Michael J. Penney

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Bunker Labs RDU Muster 2017: Veteran Founders Meet in Cary

On September 21, 2017, Bunker Labs RDU held its second annual Muster, a one-day startup conference for veteran entrepreneurs, at MetLife’s office in Cary, North Carolina. It was part of the national Muster Across America series. According to the WRAL TechWire recap, it sold out, drawing 250 attendees, 75 percent of them veterans, with more than 75 veteran-owned businesses represented.

Michael was Bunker Labs RDU’s program director at the time; podcast bios from 2016 and 2017 describe him in that role, helping veterans with business creation. He says he spoke at the Muster and helped coordinate it. The published coverage below does not list him by name.

What was on the program

A preview by Bunker Labs RDU executive director Dean Bundschu said the event was hosted by the MetLife Veterans Network, and that active-duty, National Guard and reserve service members could register for free. The recap, written by Bunker Labs RDU community development director Jim Roberts, laid out the day:

  • Opening remarks: Larry Hall, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
  • Morning keynote: venture capitalist and Vietnam-era veteran Art Pappas, on turning military leadership into private-sector success.
  • Hiring panel: Scott Moody of K4 Connect, Tim McClain of MetLife and Ted Studdard of Home Depot.
  • Lunch keynote: former Baltimore Ravens player Marques Ogden.
  • Featured speaker: Daniel Alarik of Grunt Style, which Roberts called the most anticipated appearance of the day.
  • Closing remarks: NC Representative Holly Grange of Wilmington, a veteran and entrepreneur.

A startup pitch contest closed out the competition side. Josh Robertson of Ryker USA took the top prize for his FistGrip product, and Ed Hall of Petrics in Wilmington, a Navy veteran, finished second.

Why it mattered then

Roberts wrote that grants and donations from JP Morgan Chase & Co., MetLife, the Wege Foundation and Grant Thornton had put Bunker Labs in North Carolina on a path to sustainability in its second year. He also noted the competition: some 35 entrepreneur support organizations worked the Triangle. A sold-out room with a strong veteran turnout was proof that the program was reaching the people it was built for.

Looking back

That December, American Grit wrote up a Cigars and Sea Stories episode with Grunt Style’s Alarik, co-hosted by Michael. The work behind events like this one, putting veterans with business ideas in a room with investors, mentors and each other, fed straight into the 5 Paragraph Business Plan.

Read the recap on WRAL TechWire (archived)

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

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Dwayne Paro Podcast Episode 029: Michael Penney (2017)

On August 7, 2017, Dwayne Paro posted “Episode 029 Michael Penney” of his podcast. Paro is a veteran empowerment coach and writer. Earlier that year he had put Michael at #10 on his HuffPost list of veteran entrepreneurs to know in 2017. The interview runs about 35 minutes.

What the episode covered

The episode description gives one of the most complete versions of Michael’s service record from this period:

  • 3/7 Weapons Company: two deployments to Ramadi, Iraq, in 2005/2006 and 2007.
  • Quantico: he reenlisted during his second tour and transferred to Quantico as an instructor. He became a certified combat marksmanship coach, trainer and instructor trainer, a formal school instructor, a school-trained designated marksman and a foreign weapons instructor.
  • 1st Battalion, 5th Marines: a third combat tour, leading a section of advisors through Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan.

After two wars and eight years as an infantryman and weapons instructor, the notes say, “Michael left the Marine Corps as a Sergeant.” They describe him in 2017 as an entrepreneur and public speaker.

The rest of the notes cover what came next. He co-founded Cigars and Sea Stories in 2015, a podcast about veterans who are adding value to the world. In March 2016 he gave his TEDxRaleigh talk, “What’s Your IED.” And he was working as program director for Bunker Labs RDU:

Michael now supports fellow veterans seeking the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Episode 029 description

Why it mattered then

Paro’s audience was veterans working on their own next chapter. Michael was a useful guest for them because his path showed up in the record step by step. Infantry, instructor duty, advisor work overseas, a hard transition, then helping other veterans build businesses at Bunker Labs.

The episode also closed a loop. Paro had written about Michael from the outside in February. In August he had him on to tell the story himself. The HuffPost list had introduced Michael as a podcaster and marksman. This conversation filled in the rest: the Marine who trained other Marines, then went home to help veterans build businesses.

Looking back

A month later Bunker Labs RDU held its second annual Muster conference in Cary, North Carolina, during Michael’s time as program director. The notes from this episode remain one of the clearest public summaries of his service record.

Watch the episode on YouTube

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
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Veteran Resource Podcast #073: Michael Penney, Provide Value

On November 17, 2016, Jeremy Paris released episode 073 of the Veteran Resource Podcast, titled “Michael Penney – Provide Value.” Paris built the show to introduce veterans to the organizations that serve them, interviewing a different group each week about its mission and the veterans it works with. The episode runs about 45 minutes.

What the episode covered

The episode description opens with the project he was best known for at the time:

Michael J. Penney is the co-founder of Cigars and Sea Stories, a podcast devoted to sharing stories with veterans who are adding value to the world.

Veteran Resource Podcast #073 description

From there the notes lay out the rest of his story as it stood in late 2016:

  • Service: a former Sergeant who served eight years as an infantryman and weapons instructor, with three combat tours in two wars: Ramadi, Iraq (2005 and 2007) and Kajaki/Sangin, Afghanistan (2011).
  • Instructor work: he personally trained over 5,000 Marines and sailors in rifle and pistol combat marksmanship, foreign weapons, and precision weapons marksmanship and tactics.
  • The 5 Paragraph Business Plan: described as “an actionable approach to business.”
  • TEDxRaleigh: his March 2016 talk, “What’s Your IED,” presented as an effort to bridge the lives of veterans and civilians.

