People First - Mission Always: Leadership Lessons for Modern GovCon

Speaker A: Welcome to govcom Unfiltered, where your journey through the labyrinth of federal contracting begins. I'm Alexa Choi, your guide and host on this epic adventure. Here, we dive deep, uh, into the heart of government contracting, shedding light on the heroic tales of those who navigate its complex terrain. Our mission, to bring you closer to the action, revealing the critical steps, triumphant victories, and occasional pitfalls that our intrepid adventures face. Your journey into the world of government contracting starts now, and we could not be happier to have you with us. Let's embark on this adventure together.

Speaker B: Thank you for joining us on UM Gov. Come Unfiltered Today. Our guest is Joe, and I'm going to let him tell you about himself. Very excited for this conversation. Joe, tell us about yourself.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Hey, thanks so much, Alexa. I really appreciate you doing this. You've been such an important voice for our industry, so it's truly an honor to spend a little bit of time with you today. My background, I'm the CEO, founder of Iron Arch Technology, but before that, I was a U.S. uh, Marine officer and served in Iraq.

Speaker B: Oh, wow. This is going to be an interesting conversation.

Speaker C: I hope so. I hope so.

Speaker B: Great. Well, let's dive right in then we'll hop to question number one. So many people know you probably from your background, your military background, but what's a pivotal moment from your early career that shaped who you are today? Maybe something that's not in your official bio.

Speaker C: Yeah. Thanks, Alexa. So, really, for me, two things come to mind. One is when I was in sixth grade, I wanted those Air Jordans just like everyone wanted them back in the day. I love Air Jordans. I have, like, yep, my kids have them now, still popular. But I'd asked my parents, I said, hey, I want to get a pair of Air Jordans. You know, give me some money. And they said, if, uh, you want a pair of Air Jordans, you need to go get a job. So in sixth grade, Alexa, I actually went out, got a paper out, and I woke up every morning at 5am and went out and delivered the paper around my neighborhood, in adjacent neighborhoods. And this was back when you actually had to, uh, walk the paper up to the doorstep, put it behind the storm door. It wasn't the days where you just threw it, you know, in the driveway. But in doing so, Alexa, it taught me that, you know, when you get up and you work hard and you do the extras, you deliver excellence by making sure the paper's protected. I'd get extra tips, you know, come December. And so that mindset and that work ethic really has stuck with me. I ended up working you know, during high school, obviously throughout college and things like that. But that, that really played a real, a pivotal moment for me back when I was just in grade school. And then obviously the second thing, and it is in my bio, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it, is joining the Marine Corps. And so Alexa, I ended up signing up and I'm always very careful to say this, I signed up before 9 11. So I signed up for the Marine Corps in the spring of 2001, did my thing that summer, trained 911 happened and I was the first class called Officer Candidate School, otherwise known as OCS that showed up after 9 11. And Alexa they were thinking, you know, we're not going to get everyone to uh, showing up. And in fact everyone that was supposed to showed up, showed up and we went through our training. But my vintage, that group all basically went through ocs, the basic school which all Marine officers go through your specialty training and right to Iraq. So imagine you just get out of college, you go through training and next thing you know I'm in Basra, Iraq, in southern Iraq. And I was in the combat arms field. So I went everywhere from Basra to Baghdad. And I can talk a little bit if you want. Talk a little bit about that experience and that huh, how that's informed what we're doing here at Iron Architect.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, I can't wait to hear it. I think some of our questions are going to get into a little bit about that, but that's incredible. Let me go back to the first part where you said that you took on a paper route in the sixth grade. And I'm wondering, do any, do your kids, did you like carry down this work ethic to your children or do they all have paper routes and started businesses and they're like tick tock millionaires at the age of like 12 or something.

