lot of good feedback, which is great. And so we, we use that to help us win, uh, future contracts there too. So, um, and it just goes back to kind of what I’m saying, like, we’re not, uh, yes, we have a lot of the market share now, but we’re not complacent. We’re constantly trying to figure out ways that we can get better and better and, um, enhance our customer experience and just, uh, just help veterans and, um, continue to deliver on our mission there.

Stone Payton: Well, this won’t be any surprise to you, but a hard learned lesson for me in growing our little business. We were focused so heavily for a little while on metrics that matter. And our whole media model is different than most people. And then it finally dawned on us, you know, a good way to to get a really firm grip on metrics that matter is let your clients tell you.

Sean Loosen: That’s that’s.

Stone Payton: Great. That matter?

Sean Loosen: Oh yeah. That’s that’s that’s huge right there. So I, I, I agree with that 100%. So it’s like we they tell us like so we’re told what the metrics are that um, but we also try to create some for ourselves too, that, you know, can help us. And so it’s um, we’ve you asked before, like, you know, some of the things that I’ve been trying to implement with in stepping into this role, like, you know, KPIs. And we’ve had some of them, but they’re sort of like, you know, not officially, formally, uh, being measured and internally. Externally. Yes. We’ve always been doing that with the, the Vas, but, um, you know, we’re just trying to push ourselves with KPIs in different areas, and it’s been really fun. Like, we’re just we’re just getting better and better each day.

Stone Payton: So I know the answer to this has to be yes, but I’m going to ask anyway. Have you had the benefit of one or more mentors to help you along the way as you navigate this terrain? Everything from making the transition from military life to civilian life to, you know, running a company to scaling a company. Have you had some mentors that that have helped you along the way?

Sean Loosen: Absolutely. Oh, yeah. You can’t do this on your own. Like, you know, again, like full transparency. I stepped in to being a CEO three years ago, and it’s like, all right, like, how am I going to be CEO? And so I would reach out to other folks that have are running companies and try to, you know, pick their brains and, um, you know, constantly try to read and improve myself there. So you have to have a strong network of of people there that you can rely on. Um, and actually just this year I’ve joined, um, something called the Ypo Young Presidents Organization. And, um, I’m excited. I’ve heard that, uh, you know, been very transformative, uh, for a lot of, uh, other CEOs out there. And so I’m excited for, uh, that opportunity there, too. It’s it’s one of those things where you can sort of talk to other CEOs and try to pick their brains on challenges that they’re dealing with and, and, um, you know, learn. Um, it’s a collaborative environment there. So, um, to answer your question, yes, mentorships, mentors. And I’d like to give back to myself when I can. Um, uh, and helping others too. So.

Stone Payton: Well, let me ask you about that. Um, passions, pursuits, interests outside the the scope of the work that we’re talking about. I, uh, a lot of my listeners know that I like to hunt, fish and and travel and that I have some causes that are related to enjoying the outdoors that I like to participate in. Anything you nerd out about outside the direct scope of this work?

Sean Loosen: Uh, you know, I’m pretty invested in the company, obviously, but, um, yes, you have to find that work life balance. As I mentioned to you earlier, I’ve got four young girls, so they’re, you know, they’re ages ten, eight, six and four. And so they definitely keep my wife and I pretty busy with soccer or boxing or, uh, you know, birthday parties running around. So, um, it’s it’s great though, uh, with, with our young kids, uh, and our busy life and me personally, I try to I work out, you know, I think that’s a good thing for me to, uh, to do and just sort of rebalance yourself there. Um, and I work, try to work out with friends, too. I think that’s good. You know, combining the two. I do boxing with some With some friends. Uh, and, uh, in the summer, I’ll try to get out in golf, too. And, uh, you wouldn’t tell by my scores, but I’ve been trying to get out there and play.

Stone Payton: So four girls and a CEO. I think you ought to write a book about time management, man. That’s that’s impressive.

Sean Loosen: I agree. It’s good though. Uh, I you never know what’s going to happen in our house this morning. I was up early trying to get a workout in, uh, before our our, uh, talk here. And I came down to my four year old was watching TV on the couch, like, I’m like, what are you doing? It’s five in the morning, so I don’t know how long she was up there doing that, but it’s. Yes, it’s definitely they definitely keep you on your toes, which is fun though.

Stone Payton: So I am not a veteran. Uh, I’ve had an opportunity to visit with a lot of veteran entrepreneurs. We’re trying to build out a program, actually, to get some of those folks involved with, uh, our expansion with Business RadioX. But but help me understand, and I’m and I’m sure there’s a segment of our listenership that maybe have not directly served. I got to believe that there are some unique challenges for veterans as they enter civilian life and, and as, uh, as many want to become entrepreneurs or, or leaders can can you speak to that a little bit and just help me get a little better feel for the challenges they face? Because I want to I want to figure out how to help. And I’m sure a lot of our listeners do as well.

Sean Loosen: Yeah, I think, um, that’s a good question, Stone. Uh, you know, it’s hard because, uh, speaking from being a veteran, obviously, like I ended up going into the, you know, corporate world there for when I first got out. But it’s it’s sort of daunting, like, you know, when you’re in the military, you’re this is kind of all, you know, and it’s, uh, it’s an incredible organization, you know, esprit de corps. Um, and then, you know, and I’ve got friends that are just making or have just made the transition from 20 year careers plus out this year. And it’s like I was just trying to tell them, like, hey, you guys are invaluable to any organization, you know? Um, so it’s just sometimes like, not having that confidence. Um, just because you don’t know what’s out there. Really. Um, and, you know, again, I was, as I mentioned, like telling some of my friends that just got out after long, uh, 20 plus careers. Be confident because you can come into any organization and instantly help or you, the things that you’ve done in the done and seen in the military. You could create your own business here too.

