Red Oxx: A Military Career Builds an Entrepreneur

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I’m a big fan of Red Oxx bags manufactured in Billings, MT. I chatted with Jim Markel, the CEO, about how he and his father built Red Oxx, the importance of giving back, Jim’s lessons from the U.S. Marines and the luggage business.

In this episode of the Stratfor podcast, Fred Burton speaks to his old friend Jim Markel, the CEO of Redoxx. Redoxx is based in Billings, Montana and builds and sells unique bags for railroad workers, business and adventure travelers as well as everyday bags for families. Markel started life on the drop zones of various military bases. He joined the Marines very young, and when he finished, after a failed attempt at college, he tried his hand at making military-grade products for civilians. He settled in Billings, Montana, and built a company and helped revive a town. Along his journey, he took to heart the ideas that business is built from the bootstraps up, and that no success comes without service. So he spends parts of every year abroad, helping communities where he can be of service, and returning to the town that he loves.