Speaker C: They're not on TikTok, um, but they do work. So I have a 15 year old, 13 year old and a 9 year old and well I'd say the two older ones would tell you the youngest ones doesn't do work but they do chores around the house. But they babysit, they set up lemonade stands and so I really encourage them. And uh, even when it comes to academics and sports, hard work pays. I mean if you want to be elite, if you want to be the best, you got to work harder than the person to your left and your right. And so you know they have to earn their money if they want stuff. And so I am proud of them. They work hard, both, both in school or on the sports field. And then, you know, when they're doing out doing their lemonade stands and babysitting and things like that. So I'm really proud of them.

Speaker B: I love that. I just love to see, like, the kind of the theme passed down to generation after generation. Do you think that they will also join the military?

Speaker C: Alexa? That's a really good question. I don't know. I, of course, would be thrilled if they wanted to join the military, but just like my father was in the military, he didn't pressure me to join the military. In fact, I was going to go the consulting route out of, out of college. Maybe it was reverse psychology he was using, but. But he did tell me to join and I signed up. It's something I'm really proud of.

Speaker B: That's funny. My father was a Marine. My younger brother was a Marine, my older brother was a Marine. So I think I come from a family of Marines. So. Semper fi Simper.

Speaker C: Semper fi. And the 250th birthday is coming up on November 10th.

Speaker B: That's exciting. Yeah. Wow. 250 years. Just. It's unbelievable how time works. So, second question. When you think about your network, what's been the most effective approach, not just for building connection, but turning them into meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships? So, you know, the Marine Corps is known for a lot of things, but I don't think, like, their, their networking training is one of them. So it's one of the skill you had to, like, develop along the way. So, you know, what, what did you, how did you do it?

Speaker C: You clearly know the Marine Corps. So, yes, we were not taught networking skills. We were taught some other skills. But the, I think, you know, for me, Alexa, what really worked is I just put myself out there. So when I got started, I mentioned I was a combat arms role, so we weren't surrounded by, you know, contractors. And, and I do want to talk a little bit about, you know, how my experience in Iraq informed what I do today. But what was really important to me was just learning as much as I could. And so I went to everything. I mean, I was out almost every evening. If there was an industry event, I wanted to be there, I wanted to learn. And I really took time to get to know people, people to understand how this community works. And I think you're, you're a great example of how the community works. And so I would go out But I think really, like, two things come to mind. That how I built really good relationships was one, we have two ears, one mouth. Right. So active listening, really spending time and asking people questions about themselves. Tell me about your journey. Tell me about your family. Tell me about, how did you get into this industry? But really taking the time to listen. And I think the second thing is accountability. Follow up and follow through. So if you say, hey, let's get a coffee, we'll actually schedule the coffee. And I know there's a lot of people that say they're going to do things and they don't do them. And I've met some of those folks and. But, uh, then there's people that actually do what they say they're going to do. Even senior executives that I know that say, hey, I'm going to do X, Y and Z for you, and they go out and do it. Well, that builds trust, and partnerships are built on trust. And so it's really important to put yourself out there. And I remember Alexa many times driving to events, stuck in traffic, probably on 66, being like, why am I doing this? And something always good came from it. So I would say, put yourself out there, leave no stone unturned, and listen and follow up and follow through. I think that's what's made. And I consider myself very fortunate to have an awesome network of people in this industry.

Speaker B: Yeah, these are all excellent points. They kind of align with my. Mine as well. I think the follow through one is, I don't know, since COVID maybe I'm crazy, but I feel like just getting out of the house and getting dressed and looking like a normal person. This is my Friday vibe. Right. But, like, yesterday I had to go to an event looking like a, uh, adult. And it's just like, seems like a lot harder. So someone's like, hey, you want to grab coffee? It's like, then it's like all the time and effort and energy. But you're absolutely right. That part, the biggest part of the battle, is showing up and then following through. So that was. That's actually really great advice. So, I mean, you kind of also tossed me a softball when you said that you wanted to talk about how your time in the military has really informed what you're doing today. So that wasn't on a list of questions, but I would love for you to tackle that one.

Speaker C: Well, thanks. And I'll say, Alexa, if you ever want to show up to coffee with me in a hoodie, you don't have to get dressed up. That's perfectly okay.

