As a U.S. Army Combat Veteran of Iraqi Freedom, he served honorably for 9 yrs. & was a Non-Commissioned Officer before getting out of the Army in 2008. After leaving the Army, Jeremy went to school at Mid-Continent Univ. studying Bus. Mgt. & started a career in Oper. Mgt. in the Manufacturing & the Supply Chain Logistics Industry. As a man with an Entrepreneurial heart, he wanted to do more to support the Veteran community & founded in KY. the Veteran’s Club Inc in KY. & has assisted over thousands of Veterans in a multitude of ways such as their nationally recognized Equine Therapy Program, Career Transition for Vets needing employment, Family Outreach Program, & is currently developing the Camp Restoration Community to house & heal homeless veterans.
Veteran’s Club Inc also works heavily in veteran’s outreach in the community including raising money for Veteran causes & providing meals, job opportunities, & teaching leadership classes to homeless veterans throughout KY. I love this next part, Jeremy also goes into jails & substance abuse inpatient facilities to teach life skills classes in hopes that those who are in there have the tools needed upon release. Veteran’s Club INC was the 2019 Recipient of the Patriots Award for Veterans Service Organization. This is a national award given from the American Freedom Fund in Washington D.C. every year. Jeremy was also named one of 2020’s Louisville Business First’s 40 Under 40, and KY. veteran of the Year, and was commissioned a Ky. Colonel for the works he’s done for veterans in Ky. Jeremy is the Co-Chair for the Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville (VCAL). Jeremy also serves on the Week of Valor planning committee for Lou. Metro Govt. as well as the VA Mental Health Summit planning committee.
Outside of his organization, Jeremy travels with an organization called Mighty Oaks Warrior Program to help struggling veterans in weeklong retreats in CA, OH, TX, & VA. & was selected as a Community Influencer for the Mayor of Louisville’s Synergy Project bridging the gap between citizens & police. As if that was not enough of a commitment, Jeremy was selected to serve on the Governor’s Challenge Team to help develop a policy to combat SMVF-(which stands for Service Members, Veterans & their Families) suicides in KY. He is even a very active leader in his church SEast Christian in Louisville, & independent from his organization, Jeremy is often called upon by local & some national news affiliates when it comes to Veteran related topics not limited to PTSD, Homelessness, Suicide, Policy, Foreign Policy, and more! Jeremy is married to his lovely wife Erin, & they have 3 daughters named Brooklyn, Mattie & Lola & 1 son named Collin.
Having grown up in Texas, Jarrod played many organized sports all such as football, baseball, golf, track, & tennis. He then graduated from Meridian High School in Meridian, TX., & joined the US Navy obtaining an SSBI-(which stands for Single Scope Background Investigation, for a Top Secret Clearance-serving 4 years & did a combat tour in Iraq/Persian Gulf…not TOO shabby!
Jarrod then got out of the Navy & started attending McClennan Community College, while working as a Defense Contractor L-3 Communications, doing security. Part of duties included security for President George W. Bush when he would go to his Crawford, Texas Ranch. He even worked with Secret Service & Local law enforcement agencies.
He then transferred to the Univ. of North Texas, spending 2 semesters, before transferring to Tarleton State Univ., which is a part of the Texas A&M System, where he graduated in 2008, with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Political Science.
While at Tarleton he even joined the esteemed brotherhood of Sigma Chi International Fraternity AND served as Philanthropy Chair. Upon his 2008 graduation, he moved to Jacksonville, FL where he then re-enlisted in the United States Army. After numerous schools, he was finally stationed at Ft. Knox, KY in the Big Red 1, 3rd Combat Brigade.
Then he was deployed to Afghanistan, spent a yr. there at the Forward Operating Base Gardez high in the mountains on the border of Pakistan. Upon leaving the Army & returning home to Texas, he was employed as a bar manager in a local business.
Then in 2014, he moved to Louisville, working odd jobs, till he got hired on as a line cook at New Restaurant River House & Raw Bar, under the auspices of Chef John Varanese, a former MoxieTalk guest, where he moved through the ranks to Sous Chef within a few months, & stayed there for 2 years, when he left & started a mobile vending business first as a hot dog cart, then as a food trailer & finally Copper Kitchen Food Truck, also known as Copper Streatery. As of this taping he has been in operation for 3 years now & blessed with year over year growth!
As an entrepreneur, business owner, professor, and active community member, his story is one of survival, determination, & service.
In other words, MOXIE!
You see, Tran’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in March 1995. They came with very little, so he had to work hard. He did not know how to speak English when he arrived in 1995.
His personal goals have been and are to champion small business ownership and success by working to remove the obstacles that keep people from achieving the “American Dream”, which he was able to do despite all these challenges.
True to his commitment, he became a U.S. Citizen in 2000 and went on to earn a 2006 B.S. and 2009 M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Louisville, as well as a Doctorate of Philosophy from Sullivan University in 2017.
All the while, Di has founded 10 businesses all of which are still in operation. In addition to 18 years of experience as a computer programmer/engineer at a Fortune 50 company and serves as a faculty member at Sullivan University teaching Info. technology.
Di says many people helped him along the way, and he believes it is important to pay it forward. So, true to his word, he has found ways to help others achieve their full potential. In addition to teaching at Sullivan, he founded the Louisville Beauty Academy in 2016, which to date has graduated & helped over 250 people obtain good-paying jobs without ANY government support, an accomplishment for which he was named a 2019 Kentucky Colonel.
He now owns multiple nail salons and is the owner & proprietor of the Louisville Beauty Academy (LBA). Through these businesses, Di has sponsored people from across the world to come to Louisville, find employment, & earn American citizenship. He also serves as a part-time computer science professor at Sullivan University.
In 2018, Tran launched a technical college called the Louisville Institute of Technology & is a 2020 Mosaic Honoree.
Through the years, Tran has also mentored 20 individuals to open their own businesses & he continues to teach & mentor many more.
Tran currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Independent Business Association (LIBA) & the South Louisville LIBA Committee, is a Board member of BOTH the KY. Assoc. of Career Colleges – known as KACCS & the Vietnamese Comm. of Louisville, as well as Tri An-a $1.5Mil Vietnam War Monument Project. He is an active member of Greater Louisville Inc. and is on LHOME’s Community Advisory Committee representing the South End.
Di, and his lovely wife Vy, have 3 boys, and all reside in Louisville.
Join Kirt as he goes over the history of July 4th!