Sean Loosen: So, um, again, like, I didn’t know that I’d be where I am today. Um, I was perfectly happy where I was prior. Um, but, um, you know, owning and running your own operation is is tremendous there, too. And something I’ll just share, too, is I was a part of, um, a group called, uh, Bunker Labs. I think they changed the name to Institute for veterans and military families. Um, but it’s a it’s a CEO circle, uh, cohort group that you get connected in with for a year run by JP Morgan. And so that was a great opportunity for me to sort of learn and connect in with some other CEO, um, veterans or spouses of veterans and just learn about their businesses. So there’s a lot of resources out there to help with that, that transition. Um, and that was that was helpful for me just hearing these stories. Um, you got to the culmination was Jamie Dimon, the, you know, the head of JP Morgan ended up, um, speaking with us for, you know, almost an hour. Um, and that’s just tremendous there. And, uh, great learning opportunity for me.

Stone Payton: So what’s next for PDS Optical, man? What’s on the horizon next six, 18 months? Months out.

Sean Loosen: Yeah. We’re, you know, continue to do what we’re doing. Um, keep keep, uh, keep at that. You know, keep the contracts we have. Try to get the ones we don’t have. Um, we’re also trying to, uh, to to to get into, you know, some other areas there to some, like, supporting communities. Um, and so what we try to do is if we can give back financially or time wise, it’s to support other veteran initiatives that that goes along with our, our mission and our values as a company. And, uh, something exciting that we’re going to be a part of. Uh, we got selected to be a, uh, it’s called the Lone Eagle National sponsorship, um, for the Honor Flight organization. And so our PDS is underwriting the, um, the trip for 25 veterans. Uh, we did something within our, our company to see if anybody can get some other, uh, veterans that they, they want to send out to this. And then we’re going to just push this out nationally though too. So that’s going to be in April. We’re really excited about that. Um, you know, affording 25 veterans, uh, The opportunity to go to D.C. for Honor Flight, and we’re just continuing to look to do other things like that, too. Uh, we did a fun, I call it I like to work out. So it was a fun run in November, uh, called the Gratitude Run. Five-k, uh, to support veteran initiatives and veteran awareness there, too, which was pretty cool. Um, so just more and more things like that as a company, and we take the feedback from our people. We’ve surveyed our team to see, like, what types of, um, organization, veteran organizations they want us to support. And, um, we’re listening to them. And so we’re looking to continue to do more and more of those, those types of events there to support communities that we serve.

Stone Payton: What a marvelous opportunity to have your people rally around a specific initiative like that. I’ll call that a pro tip, right? I mean, that’s, uh. Yeah, that’s it’s interesting. And I personally have just come to believe that’s the way the universe is wired. But you know, if you can lay your stuff down and go, go help work on somebody else’s problem or cause, uh, I don’t know, there’s a great deal of emotional compensation, but it also somehow you get served in the end as well, don’t you?

Sean Loosen: Oh, absolutely. It’s great. Again, I keep I think I’ve said the word mission probably 50 times on this, this call here today, but, uh, it’s I’m serious about what we do. And it it just sort of centers us around what we’re doing, and, and, uh, like, veterans are at the foremost of what we do, so.

Stone Payton: Well, speaking of pro tips, uh, before we wrap, I would love to leave our listeners with a couple of, um, pro tips, and it could be around anything that we’ve talked about. But you’ve been there, you’ve had the experience. I’m sure it wasn’t all, you know, butterflies and unicorns. You probably have some scar tissue, but I don’t know, a couple of lessons learned or a couple of things for our people to be, you know, just thinking about as they aspire to, to lead and and or build their build their own thing.

Sean Loosen: Yeah, I think that’s I love that question. Um, I’ll give you two here. I’m a big, um, uh, Marcus Aurelius and stoic, you know, uh, big reader there. And one of the big things for meditations is control. What you can control. So, like, that’s a good way to operate, you know, not only in business but in on the personal side as well, too. So, you know, if there’s something that happens to you, you know, try to ask yourself, can I control that? All right. No. And it just it’s a good way to operate there and to sort of, um, helps you spend the time and energy in the right places there, too. So, um, that’s one I’ll share. And then the second is probably pretty basic, and I’ve kind of hit on it here too, is just, um, you know, I’m fortunate we’ve got a great team in place. And just make sure you surround yourself with good people on the business front. Um, and, um, you know, it makes your job tremendously easier, like, we’ve we’ve, um, as I mentioned, we’ve kind of been changing things around a little bit within our company and adding some more positions in and, and it’s just been great, uh, to help there, um, and just surrounding yourself with the right people. And that goes to on the personal front as well, whether it’s, you know, friends and support systems there to and, um, it’s just having the right people around is good for you.

Stone Payton: I’m so glad I asked. I think that’s marvelous, counsel. All right. What’s the best way for our listeners to learn more? Connect. Tap into your into your work, whatever you think is appropriate. Website LinkedIn. But let’s let’s make sure we give them some coordinates.

Sean Loosen: Yeah, absolutely. So our website’s, uh, you know. Um, for myself, Sean Lawson, you can find me on LinkedIn. I do check that. Um, and so those are two great ways to to connect in with the company and myself. And I’d be happy to, you know, talk to anybody that reaches out to me on LinkedIn there. Okay.

Stone Payton: Well, Sean, I have thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. It was invigorating and inspiring. Thank you for your your insight and thank you for what you’re doing. You’re you’re impacting so many in such a deep and profound way. And we we sure appreciate you, man.

Sean Loosen: Thank you so much again. I appreciate the opportunity. And, uh, it’s been a pleasure.

Stone Payton: Well, the pleasure is all mine. All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Sean Lawson with PDS Optical and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you in the fast lane.