Lou Rosado Jr. with Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio Beyond the Uniform series. I’m honored to have an incredible guest whose journey exemplifies a leadership service and the power of community. Marine Corps veteran, corporate leader, and financial educator. He is the membership director for the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce, the treasurer and board member for the Phoenix Journey, and on top of that, he volunteers with the Prison Entrepreneur Program, mentoring men as they prepare for life beyond incarceration. Lou’s dedication to mentorship, community service, and financial education is truly inspiring. He’s someone, not only that, The someone who not only believes in uplifting others, but actively takes steps to creating lasting, positive change. Lou Rosado, thank you for coming on the show today.

Lou Rosado: Thank you so much. After that intro show’s over. We’re good.

Trisha Stetzel: We’re done. No, we want.

Lou Rosado: To talk.

Trisha Stetzel: About all of these things. Lou. All of these things. So why don’t you tell us? I know I talked a lot about the accolades and the things that you’ve accomplished as such a young person, but tell us about Lou. Who is he?

Lou Rosado: Oh, always looking to grow. Trish, there’s there’s I’m. You know, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Right. So what can I do to go to bed? 1% better than the human being I was when I woke up this morning. Right. And sometimes that’s drastic. Sometimes things just happen throughout the day, and that 1% is like five. And it’s like, man, this is great. It’s going to be hard to go to sleep. I’m so buzzed right now. Right. And other days they just feel like treadmill days. You know, you ran a million miles and you’re in the same spot. Right. Those are the days where you’ve got to be conscious about it. It’s like, all right, I got to do something somehow, in some way, you know? And, um, a lot of times, and I did it just interestingly enough, I did it just yesterday. Um, I played what I call Price Is Right on my phone, which is I’ll open up my contacts and I’ll flick it and wherever it stops. Oh, man. I haven’t talked to that person in a while. Ooh. A quick text message, you know, and ended out in a phenomenal conversation. Someone who I hadn’t spoken to, uh, three years. Four years. Wow. Yeah. And, uh, he shared something with me that I. That I’d done for him. And it made a huge impact on him to literally today. Something that I told him he was like, man, you told me about that? I did that, and it’s helping me out right now because I wanted to. And I was like, all right, I appreciate you. You know, we’re good, we’re good, you know? And that was my 1% for the day. You know.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that I love that. Let’s scroll for a name. Right. Just flip it until you find somebody that you haven’t connected with in a while.

Lou Rosado: That’s it. That’s it.

Trisha Stetzel: I like to call those people my champions. Right? The people that I actually have phone numbers for and contact information for.

Lou Rosado: Yeah, yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Um, I’d like to know a little bit more about your beautiful wife and your two children.

Lou Rosado: I’m going to try to do this without crying. Let’s you see my emotions right there. That’s right.

Trisha Stetzel: Right on your sleeve.

Lou Rosado: Yeah, yeah. So we are, um. Man. God’s great. We we’re we’re pushing 30 years we’ve been together.

Trisha Stetzel: Congratulations.

Lou Rosado: Um. Thank you. She was. She was 18. I was 19 when we met. And, uh. Yeah, we’ve been married for 24 years. We have a 24 year old young man back in new Jersey, um, laughing, doing his thing out there. Um, my baby girl is 20. She is. She just wrapped up her midterms. Um, so. Yeah. Yeah. Super stoked about that. Um, yeah, we’re we’re in the empty nest phase right now, and I am. I’m enjoying watching her grow right now. Yeah, in ways that I knew were possible. Um, but you can’t force something to grow, right? You can nurture, you can support, you can protect. You can do all the things that you’ve got to do. But it’s got to want to grow, you know? And now that she’s starting to just see her own potential a little bit, you know, she’s just oh, it’s it’s it’s truly a blessing. You know, I mean, naturally when you were together for so long, we’re not the same people we were when we were the kids that we were. Right. But she’s not even the same person that she was a year ago.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow.

Lou Rosado: You know, so it’s.

Trisha Stetzel: Great when she has amazing people as parents like you and Vanessa. I can only imagine how amazing she’s going to be as a grown up. Right. And she’s on her way. Yeah.

Lou Rosado: For sure, for sure.

