Research Outline

Military Executives: Large Companies

Goals

To develop a business strategy to enter into the commercial sector by providing a list of large companies in four NAICS sectors, including utilities, manufacturing, finance & insurance (preferably), and health care, with senior executives and/or board members who were former senior military officers.

Early Findings

Manufacturing

Polaris

  • The Chairman and CEO of Polaris Scott Wine obtained a Bachelor's degree from the US Naval Academy. He graduated from the institution in 1989 and served as a naval officer in the Navy Supply Corps.
  • According to its NAICS Code 336999, Polaris operates within Transportation Equipment Manufacturing.
  • In 2018, Polaris reported $6.079 billion in annual revenue.

General Electric (GE)

  • James Mulva is a member of the board of directors at General Electric. Before his present engagement, he was President and CEO of ConocoPhillips.
  • Mulva joined the NROTC, a program set up to train and educate qualified individuals who would later serve as commissioned officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.
  • He graduated from this program at The University of Texas in 1969 and served for four years as a Naval Officer.
  • GE's NAICS Code 423830 classifies the company among Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers. According to Fidelity Investments, General Electric "is widely considered to be an industrial company because of its widely known industrial and manufacturing business segments."
  • In 2018, GE reported $98.44 billion in annual revenue.

Finance & Insurance

USAA

  • USAA has several executives/leaders with previous military backgrounds, including John Bird, Senior Vice President, Military Affairs at the company. He is a retired Vice Admiral in the US Navy.
  • Assistant Vice President, Military Advocacy Mike Kelly, is a retired Major in the US Air Force.
  • USAA NAICS Code 524210 classifies the company among Insurance Agencies and Brokerages. It operates in the insurance industry within the financial sector, according to Bloomberg.
  • In 2018, USAA reported $31.8 billion in annual revenue.