Episode 20: George Hodgin - Founder and CEO of Biopharmaceutical Research Company, Stanford MBA, Retired Navy SEAL

Today’s guest is George Hodgin. George is currently the founder and CEO of Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC). BRC was founded to address the needs of America's scientific community for diverse types of research quality and federally compliant cannabis and to provide USDA-compliant hemp testing. Cannabis is still illegal under federal law, meaning organizations like universities, biotech, and pharma companies can’t conduct research or clinical trials on the potential medical benefits and detriments of cannabis like they can with other drugs. BRC is working to solve this issue. Prior to founding BRC while getting his MBA at Stanford, George served as a Navy SEAL officer for a little over 6 years where he was responsible for (among other duties) leading a team of 24 Navy SEALs conducting counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations across five countries in Asia and the Middle East. In this interview, we get into where he grew up and the inspiration for joining the military, his decision to want to become a SEAL and preparation for SEAL training, what it was like to adjust to life outside the teams, and finally his company BRC.

Timestamps

00:03:43 Intro and where he grew up

00:05:16 Doing hard things to serve others

00:08:49 Why he decided to go to college before attending SEAL training

00:13:43 What sparked his interest in joining the military

00:15:06 Going to UNC

00:19:55 Only person in his ROTC class interested in becoming a SEAL

00:23:56 Going to BUD/S as an officer

00:27:56 How being a SEAL changed his perspective on life

00:31:46 Inspiration to start BRC and company overview

00:36:30 What the company is doing now

00:38:09 Fundraising

00:39:18 Biggest roadblocks facing the company

00:40:35 Ultimate vision for BRC

00:41:57 His driving force

00:43:06 Advice for people looking to find their purpose