Army veteran Andy Goehring graduated from West Point, completed a tour in Iraq, received his MBA from Ohio State University and landed a management position at a major bank.
And now, his latest passion is selling “tricked-out” short shorts.
Last year, he and his wife, Abby, launched Ruck Runners, an e-commerce brand that provides shorts customized with patches, badges, tabs or stretch vinyl decals for a niche customer base of current and former military men and women.
“It’s fun,” said Goehring, 38, of Delaware. “It’s silly. It’s kind of irrational.”
Ruck Runners is one of many startups participating in Veterans in Residence, an incubator for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs across the U.S.
What is business incubator Veterans in Residence?
Launched by the Chicago-based Bunker Labs organization, the program takes cohorts of eight to ten participants through six-month cycles of development. A partnership with the WeWork commercial real estate company allows the business owners to take advantage of co-working space.
To date, more than 1,442 veterans and military spouses have participated in the program, according to Bunker Labs. The organization also reports that 89% of veteran-owned businesses saw accelerated business growth, 44% increased their run-rate revenue and 23% raised funding during the six-month cycle.
“WeWork is committed to harnessing the power of community to make a positive impact on people and the planet,” said Chris Ferzli, Global Head of Public Affairs at WeWork. “We look forward to seeing these veteran entrepreneurs continue to thrive and impact their own communities.”
Based in WeWork’s Short North office, the Columbus chapter of Veterans in Residence will graduate its first complete cohort on Dec. 8.
In addition to Ruck Runners, participants include Inergy Advisors, a business strategy and CFO firm; Eco Diplomat, a skincare company; BizCommanders, a company supporting coaches and advisors; Verity Cyber, a cybersecurity firm; JW Pet Products; and OnTheWay, a mobile application.
“The success rate for businesses, particularly small businesses, can be pretty discouraging,” said Jasmin Hurley, 38, of Washington Court House, who is an ambassador for the Columbus community of Bunker Labs. “My hope is that they will continue down the path, even if they have to change their business model, and that they would have the confidence to know that they can do it. And they can come back for support.”
Ruck Runners: ‘Ranger panties’ in demand among veterans
As “silly” as it may sound, Ruck Runners has proven to be an inventive business model. The particular style of short shorts, aka “ranger panties” among U.S. Army men and women, or “silkies” among the U.S. Marines, are already in high demand. But the Goehrings’ unique level of customization is allowing customers to preserve their meaningful military experiences in a fun way.
“It’s been incredible,” Andy Goehring said. “For us, it’s serving those that have already served.”
And displaying the insignia allows veterans to strike up conversations with each other out in the world.
“It’s almost like a language of sorts,” Goehring said. “I’ve linked up with people that I otherwise wouldn’t have known just wearing silly shorts.”
Ruck Runners also has customers who want to use the designs to honor relatives.
“They’re wanting to connect with their grandfathers’ units from World War II,” Goehring said. “With our decal application, there’s no limit to creativity.”
The Goherings produce several individual and bulk orders per week. After they source the shorts from a third party, Abby Goehring, 36, handles the sewing and design, while Andy Goehring engages with customers.
Their 11-year-old daughter, a “mini-co-founder and creative assistant,” helps out, too.
Currently, the company revenue is less than $25,000. But the couple credits Veterans in Residence with positioning them for success. They’ve received help with trademarking, marketing, bookkeeping, software, regulation and taxes.
Goehring also said the peer support from other veteran entrepreneurs has been a game-changer.
“They help us solve problems,” he said. “We can give them ideas to solve problems. Without that, you wouldn’t be able to develop, grow and scale anywhere near the pace that I think that network has allowed us to do.”
Inergy Advisors owner Torika Thompson also praised the Veterans in Residence ecosystem.
“I’ve met some invaluable people that I hope to know forever, and that have been critical in helping us push the needle to get our services out to businesses,” said Thompson, 38, who has residences in the Short North and Akron. “From an entrepreneur standpoint, we need that hub that serves as an incubator to get us started, and to give us that hand-holding guidance that many of us absolutely need. And many of us don’t know that we need it.”
Thompson, who owns several other companies, said the program also helped her acquire a software development team.
Technical assistance aside, programs like Veterans in Residence may also help participants with personal development as they transition out of the military.
“It’s an overall transition of, ‘OK, here’s who I was in the uniform, but who am I outside of the uniform?’ said Hurley, who also is an Army veteran. ‘What does my service look like? What does my life look like?’”
Hurley said a lot of veterans gravitate toward entrepreneurship because their training has taught them to be excellent problem-solvers.
“It’s great to thank us for our service and we appreciate it,” she added. “But there are ways to put that into practice every day. Hire veterans, help them get into the workforce so that they can figure out what they’re going to do. We will always be an advantage.”
ethompson@dispatch.com
@miss_ethompson
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