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Facing a life-changing list of obstacles and challenges while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Scott Morath uses the toolkit of skills he gained during his time in military service in his leadership role today in the independent channel.
Morath’s military journey began when the Marines sparked his interest while he was searching for next steps after high school and learned his cousin had enlisted.
“The Marines sounded like a fun option, so I went to the recruiter and told him I wanted to enlist,” he says. “It was that simple.”
Morath served for eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, first as a rifleman at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he was deployed throughout the Mediterranean. While deployed, he participated in Operation Sharp Edge, a noncombatant evacuation of the American Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia, during the first Liberian civil war. Morath was then deployed to Operation Desert Shield and Storm in Saudi Arabia. Upon his return, he re-enlisted and was reclassified as a legal specialist in 1992, working in various roles for the staff judge advocate’s office stationed in Quantico, Virginia.
After his time in active duty, Morath worked for Headquarters Marine Corps for six years before moving back to Tampa, Florida. There, he found a marketing role at ALLPRO through a staffing agency. He was hired for the position and went back to school shortly after to earn a degree in marketing and communications. Today, Morath serves as ALLPRO’s vice president of marketing.
The variety of the independent channel is one of Morath’s favorite aspects of working in the industry.
“Everyone here at ALLPRO has a broad range of responsibilities,” he says. ”Plus, I don’t know if you’ve looked around this industry lately, but there’s a colorful cast of characters out there and this office is no different. It makes coming to work every day fun.”
Morath says the thick skin and “never say die” mindset he gained during his time in the military have brought him far in the independent channel.
“The independent channel is full of obstacles and challenges, and I think having that military mindset goes a long way in dealing with those,” he says.
Morath discovered a profound purpose during his time serving as a Marine. He carries that purpose into not only his current role at ALLPRO, but into his life.
“My favorite part about serving was when I found the most meaning or purpose,” he says. “We evacuated over 2,600 people in Monrovia during a bloody coup and later secured Iraqi positions as we pushed through Kuwait in the Gulf War. Moments like those are what we trained for and the ones I reminisce about the most.”
Morath believes a veteran’s motivation and ideology are qualities that equip them well for the independent channel.
“I believe we served because we are idealists at heart and wanted to contribute to the good fight,” he says. “I think that ideology is what makes veterans a good fit for the independent channel. Independents are out there every day believing in themselves and their team, fighting to make their community a better place for themselves, their families, and their employees.”