Trisha Stetzel: Plenty 20 years old. So, Lou, uh, not that many years ago, you were actually in the Marine Corps. So my question for you is, how did your service in the Marine Corps set you up for success in where you’re at today?

Lou Rosado: Do the thing. Do do the thing right. You can you can complain, you can gripe. You can moan and groan. Do all of that while you’re doing the thing. Right. And and that has in every respect, you know, pushed me through. I got my associate’s degree and my bachelor’s degree at 41. Um, and I did it all in under two years. Mm. And I say all that not to brag or to boast, but because I could hear my drill instructor, Sergeant Barnett, in the back of my head. Get up, get dressed, get on the treadmill. When you’re done, take a shower, hit the books, get that done before you’ve got to go to work. And when you come home from work, get back on the books while eating dinner and then get some shut eye to get up and do it tomorrow morning. Yeah. Good to go. Understand that? Yes, sir. Do the do it now. Right. So. And that was it’s those times, you know, um, when I’ve done worse than this, I’ve done much more physically demanding mentally, you know, taking an emotional toll, you know, than whatever it may be. And when I was 30, I was a cable guy, um, in new Jersey. So you’re talking about being on a pole 30ft in the air when it’s 20 degrees outside in the snow. I slept in a hole in the ground behind a bush before. Right?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah.

Lou Rosado: I’m fine. My van is running with heat. Once I’m done this, I’m going to go and sit in there. Shut up. Pull the wire. Do the thing.

Trisha Stetzel: I love it. Do the thing.

Lou Rosado: Do the thing.

Trisha Stetzel: Uh, yeah. And so you’ve had military experience. You’ve had corporate working in big business experience. You’ve had your own business experience. There’s so much experience in such a young and such a young age. I’ve said that like, twice now. You haven’t.

Lou Rosado: You said it more than twice. I’m pushing 50.

Trisha Stetzel: You haven’t even said thank you yet, Lou.

Lou Rosado: I just I love you so you’re just. Man, you’re just.

Trisha Stetzel: So, uh, you and I met through the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce, and one of the things that you said, and neither one of us are going to, like, weep today about it. But you said it feels like home where you can connect with people who have also served. And you have what I, what I would call, um, a servant’s heart. And even in what I read about you before we started the show today, there’s so much serving there between the chamber and, um, the Phoenix journey, as well as the program that you’re helping, um, men through in the entrepreneur program, in the prisons. What drives you to want to serve in these organizations?

Lou Rosado: I understand, recognize and embrace that which I have been blessed with. The latter half of that is now what? Right. The the good Lord was kind enough to give me some some things and give it to me so I could just relax on my sofa with it. Right. So what now? What? What am I supposed to do with it? And I don’t always get it right. I never expect from myself perfection. But I do expect maximum effort, right? So what does that look like? Well, you know, when it comes to Phoenix Journey, right? Phoenix journey, that particular nonprofit, is about autoimmune awareness and how nutrition impacts that. And initially I was like, oh, that’s pretty cool. You know, God bless you. Go for it. And then the, you know, the the the founder, she talked to me about her story. And now I see the impact on her kids. Right. Like their mom is still here. She’s and not bedridden the way doctors told her that she would be. Simply by changing her nutrition and eating clean, she was able to stop all of these meds and miss, you know, come to a halt. And she just has to constantly monitor like. And your babies have you now because of that?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah.

Lou Rosado: The more people need this, how can I help you?

Lou Rosado: She said, well, I love it, by the way.

Trisha Stetzel: It’s okay for us to say Dominique cousin’s name on.

Trisha Stetzel: She’s a friend of mine, and by the way, had no idea that the two of you knew each other until.

Lou Rosado: Yes, ma’am.

Trisha Stetzel: Vanessa’s picture on Facebook with Dominique. And I’m like, how come I wasn’t invited to the thing? Uh, yeah. Dominique cousin and the, um, organization that she’s put together through the Phoenix journey is amazing. So for anyone who’s listening today and wants to look into that, please do. And Lou Is the treasurer and board member of that organization. And you’re right, it’s huge how that has not only impacted her, but her children and maybe someone else’s children and someone’s parents. Right? It’s like the pebble on the pond. It’s that ripple effect. We do one thing, one small thing. We teach someone something. And that ripple effect is their families and their family’s families and even the people that they work with or work for or work around. Right? Yeah.

