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MILIT MIND ANT
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WhenDisruptionIsn’tEnough
Thereareentrepreneurswhodisrupt Thenthereare entrepreneurswhodestroy,notforchaos,butto buildsomethingradicallybetter SamBerman, FounderandCEOoftheLogisticsAdvanced ResearchCenter(LARC)inNashville,Tennessee,is unmistakablythelatter Herepresentsatypeof entrepreneurwhodoesn’tjustinnovatewithinthe marginsofwhatexists,heredrawstheborders entirely,refusingtotolerateinefficienciesthatothers longagoacceptedas“thewayit’sdone”
LARCisn’tjustanotherlogisticsorpackaging startup.It’sadeclarationofwaragainstoutdated systems,andBermanisthegeneralcharging forwardwithwhatheunapologeticallycallsa “militantmind”Tohim,packagingisnotabackroom detailoracommoditylineitem,it’sthefoundation uponwhichtrillion-dollarindustriesdepend,and thereforeoneofthemostconsequentialchoke pointsinglobalcommerce
ThetermcomesfromtheRageAgainsttheMachine songBombtrack,asongheandhissonusedtoblast onthewaytolacrossegames.Interestingly,oneline inparticular,“withthethoughtsfromamilitantmind,” becameapointofdeepdiscussionbetweenthem Whatbeganascar-ridepre-gamepumpupmusic soonbecameafather-and-sondialogueabout philosophy,resilience,andthenatureofchallenging theworld’sassumptions
“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’ 3,000 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 ultimatelyleft “Ijustcouldn’tstomachpayingmyveryhardearnedmoneytohearsomeprofessor ‘lecture’aboutsurfingorhisfavoriterestaurantinMexico,whilemakingmebuyhis$125bookwenever opened”
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 Andjustasimportant,in thoselowpoints,otherpeopleunexpectedlyappeared,mentors,friends,andultimatelyagirlnamed Katewhowouldlaterbecomehiswife,whohelpedlifthimbackintothelight.“Youunfortunately discoverthatsometimesthepeopleyouthoughtyoucouldabsolutelycountondisappearinyour greatesttimeofneedorworseaddtothestruggles,butothersyouneverexpectedappearorstepupin profoundways
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,sometimesthebrutallyhard,andcomeoutfarstrongerwithaclearer visionofthefutureyouwanttocreate Feargiveswaytoresolveandstrength,andthescarsbuildthe foundation.ThefightIenduredbecametheveryforcethatallowedmetoenvisionandbuildLARC.”
Throughitall,Bermansharpenedanedge,amentalitythatwasn’tjustresilient,butferocious “Real entrepreneurshaveapsychologicalprofilethat’sprobablyoneveryshortstepawayfromcomplete insanity,”hesays “Youneedthatkindofpuredrivetoovercomeandsurvivethehitsandembracethe grind”
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,Tennessee-raisedand educatedatTennesseeTechandVanderbilt With hispragmaticbackgroundinmechanicalengineering, globalbusiness,andstart-ups,Taylorcomplemented Berman’soriginalvision,deeplogisticsexpertise,and SiliconValleyexperience Thepartnershipadvanced LARCintoacompanythatwouldultimatelycrackthe codeonanewparadigm,marryingcutting-edge, highlyengineeredpackagingsolutionsforhigh-value productswithlogisticsservices,whattheynowcall ‘PAAS,’orPackagingasaService,amodeldelivering superiorproductsandlogisticssolutionsatfarlower costs”
“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’sproudestdecision? Marrying his wife, Kate. “She is 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 Co-
Founder 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, Nate and Jane, 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
Thattruthshowedupearly.Herecallshisthird gradeteacherflatlytoldhismotherthatyoung Sambelongedinremedialclasses,thathewas notkeepingup,thatheshouldbetrackeddown ratherthanmovedforward Hismotherrefused toacceptthelabel Intuitiveandunshakably confidentinherson,sheinsistedontesting.The resultsshatteredtheteacher’sassumption:not onlywasSamnotremedial,hetestedinthe highlygiftedrange,thehighestscoreinfactthe examinerhadeverrecorded
“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
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