Igniting Innovation. Inspiring Change.
MILIT MIND ANT
By:JordanOlson
SPARK SPARK
“Yes Sir, No Ma’am, absolutely non-negotiable. I once talked back to my mom and my dad made me write ‘I will not sass my mother’ a thousand times! ‘Sass’, talk about being raised with hard lessons and Southern values.”
UnlikelyOrigins,UnstoppableVision
SamBerman’sstorydoesn’tstartinaboardroom It startsinamodesthouseholdthatblendedBrooklyn gritandAppalachianpracticality,adynamicthat wouldlaterforgethecoreofhisleadershipstyle BorninAtlanta,Berman’sfamilymovedtoLos Angelestofindabetterclimateforhisfather's health “Itwasgreatbeingafatkidwithcurlyhair andadeepSouthernaccentinLA,”helaughs “A realchickmagnet ‘Howy’alldoin’?’”
Hisupbringingwasacollisionofculturalextremes:a VietnamveteranfatherfromBrooklyn,amotherfrom Huntington,WestVirginia,bothworkingatthe ChicagoTribune “That’showIknowGodtruly exists,”Bermanjokes “ANewYorkerandaWest VirginiaHillbillymeetinginChicago?That’sgottobe nothingshortofdivineintervention”
Theyoungestoffour,sharp-tempered,scrappy,and neverthetypetostanddown Quicktoangerand evenquickertothrowapunch,toughnesswashis nativelanguage “Istillhavenopatienceandabad temper,”headmits ”Justaskmykids I’llgotothe swordfasterthanIshouldsometimes Butinthe worldofbuildingpioneeringandparadigmshifting companiesfromthegroundup,thatkindofedge canbeaweapon,whenyoulearntouseitright”
Hegrewupinahomerunbyrespectandreinforced bydiscipline “YesSir,NoMa’am,absolutelynonnegotiable Irememberoncetalkingbacktomy mom,andmydadmademewrite‘Iwillnotsassmy mother’athousandtimes ”Weusedtocallthat writing‘standards’.Sass!Talkaboutbeingraisedon hardlessonsandSouthernvalues”Helaughs “It worked,morethanfortyyearslater,Istillremember thelesson”
Themixofmilitaryrigidityandentrepreneurialspirit leftanindeliblemark:hismotherowneda typesettingcompany;hisfather,aphotographer, workedforlargecamerastoresandeventually openedhisownopticsstore
Watchinghisparentsstruggle,hustle,andcarveout theirindependenceimprintedonhimtheideathat buildingisbetterthanborrowing,andcreatingis betterthanwaiting
“Entrepreneurshipwasalwaysintheblood,”hesays Aswashardwork ”Isawwhatittookformyparents toruntheirowncompanies”
TheHardThings
Life,however,haditsplanstoforgeBerman’sgritearly At16,hisfatherpassedawaysuddenly,just beforehissenioryearinhighschool Itendedhiscollegefootballdreamsandforcedhimintosurvival mode Tostayafloat,heworkedmultiplejobs,bouncingbetweenjuniorcollegeandUCLA,whichhe ultimatelydroppedoutof “Ijustcouldn’tstomachpayingmyveryhardearnedmoneytohearsome professor‘lecture’aboutsurfingorhisfavoriterestaurantinMexico,whilemakingmebuyhis$125book weneveropened”
Lessthantenyearslater,hewouldlosehismothertocancer.“Losingbothmyparentssoyoungwere thehardesthitsofmylife Ihadtogrowupfast Ilivedamuchdifferentexperiencethanmostofmy friendsandpeers”Andinbetweenandbeyondthosemomentscameabrutalseriesoftrialsand setbacksthattestedhimtothecore Therewerecrushingpersonalstruggles,loss,obstaclesthatfelt impossibletoovercome,andbetrayalsthatcutdeepestofall,whentrustwasshatteredbysomeof thosehebelievedwouldstandbesidehim Thetollwasstaggering “Iwaslefttrulyemptyandbroken andhadtodigmyselfoutofaverydarkplace,”headmits
