Golden Bison – Vol 3 Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2022

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A newsletter for Nichols College alumni of the past 50 years or more

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Vol 3 Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2022

Redefining What Impossible Means Nichols graduate Charlie Cunnion ’06 reflects on his career of military service and international logistics. Charlie Cunnion ’06, vice president of global transportation at International Forest Products, LLC (IFP), majored in both finance and economics while at Nichols College.

D

uring his time at Nichols, he was

opportunity to volunteer to serve with his

exposed to the Army Reserve

future company commander whom he met

and felt called to serve his

while training at Fort McCoy.

country. “I joined the Army Reserve between my freshman

Cunnion served in Iraq between 2008 and

and sophomore years. That

2009, while the economy was collapsing,

summer I went off to bootcamp in

and he came home to a difficult job market.

Missouri — a non-traditional

“I ended up working odd jobs in construction

summer break for a 19-year-old!” Returning

and was given the opportunity to bartend at

to Nichols, Cunnion enjoyed the dynamic of

Sinni’s Pub — owned by alum Jeff Sinni — a

being a college student and serving the Army

favorite bar for Nichols students.” Eventually

part time. In his junior year he joined an

a friend of a friend put him in touch with

ROTC program offered through Worcester

a headhunter who was looking to fill a job

Polytechnical Institute and continued to be a

at International Forest Products, LLC. He

full-time student at Nichols. “My senior year I

applied and was offered a position. “The job

didn’t feel the stress of finding a job like many

was as an operations specialist, which was

of my peers. I already had my commitment to

somewhat of an inside sales administration

the Army, which was a relief. The Army laid

role. I took it as a way to get my foot in the

out a plan for me.”

door, and I’m grateful I did. I was responsible for account coordination, logistics, finance

Cunnion started his career with the Army

and accounting. It was a great way for me to

at Fort Sill in Oklahoma then went on to

learn the business.” In this role, Cunnion

Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for

discovered that he wanted to grow his career

Army officer training, followed by a stint at

in the transportation and logistics side of

Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. “My first year in

the business.

the Army was between 2006 and 2007. The Iraq war was starting to hype; this was right

About a year and half into the job at IFP,

before the surge happened. It was clear that

Cunnion was offered a promotion to be a

General [David] Petraeus had a plan to quell

part of the logistics team; at the same time,

the insurgency. It was obvious as a young

he was called to serve as a member of the

officer that my path to Iraq was imminent.”

Army Reserve. Cunnion had to put his

Cunnion shares that he was lucky to have the

promotion on pause and was deployed to

Charlie Cunnion is pictured at the Patriot Place headquarters of IFP, part of the Kraft Group of companies founded by Robert Kraft. Afghanistan, now as a commander. “I had a successful deployment, more good days than bad,” he reflects. “I always remember turning 24 in Baghdad. As with any young officer or military leader, I was given a tremendous amount of responsibility at that age. My first deployment was cutting my teeth, developing a leadership style, understanding urban warfare, the logistics of war. This deployment was about understanding people, keeping them motivated and the energy positive.”

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BOSTON MA

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GoldenBison

PERMIT #5732 PAID US POSTAGE NON-PROFIT ORG


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