Samuel Brown III, a native of Prince George’s County Maryland, is a proud alumnus of Tennessee State University where he received a B.S. in Aeronautical & Industrial Technology in 2006. After graduating from TSU, Sam commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and attended Combat Systems Officer training at Randolph AFB, Texas. After a year of flying training, he decided to pursue Aircraft Maintenance to gain more experience in the leadership and management of people. He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Operation Unified Response in Haiti, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2010, Sam became the youngest Senior Manager in the history of Boeing Commercial Airplanes while continuing to serve as an Air Force Reservist. During his time with Boeing Company, he helped to establish the 787 Dreamliner facility in Charleston South Carolina and led lean manufacturing practices that delivered the first 100 airplanes from Charleston. In 2016, Sam was recruited to lead the Custom Fabrication operation at TAIT, the world’s leading entertainment manufacturing company. He currently serves as the Vice President of Global Operations and is responsible for all Business Systems, Global Process Alignment, Fabrication, Production Support, Safety, Quality and Facilities functions for the company. In his personal life, Sam is the father of a 13-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. He is active in community outreach and educational enrichment for underrepresented youth. Lastly, Sam started his own production management consulting firm with active contracts that aim to assist businesses in achieving leaner operations that yield revenue and margin consistency. Sam also holds an M.S. degree in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas and is currently pursuing an EdD in Organizational Leadership.
SwagHer: How would you describe your Swagger? What makes Samuel, Samuel?
Sam: What makes Sam, Sam is my endurance and my desire to compete in spite of the obstacles I have faced. Since my youth, I’ve encountered my fair share of tragedy but I learned to focus on pursuing purpose versus folding or giving up. While my challenges have been unique in comparison to my peers, I’ve made no excuses for myself. With each situation life has presented I was blessed to acquire different skillset and master them, ultimately catapulting me to the next level of personal and professional success. My leadership and operations background was cultivated in the military and diversified with aerospace, manufacturing, and entertainment industry experience. I’m proud of where I am when compared to where I’ve been. I continue to push for bigger and better opportunities to grow beyond my wildest dreams. I’m not yet content with where I am and so I continue to dream, reminding myself that what I’ve been through is what makes me who I am.
SwagHer: Starting at the beginning of your career, what does it mean to be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant?
Sam: Commissioned officers are members of the armed forces who have an official commission (a formal document used by the President of the United States to appoint officers to armed service). Commissions are obtained by the successful completion of four year Service Academy, the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), or Officer Candidate School. Commissioned officers make up the top 20% of the US Armed Forces and 2nd Lieutenant is the first commissioned officer rank.
SwagHer: So you went from the Air Force to Boeing. Did you initially have a career plan in place?
Sam: Two of my favorite quotes are “plans are worthless, but planning is everything†and “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouthâ€. My takeaway was I need to be flexible despite what I thought my path or plan should be. When I was kid, I knew I wanted to fly aircraft, fix aircraft and build aircraft; that’s was as far as I made it in the planning phase. As a young officer, I attended or officiated a lot of retirement ceremonies and I’d often hear very similar storylines and about so-and-so doing such-and-such for 25 or 30 years, and know they were going to wherever to live out the remainder of their days. And my biggest take away from those ceremonies was I didn’t want my story to read anything like that. I wanted to do everything I wanted to do, so I’ve been doing that. If I’m honest, I’ve just been making it up as I go, but doing the best possible job I can and impacting as many lives as positively as possible along the way. My bucket list includes visiting elected offices and seeing space somehow. Stay tuned!
SwagHer: How did you begin working at TAIT and how did your previous experience fit into that situation?
Sam: I started working with Boeing as a Senior Manager at age 26. Despite having a significant title and being given significant responsibility, I could tell not much was expected from me. I pushed for extra assignments and responsibilities early to prove I had more to offer. Over the years, I was respected as one of the most knowledgeable and reliable leaders, but the accolades never translated to promotion opportunities, only lateral moves. I decided to take matters into my own hands by building my LinkedIn profile, employing professional resume services, and put myself on the market. I entertained offers from Koehler, HondaJet and Amazon, but decided to go with TAIT because of the opportunity to grow and influence the culture. My previous experience proved invaluable at TAIT as I had acquired skills at Boeing and the Air Force that were needed beyond my initial role to include but not limited to strategic planning, revenue growth, standardization, process alignment, lean manufacturing, talent development, proactive safety, quality, and budgeting.
SwagHer: While I’m sure you’re used to doing business overseas, what do you think is one thing many don’t consider but should before running global operations?