Whatpulledhimthrough,hesays,wasfaithandthebeliefthattherewaspurposebeyondthepain “Faithwasthethreadthatkeptmemovingwhennothingelsedid,”heexplains “Youunfortunately discoverthatsometimesthepeopleyouthoughtyoucouldabsolutelycountondisappearinyour greatesttimeofneedorworseaddtothestruggles,butothersyouneverexpectedappearorstepupin profoundways”Inthoselowpoints,otherpeopleunexpectedlyappeared,mentors,friends,and ultimatelyagirlnamedKatewhowouldlaterbecomehiswife,whohelpedlifthimbackintothelight
Thosemomentsremindyouthatyou’reneverreallyalone,evenwhenitfeelsthatway” Isharethis becauseIwantotherswhoarereallystrugglingtoknowthatwhenyouareinyourdarkesttimes,the pathbackcomesfromholdingontofaithandfromcontinuingtomoveforward,nomatterwhat Usethat pain,thatstruggleasfuelandbecomebetter,strongerandmoreresilient Makeyourselflivingproofthat youcanwalkthroughthestormandnotloseyoursoul Becomeunbreakable Actionistheonlywayout IalwaystellmykidstheWinstonChurchillquote:“Ifyouaregoingthroughhell keepgoing”
“Butalsointhatstruggle,inthatemptiness,youlearnwhoyoureallyare Youdiscoverwhoyoutrulyare atthecoreandwhoyoucanbecome,whomyoucantrust,andjusthowstrongyoucanbe Youlearn thatyoucansurvivethehard,sometimesthereallyhard,andcomeoutfarstrongerwithaclearervision ofthefutureyouwanttocreate Feargiveswaytoresolveandstrength,andthescarsbuildthe foundation ThestrugglesIenduredbecametheveryforcethatallowedmetoenvisionandbuildLARC”
Throughitall,Bermansharpenedanedge,amentalitythatwasn’tjustresilient,butferocious “Real entrepreneurshaveapsychologicalprofilethat’sprobablyoneveryshortstepawayfromcomplete insanity,”hesays “Youneedthatkindofdrivetoovercomeandsurvivethehitsandembracethegrind”
pkinThatChangedEverything
sinSiliconValley,buildinglogisticsandsupplychainsystems,andhavingstartedanumberof sfulcompanies,Bermanfoundhimselfatalunchmeetingwithagentlemanwhoranawood any Hementionedhehad“hundredsofserverracksthatneededtobecrated,eachataround “
ingly,‘Whydon’tyoujustdropagiant ubearoundthem?’”Bermanrecalls wereheavy,unsustainable,expensive, ble Theguylaughed,wenttothe dwhenhecameback,Bermanhad modular,reusablecratingsystemona
wasthebirthcertificateofLARC He reallydoneedtoframeitatsome
ybeganasaraw,bootstrapped California,butBermanquicklyrealized tatewas,inhiswords,“aninsane ntrepreneurstryingtobuildanactual ductthatwasn’tjustabout1sand0s manycompaniesarefindingnow,isa lybusinessstate”Heandhisfamily ndheadedbacktohisSouthernrootsin wherecost,community,andculture hisvision
There,hemetChrisTaylor,Tennesseeraisedand educatedatTennesseeTechandVanderbilt,whose pragmaticbackgroundinmechanicalengineering, globalbusiness,startups,andcapitalraising complementedBerman’soriginalvision,deep logisticsexpertise,andSiliconValleyexperience Togethertheynotonlysecuredthefundingtoscale butalsobuiltahighcaliberteam,advancingLARC intoacompanythatcrackedanewparadigm: marryingcuttingedge,highlyengineeredpackaging forhighvalueproductswithlogisticsservices,what theynowcall“PAAS,”PackagingasaService, deliveringsuperiorproductsandendtoendlogistics atfarlowercost