Lou Rosado: Yeah.

Lou Rosado: And the chamber is just another version of that, you know, um, I came across the chamber. Oh, man. Networking with vets. Yeah. Cool. I’m in. And I jumped on and I’m like, wait a second, this is different. And and it took me some time. But to your point, right. It’s different because it didn’t feel like a networking event. It felt like home. Yeah.

Lou Rosado: For a second I’m supposed to be here. I’m I belong here. And that’s that, you know. And that just continued to compound from there in the chamber.

Trisha Stetzel: So let’s talk a little bit about the chamber. Uh, you sit on or you are the membership director for that organization. I happen to sit on the board. We’re going to be turning four this year. Is that right? I can’t believe it. It’s gone by so fast. Um. What? So it feels like home, and you love being a part of it. What would you say about the chamber to any of the veterans who are business leaders or owned businesses that are listening to the show today? What would you tell them about the chamber?

Lou Rosado: Yeah, first and foremost, it’s not like any other networking group or it’s not like any other chamber. Right? Because not any other chamber can say some of the things that we can say and do the things that we can do, right. When I met the the VP, John Kokkalis, John didn’t know me. I didn’t know him at all. It was our first conversation. And when I was, you know, I was medically discharged from Marine Corps after after two years and and I was using words like only. Right. Like, I only did two years, you know, and and now I don’t, I don’t do anything with I don’t have a disability rating. And he chewed me out three ways from Sunday.

Trisha Stetzel: Which felt awful.

Lou Rosado: Yes, I took it. Yes, sir, I sir. You know, I don’t know this man, but I don’t have to know him. Right. I just have to know what his rank is. Right.

Lou Rosado: And and that was that was our intro to each other, you know. And then when I finally met him, you know, we had the conversation. Um, but it’s things like that when we have mixers, you know, and we get we get guests and I’m like, yeah. Did you serve? I’m like, and yeah. Army. We’ve reached our quota on soldiers. You can have a nice day somewhere else. Let me guess. Crayon eater.

Trisha Stetzel: Crayon eater.

Lou Rosado: Right. You know, and we don’t even know this man’s name yet, but we’re already going at it, right?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah.

Lou Rosado: You can’t do that in any other chamber. You know, those are the things that make it feel like home and business perspective, right? If you know what you’re looking for, we can help provide the resource, if not from within, externally, with all, with with our connections, if you don’t know what you need, which many times is the case, especially for younger businesses, right? They don’t know what they don’t know. We can help you with that too. Let’s have a conversation. Right. And if I don’t know, I know people, right? I know people and will help you figure out what you need to help you grow, whether it’s from coaching perspective, whether it’s issues with your website, building a website, HR, whatever it is, if we don’t have the resources, a very good chance that we’re connected to someone who does.

Trisha Stetzel: And by the way, for anyone who’s listening, who’s not a veteran, we love our veteran supporters as well. You may not speak our language yet. We’ll teach you. Now, that.

Lou Rosado: Was a funny transition for Vanessa. You know, we keep, like. Wait, so Dave said something about a FOB. What’s a what’s a fob?

Lou Rosado: A forward operating base. Honey. So when you have your base and you’ve got what’s going on, you got the forward operating base. It’s in between. That’s what Honor Cafe is, right? Okay. Got it. You know and.

Trisha Stetzel: We love our acronyms.

Lou Rosado: Yeah.

Lou Rosado: Do you speak in the language now?

Lou Rosado: That’s for sure. That’s for sure.

Trisha Stetzel: Vanessa is amazing. We’re just going to have to tag her like, ten times when this show, when this show comes out.

Lou Rosado: Without her, there’s no me.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s right. Absolutely. Um, let’s talk about I’m really curious about the prison entrepreneurship program, uh, that you’re working with men as they’re preparing for life beyond incarceration. So tell me more about that program.

Lou Rosado: Invited by an individual named Tony Harris Taylor, who I credit with my networking skills. She taught me how to network.

Trisha Stetzel: I know her.

Lou Rosado: Yeah, Tony. When I got here, it was I’m Lou, uh, financial planning. She said, no, baby, no, no, no, that’s not what we do. You know.

