Major Rob Dyer is a decorated Marine who has served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He’s a graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy, where he now teaches. He’s also a small-business owner with a fascinating story. In 2007, Dyer was warming himself by a campfire in Afghanistan, surrounded by other troops. He was struck by how exhausted his fellow Marines were. He knew that they weren’t recovering from their wounds, and that their immune systems had been compromised by battlefield conditions.
He and his friends took action: They developed a formula for an energy shot, which Dyer says helps weary troops under stressful conditions recover quickly from fatigue and dehydration. The product, RuckPack, was launched officially on Veterans’ Day, 2011. In addition to troops, it’s targeted to elite athletes, and other active civilians seeking a boost in energy and endurance .
The company founded by Dyer and his co-owners, Noots! Nutrition LLC, which produces the product, is 90 percent owned by military service membes. Ten percent of its proceeds are donated to different foundations, one of which is named for Dyer’s son, Hunter. Now 2 years old, Hunter was born with a hole in his heart and suffered a heart attack at four months old. He has had multiple operations to correct his condition.
After our Town Hall, panelist and venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary contacted Dyer to find out more about his product.
“Getting Back to Business,” a CNBC Town Hall Event, airs tonight June 20 at 9pm and again at 12 midnight.
WATCH a preview.