“PackagingasaServiceeliminatestheneedfor companiestoinvestheavyupfrontcapitalinsingleorlimited-usewoodandsimilarpackagingsolutions, whicharebothexpensivetomakeanddisposeof andtrulyawfulfromaproductimprovementand sustainabilitystandpoint”
FromFlintstonestoJetsons
“WeliketosaywetooktheindustryfromtheFlintstonestotheJetsons,”Bermansays,referring totheprehistoricnatureofwoodcratingandthefuturisticsystemsLARCbuildstoday
Woodcratesare,inhisview,“archaic”Hepointsoutthateven4,000-year-oldancientEgyptian tombshadwoodencratesfoundinsidethemandwearestillusingthemtodaytomovesomeof themostvaluable,importantandcriticalproductsintheworld “Imagineputtinga$2million bleedingedgeAIserverrackinawoodbox WouldyouacceptaBugattiSuperCardeliveredin aplywoodbox?Ofcoursenot Butthat’sexactlywhathappensdailyinourindustry”
LARC’smodular,reusable,andsustainableshippingsystemsareengineeredforspeed, durability,andprecision Oneoftheirflagshipproducts,theAPEXCrate,canbeassembledin minutesandprotectshyperscaleserverslikearmor Itwasdesigned,developed,manufactured anddeployedforoneoftheworld’slargestcloudfirmsinjustsixmonths Bermanrecallsthat customercommenting,“Wow,youguysactuallymanagedtomakeacratelooksexy”towhich Bermanlaughs ”We’reallaboutsexyatLARC it’sthekeypartofourculture”
“WouldyouacceptaBugattiSuperCardeliveredinaplywoodbox? Ofcoursenot.Butthat’sexactlywhathappenseverydayinourindustry.
EngineeringasPhilosophy
WhatmakesLARCdifferentisn’tjustthetech,it’sthephilosophy “We’renottryingto disrupt;we’retryingtocompletelydestroythecurrentmodelandtotallychangethe industry,”Bermansaysbluntly “DisruptionisLittleSallychewingguminclass Destruction isLittleJohnnyburningtheschooltotheground…oneofthosethingsdefinitelycreatesa newparadigm”Afterall,withmoderntoolsyoucanmaketheworld’sbesthorsebuggyif youwantedto,butit’snotwhattheworldwantsorneeds That’skindofthewoodcrate industrytoday howmuchbettercanyoumakeawoodbox?”
Fromcustommaterialstoadvancedfixturingsystems,everythingatLARCisengineered forsustainability,speedandprotection “Usingjustoneofourcratestomovearack serverforexamplecansavetwotimbertrees,threegallonsoffuel,andhundredsof poundsofCO2 Andwe’renotforcingcustomersdownaone-size-fits-allpath Wedesign fortheirneeds,notours Andtherealkickeris,allofthisistypicallydoneatafarlower costthaniscurrentlybeingpaidforwoodcrates”
ThecompanyservesindustriesrangingfromdatacentersandAIinfrastructure,highend electronicstorobotics,medicalsystems,rareearthmaterials,andevenmilitarylogistics “Itreallyisagreenfieldmarketaseverythingneedstobeshipped”
TheGrind,theFaithandtheTeam
Whenaskedabouthispersonalphilosophy,Bermandoesn’tflinch:“Grind That'sit It’snotmagic,butthisis notfortheweakhearted You’vegottobelieveinyourideasomuchthatyou’rewillingtobebroke, exhausted,andspirituallydepleted,andstillkeepgoing.”