Sam: As Americans, we tend to exude a sense of pride and perspective that doesn’t necessarily jive with the rest of the world. Often times, there’s an arrogant stereotype that follows you even if you don’t express it outright. As a result, I think it’s important to familiarize yourself with the business practices, cultures, customs and courtesies associated with the lands you travel to. It’s important to do so out of respect as well as to avoid misappropriation; the world doesn’t always cater to our English-speaking star-spangled views. And when it does, it’s not because we are better and they are bowing, but more so to make up for our ignorance.
SwagHer: Please tell us more about your production consulting business.
Sam: I decided to start a business in 2018 as a creative outlet. It became clear that I could actually provide a service that was based on previous work experience. I’ve literally helped companies make or save millions of dollars. I figured with the help of some brilliant people in my network, we could create a firm that included their previous work experience and offer consulting solutions to smaller business entities that can’t afford the larger consulting firms the industry has to offer. Currently, we offer solutions-based services in strategy and execution. Our areas of expertise and specialization include lean manufacturing, leadership and talent development, process engineering, disruption conversion, graphic design, and software development. These services are targeted to help any business achieve waste-minimal operations driven by highly-functioning teams, yielding revenue and profit margin consistency.
SwagHer: Did you have a mentor or a positive male figure(s) growing up? If so, who were they and how did they impact your life?
Sam: I never had a formal mentor, but I did have role models that were accessible in and out of the classroom. These roles models were people like Mr. Paul-Elton bass, my 7th grade science teacher, Roosevelt Loveless (now an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel) my tutor and big brother in middle school, and Robert Jobe (now an Air Force Major), my summer enrichment counselor and friend. I was also inspired by classmates like Josef Robinson, Student Government Association President my sophomore year in college. Each of one these men showed me what professionalism mixed with confidence and understanding of purpose looked like in a black man. I also had amazing female role models who gave me their perspective on what a good black man should be and gave me advice on everything under the sun. Women like Captain Anna Morris (now an Air Force Colonel) who gave helped me with PSAT prep and rides to basketball and track practice and even helped me out as a young officer navigating my first years in the Air Force.
SwagHer: How do you practice self-care?
Sam: Prior to COVID-19, I was traveling domestically and aboard regularly which meant irregular sleep patterns, irregular eating habits, disorganization and a lot of time in the air. I’ve been pretty well disciplined. My work habits and schedule have decided to set the same schedule and discipline for working outside of work. Wherever possible, I’d keep organized to keep stress down. I would see a personal trainer at least twice a week (with a max goal of four sessions) to push me through HIIT routines and weightlifting. I told them I wanted to look good naked and still appear so though I could fight even if my skills have diminished over the years lol. And when it comes to rest, I push to for a minimum of seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. When traveling, I’d be sure to book hotels that had gyms. Or gyms near by that I could utilize. I also booked hotels with kitchenettes so I could limit the amount of fast food or eating out. As you can imagine, being on the road does include long night(s) of drinking so I’d opt for drinks that wouldn’t tax my waistline as much (gin, tequila and wine). I’d also keep in mind that my immune system would need to be best overseas, so I’d push to keep a good vitamin-C regiment and maintain solid alkalinity to ensure I’d be as healthy as possible while on the road. And most importantly, I’d take anywhere from an hour to a day to explore the place I was visiting. Whether that was sightseeing, walking historic neighborhoods or etc, I always planned for a self-paced opportunity to unwind or relax and get outside. And while at home, I try to block out at least two hours a day for just myself. I live with my 3-year old son so when he goes down, I use those last few hours of the day to read a book, catch up on articles in subjects that interest me, catch up with friends or family, or just rest before sleeping.
SwagHer: What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share with young black men that you wish someone had shared with you?
Sam: Bootstrapping doesn’t work for everyone. In fact, you’re not responsible for navigating a system you were never meant to benefit from. From time to time you will need assistance with navigating your own path to purpose. Never be afraid to ask for help, but rather fear the effect of suffering in silence. And by help, I mean building a diverse network along the way. And, if you ever become the smartest friend in your circle, it’s time to start a new circle.
SwagHer: Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you care to share?
Sam: Our upcoming events and projects are certainly confidential, but I can share some of our past project: Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z 4:44 Tour, Taylor Swift’s tour Redemption, Queen & Adam Lambert, Bruno Mars, Pink, Future, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Elton John’s Farewell Tour, Shawn Mendes and many more etcs. We have some pretty cool things coming to a few amusement parks and cruise lines.
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