Trisha Stetzel: And let me help you through.

Lou Rosado: Yes she did. So she introduced me to pep, and I went there. I was like, okay, great. You know, I get a chance to talk to some inmates, give them some, you know, love on them a little bit and good deal. Um, which was important for me. I mean, I had a brush with the law, uh, 21, 22 years ago.

Lou Rosado: And it was because of guidance that I didn’t have to wear an orange jumpsuit, you know.

Lou Rosado: And I owned that in every respect. And I had that conversation when I’m in there speaking with the participants of the program. You know, it’s because one individual took time to love on me and care about me that I’m not wearing the same thing you are right now. So soon, when you go back out there, you’re going to get another chance. This is me giving you that. Now here’s what I want in return. And we have that conversation.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s so fantastic. And I love that you pour the same love that you got into other human beings through all of these organizations that you’re giving back to. So I know that you have a huge passion for financial education. Is there anything that you’d like to say in that space? Um, to anyone who’s listening around, I’m afraid of money because a lot of people out there are right or afraid to. Not afraid of money. We like money.

Trisha Stetzel: We want money, but we’re afraid to talk about it.

Lou Rosado: Yeah.

Lou Rosado: Yes. Um, I always start interesting you ask, because I always start my consultations with. I’m going to open with. It’s okay.

Lou Rosado: What do you mean? It’s. It’s okay.

Lou Rosado: You’re going to hear me say that throughout and. Okay, fine. You know, and then they start talking, right? And we’ll have we’re having a conversation and I might ask a question about. Right. So what do we have? Um, for one k wise, anything in the investment space I had. And then they start to justify I had X amount. But then it it’s okay. It’s okay.

Lou Rosado: And then and then it starts to sink in and, and I just create that safe space of it’s okay to be 50 and not understand how your 401 K works.

Lou Rosado: Right. It’s it’s it’s okay. That’s why you’re here. People ask how do I get started. Guess what you already did because Could you ask the question?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, I love that, Lou. I do. You know, there are so many people out there particularly, I’ll say, our generation. So I’m calling myself young as well.

Lou Rosado: You should. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: That haven’t talked about money, weren’t taught how to use, save or do the right things with their money. And they don’t want to ask because it’s scary, right? So getting talking to the right people who you connect with is always the right thing, right? No matter where you’re at, whether you don’t know, you do know. You think you know you’re afraid of just having that first conversation is so important. Um, so, Lou, gosh, what can we talk about now? I’m. I want to circle back to this conversation around your bio just because I think it’s important and because we’re talking about beyond the uniform. And there are so many people out there. Not just you, me, John Cleese and everyone else who didn’t talk about being a veteran for years and years and years. I just want to circle back to the conversation we were having before we started recording, which was loo loo. Why isn’t the Marine Corps in your bio?

Trisha Stetzel: And you said, well about that. Yeah about that. So I just want to talk a little bit about that. Listen, I opened, I bought and opened my first business in 2007. I never told anyone that I was a veteran until almost four years ago, when I joined the chamber. When they asked me to join the chamber, I was like, oh yeah, I’m a veteran. I had lost that identity along the way, right? I got out of the military. I went to work for corporate, I opened a business, I did all of those things and I didn’t need any help. So I never said that I was a veteran because I thought if I did, everyone would think that I needed help, right. So coming back around to the conversation we were having about that, not being in your bio, you told me that you’re still clearing the space for that, right?

Lou Rosado: Yes.

Trisha Stetzel: So the space for that. So talk a little bit about that.

Lou Rosado: So there were it was a very quiet time in, in in the world really. My unit was on standby during Kosovo. Right. Um, 911 hadn’t happened yet. The first Gulf War was already over. So nothing nothing was going on. So no war stories on my part, right. And now in my 40s, I’m I’m. I’m okay with that, right? Not not everyone is Rambo out there. And that’s that’s a whole mindset thing, right. So there’s that part.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah.

Lou Rosado: The biggest thing though for me was I got so much from the Marine Corps. It’s literally I see it in my kids.