Hecreditsfirstlyhisfamily'sincrediblesupportandbeliefinhimaswellas,physicalfitnessandhisfaithas hisenginesofresilience “Iworkouthardalmosteveryday Ispendtimeinprayerandquietreflectionevery morning Entrepreneursareideasandsolutionsfactories,ourmindsnevershutoff Thatmorningroutine, fitnessandsilenceareabsolutelycritical”
“ThefirsttwoyearsIdidthisprettymuchonmyown,anditwashell Ilearnedquickly,neverstartanything withoutpeoplethatsharethevision Youneedateamyouhaveabsolutefaithin,peoplewhobelieveinthe ideaasmuchasyoudo,whowillcarrytheweightwithyouandpushjustashardwhenitgetsheavy And beyondthat,youneedfaithinsomethinggreaterthanyourself,becausethat’swhatkeepsyousteadywhen theburdenfeelsoverwhelming.Justasimportantarethepartnerswhoshareboththatfaithandvisionand arewillingtogrinditouteveryday I’vefoundthatinourteam,andtogetherwe’veallbuiltafoundationthat noonecouldevercreatealone”
HardLessons,BigWins
Berman’sbestdecision? Marrying his wife, Kate “She is my best friend, my compass, believes in me, my vision, this company, and the mission She stood with me through some of the hardest times in my life and showed me how powerful and healing real love can be You better pick a damn good, strong, extraordinary partner when you get into this arena, because they are building it with you whether they like it or not ”
For Berman, marriage and business are inseparable. Kate has been more than supportive; she has been an active architect of this journey, my original CoFounder From day one she has been all in, still working with him and the team daily to keep him organized and on track. “I would be a mess without her ” The quiet resilience she provides, he explains, is every bit as important as the visible victories
“That goes for my children, as well They have seen and lived the journey up close, and I hope it gives them an understanding that if you really want something, you go after it with everything in you ” Watching him grind through setbacks, sleepless nights, and relentless pressure, he believes, has been a better education for them than any classroom could ever provide.
Biggestlesson? “Nooneiscomingtosaveyou Thereisnocavalry Soyouneedtobuildagreat team Buildyourmind,bodyandspirit Thengoto war”
ForBerman,thisisn’taslogan,it’sthecoreof survivalasanentrepreneur.Youcannotwaitfor investors,partners,government,orcircumstanceto handyousuccess Ithastobeearned,forced,and draggedintoreality OnethingIcansayaboutLARC isthatourteamisabsolutelyworldclass professionalsandjustdownrightgood,decent,hard workingpeopleandthatisourcoreofsuccess”
Inaworldwheretalentoftencomeswithego, Bermantakesspecialprideinbuildingateam definednotjustbycapability,butbycharacter
“I hated the structure, the memorization, the grading for compliance instead of imagination.”
“Everyonealwayssaysto‘thinkoutsidethebox,
butinsteadwefiguredwe’djustchangethebox.”
LegacyofaMilitantMind
SamBerman’sstoryisoneofresilience:defyingearlystruggles,bureaucraticstagnation, andthecomfortofconvention LARCisn’tacutestartupwithsomecleverpackaging It’s awarmachineforthemoderneconomy,envisionedbysomeonewhorefusestocolor insidethelines Fromthestart,Bermanhasrejectedclichés “Everyonealwayssaysto ‘thinkoutsidethebox,’”herecallswithalaugh “Butinsteadwefiguredwe’djustchange thebox”ThatsmalltwistofperspectivebecametheheartofLARC,challengingnotjust howpeopleworkwithinsystems,buttheverysystemsthemselves
Soifyouaskhimwhatkeepshimupatnight?“Everything”Theendlessdetailsof scaling,theweightofcustomerexpectations,theresponsibilityofleadingateam,he admitsitnevershutsoff Whatgetshimupinthemorning?“Everything”Thesame challengesthatgnawathisrestarethesameonesthatfuelhisdrive,pullinghimforward eachdaywiththeknowledgethatthefightisworthit
ForBerman,legacyisn’taboutcomfortorrecognition,it’saboutleavingbehindproofthat anentireindustrycanberebuiltwhenyou’rewillingtoburntheships,changethebox,
AboutSPARK
IgnitingInnovation.InspiringChange.
SPARK is an online profile magazine that goes beyond the headlines to tell the stories of people redefining what is possible. From entrepreneurs building the next great companies to visionaries driving social and cultural change, SPARK dives deep into the lives, ideas, and breakthroughs of those shaping the future.
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