The notes also describe his new day job:

He currently works as program director for Bunker Labs RDU, calling upon his military experience to assess, train, advise, and assist veterans in business creation.

Veteran Resource Podcast #073 description

Why it mattered then

The Veteran Resource Podcast was a directory in audio form. Veterans listened to find out which groups could actually help them. Having Michael on as a program director at Bunker Labs RDU put a real door in front of listeners: a nonprofit that helped veterans start businesses, run by people who had made the same transition.

The phrase in the episode title, “provide value,” was the same idea behind Cigars and Sea Stories and his TEDx talk. It was the thread that tied his podcasting, his speaking and his Bunker Labs work together.

Looking back

Paris and Michael kept working together. In December 2017, American Grit wrote up a Cigars and Sea Stories episode with Grunt Style founder Daniel Alarik and described the show as “hosted by Marine veteran Michael Penney and Jeremy Paris.” The original audio file for this episode is no longer online, but the YouTube copy above is still up.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live

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Veteran On the Move #136: Cigars and Sea Stories (2016)

On October 24, 2016, Veteran On the Move released episode 136, “Cigars and Sea Stories with Marine Veteran Michael Penney.” The host was Joe Crane. His show had passed 100 episodes of interviews about the people, programs and resources that help veterans move into entrepreneurship. The episode runs about 51 minutes.

What the episode covered

The show notes introduce Michael as the founder and host of the Cigars and Sea Stories podcast. They also mark a new role:

Michael recently took over as the director of the Bunker in Raleigh Durham, NC.

Veteran On the Move #136 show notes

The notes describe Bunker Labs as a national 501(c)(3) built by military veteran entrepreneurs. At the time it had chapters in 12 cities and offered educational programs, mentors, events and local networks to help veterans start and grow businesses.

Most of the notes lay out Cigars and Sea Stories. They use the same operations-order format the show had used since early 2016:

  • The show: a place for veterans “to act out and speak their minds,” covering relevant topics, interviews with prominent veterans and war stories. Any Marine or FMF corpsman could be a guest, recorded in by Skype.
  • Intent: empower veterans to act as a whole by creating positive change, voting on issues that matter, raising awareness for worthy causes and speaking out against injustice.
  • Desired end state: “a network of veterans that can accomplish any task and, an America that can actually police itself.”
  • Execution: the team travels to veterans who are making a difference and records on site, so listeners get candid access to their insights and sea stories.

The notes also announce a release schedule: two episodes a week, every Tuesday and Thursday.

Why it mattered then

This episode came at a turning point. Through 2015 and early 2016, Michael was introduced mainly as a podcaster and a BloodStripes.com contributor. By the fall he was leading the Bunker in Raleigh-Durham. That put him on the program side of veteran entrepreneurship, helping other veterans build businesses in addition to telling their stories.

Veteran On the Move had a big audience among transitioning veterans. The show claimed more than 500,000 verified listens. That was a strong place to announce both projects.

Looking back

The Bunker role and the operations-order habit both fed the 5 Paragraph Business Plan, his O-SMEAC-based framework for planning a business. The intent behind Cigars and Sea Stories, veterans speaking up and acting together, still runs through his work today.

Listen to the episode on ListenNotes

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live

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Port City Daily: Bunker Labs Speaker at Wilmington Vet Event

On July 17, 2016, Port City Daily reporter Hilary Snow previewed an event for veterans starting businesses in Wilmington, North Carolina. It was set for Thursday, August 18, 2016, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Ironclad Brewery, 115 N. Second St., downtown. The featured guest speaker was Michael Penney of Bunker Labs RDU.

An upcoming entrepreneurial event will serve those who have served their country.

Hilary Snow, Port City Daily, July 2016

What was on the program

The host was Jim Roberts. He had led UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and was running the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington (NEW). The article laid out the program:

  • Short pitches from local veterans who had launched start-ups
  • A talk from guest speaker Michael Penney of Bunker Labs’ RDU branch
  • A panel on resources and opportunities for former service members, followed by networking

The panel included:

  • Dean Bundschu, executive director of Bunker Labs RDU
  • Stephen Clossick, who manages an angel investing group in the Triangle
  • Chris Kelly, former head of Durham’s First Flight Venture Center

Clare Pozek, a venture capital specialist and military spouse, was listed as moderator.

The event was free. Veterans and their spouses were welcome, and registration was encouraged because seating was limited. When the article ran, 55 seats were left.

Why it mattered then

Bunker Labs started as a Chicago-based national nonprofit that helps veterans use their military experience to start businesses. In 2016 it was expanding into the Triangle. Taking the RDU team down to Wilmington pushed that work past Raleigh-Durham to the coast.

Roberts told the paper the visit was especially relevant because Wilmington had a reputation for veteran-founded companies. The article named some of them:

  • Andrew Williams of Elite Innovations
  • Edward Hall of Petrics
  • Jeremy Tomlinson, co-creator of Port City Brew Bus

For a veteran in eastern North Carolina with a business idea, the evening put a local investor, a venture-center veteran and the Bunker Labs team in one room.

This archive entry is based on the advance coverage. We have not found a separate write-up of the event as it happened.

Looking back

Two months later, the Veteran On the Move podcast introduced Michael with the line “Michael recently took over as the director of the Bunker in Raleigh Durham, NC.” His work helping veterans plan and launch businesses grew into the 5 Paragraph Business Plan.

Read the preview on Port City Daily

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live