Lou Rosado: With regards to their ability to, to hone in on something and the discipline to get it done. Like, I learned that as a teenager and they wanted boot camp, right? Um, serving others. You you can therefore you should for no other reason, with no expectations of anything in return. Right? These are things that I got from and on and on and on. The desire to lead others right, and the desire to grow others and enrich and empower. Okay, good. You’re ready. Now go do the thing. You’re you’re not ready yet. Come here. Let me get you ready. These are all the things I got from the Marine Corps. And what did I give? Two years. The vast majority of which was spent training.

Lou Rosado: So I just felt like it was a one sided relationship.

Lou Rosado: Very. Me. Me, me. Um, so I there was the only way I could, you know, say thanks was to just utilize that in my life until the chamber. The chamber is my opportunity to put my thumb on the scale and kind of balance that out. Now how? By helping other veterans. Right. And, and and a myriad of different ways. And those become personal relationships obviously, as you know. Right. Um, but helping so many vets in so many different ways. Now it’s like, okay, now we’re even.

Lou Rosado: Now which some would say yeah that’s that’s cute. That’s cute. But. It’s hard to be like that right. Yeah. He was always something I was, I was I was two three. So he’s talking about. Um but that was, that’s been my mindset for my ideology. This is how I grew up. And you’re not alone. And so many veterans To say I did it or I don’t really feel like I deserve or, um, you know, I don’t ever tell anyone because here’s my message to all of you out there if you’re listening to this show, is if you’re a veteran and you’re a business leader or a business owner, please come talk to us at the chamber or you belong. Here. And it’s not because we want to help you or give you something. We need your skills to help those that are coming through. If you’re a giver like you are, don’t come to us. And I mean, that was like my my most important message to everybody about our chamber is that we’re not here to help you connect to anybody and put a hand up. Toward the back end of the show or anything that you wanted to say that I asked you about. You know, it’s just I guess I have done a lot in the community service. From Michigan to here in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, which is an interesting full circle to deal with. I mean, this was five, six years ago. Hey, I just want to challenge anyone listening to this, watching this, um, that are you.

Lou Rosado: That’s all. That’s it. Just be a better you. Somehow. Some way. There are many facets to who you are as a human being. I’m a husband. I’m a father. I’m a friend. I’m so many. I’m a son. I’m a cousin. I’m a nephew. I’m a grandchild. I’m so many things. How can I be better at one today?

Lou Rosado: And then. And here’s the follow up. Can you help someone else do that? How can you help someone else be better at one thing?

Lou Rosado: That is, you know, I went through a lot as a kid with a lot of my teens and my 20s. Right. Every and and and it wasn’t until I realized it was a blessing. Every problem. Air quotes that I’ve ever had revolved around a dollar or lack thereof. Homeless as a kid, difficult living situation with an abusive stepfather as a teenager. Didn’t have any financial choices. Didn’t know any better in my 20s. All I knew was work hard, right?

Lou Rosado: And that I can do right if I need more. I’m just going to work harder and I want more. And I’m going to work harder. And it wasn’t until I realized that was my life of survival until I was 40, 41, 42. Doesn’t have to be right. So now that I’ve got that, got it. Understand? That’s why I went through that. So I can help others either avoid or get out of that.

Lou Rosado: Clients that are in their 50s getting ready for retirement, I’m not going to make them a millionaire. But the decisions that we make, the kids might and their grandkids definitely can be.

Lou Rosado: Have a goal that you know you’re not going to be able to see. That’s how big it is. That’s how crazy it is. That’s how out of this world it is. Mhm. Right. Mine is to change the trajectory of kids that aren’t even here yet.

Lou Rosado: I’m not going to be around to see that. Right. Your great grandkids. It’s not going to be around to see them. But if I do something with you or for Dennis, right, that that helps your kids and then your grandkids and then they pass. I served my purpose. Mission accomplished.

Trisha Stetzel: I’m like, mic drop. Lou, this is exactly why I had you on the show. All right, my friends, thank you so much for being on with me today. What a great conversation. I look forward to seeing you at the next thing, because we just got to go do the thing right.

Trisha Stetzel: I think that’s it.

Trisha Stetzel: Just go do the thing. Uh, thanks for being on today. I appreciate you.

Lou Rosado: As do I.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.

Lou Rosado: Blessings.