Speaker B: So a coffee is much more likely now. Yeah.

Speaker C: Uh, but yeah, so. So I mentioned earlier in our conversation, Alexa, that, you know, I basically went from college to Iraq. And so I was on the front lines. I went from everywhere from Basra to Baghdad, Diwaniya, uh, Al Kut, Azafaraniya, all, you know, all over Iraq. And unfortunately, through, through that experience, I lost some really dear friends and ended up being a pallbearer. So you're in your, you know, early 20s, your friends are being killed. I was at a funeral in Rockville center, which is in, on Long island, heading back to the city to, when I got a call about a guy that I actually played high school across with who happened to be in my unit. We had deployed together the first time he was killed. So this was this period of time where people were getting killed every day. And it was really difficult for me, but I got in it. Uh, but it really informed who I am today and why I'm in this industry. Because I was intentional with wanting to get into this industry because I, I wanted to make sure our men and women in uniform, you know, were never in a fair fight. Those in harm's way, those getting ready to go into harm's way, those training to go into harm's way, those returning from harm's way. And that really, that drives me every day because I want to make a difference. And we now work in the Department of Veterans affairs, so this same mission mindset applies to veterans and their caregivers. And so it is. And I think my experience, at least serving in the Marine Corps and serving in combat, I'm able to tell our non veteran employees why they are making a difference, how and why they're making a difference by the work that they do. And, um, because people need purpose, mastery and autonomy and purpose is so important. So, you know, it's not just, hey, go code this application. It's, hey, this application is going to improve the lives of veterans. I think most people can get behind that and it's really energizing. And, um, we've worked really hard to ingrain that mindset and make it part of the Iron Arch DNA, that mission focused mindset and that make a difference mindset. And so I just share that because it was something that absolutely helped me become who I am and helped me start this business and get involved in our industry.

Speaker B: Wow. Uh, yeah. No, that was incredible. I think I want you to repeat that one more time. You said mission mastery and autonomy.

Speaker C: Purpose, mastery and autonomy.

Speaker B: Purpose, mastery, autonomy. I Love that. That's incredible. Thank you for sharing that. And I was going to say that I think if you come from a family of military or if you were related in any way to folks that are serving, you're kind of tied into the DoD in a way that if somebody hasn't, they might not be. And then on the other side of DA DoD is the DHA and the VA and, you know, those missions are just super critical. And, um, glad to see that you're there doing the great work that's there. And I feel like right now, in this time of innovation and change and some of the upcoming questions, we're going to talk a little bit about innovation and change. The way that we serve the veterans is even going to get better and better.

Speaker C: You're right. We're in a moment of time to make a real difference. So I totally agree with you, Alexa. It's a privilege to be in this industry.

Speaker B: I think that every day myself. It's so funny. People have so many bad things to say about this industry. And listen, 2025, a little bit of a dumpster fire. I get it. But it is an honor to serve the American people in the way. That's right. Right.

Speaker C: That's right. And you shouldn't be in the industry if that's not your mindset.

Speaker B: That's what I think. All right, next question. Could you share a recent example of how you helped somebody succeed and what unexpected benefits came back to you from that?

Speaker C: Yeah, it's a great. It's a great question. And I'll just talk broadly, Alexa, because I've been really fortunate to have some success in this industry. And so veterans reach out to me all the time. And I take. They'll hit me on LinkedIn or they'll get my phone number and they'll shoot me a text, shoot me an email. And I always respond to veterans that are seeking help. They're interested. I've had several that have been going through an MBA program. They're using the GI Bill, and they want to get into our industry or they're looking to buy a business in our industry. And so I always take those call calls, Alexa, and I never, Honestly, I don't expect anything in return. I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do. And there are so many veteran entrepreneurs, you know, many of them, Alexa, that have paved the way for people like me. And so it's my turn to pay it forward. But most importantly, I believe in veterans helping veterans. And so, uh, you take these calls, you Spend time with people not looking for anything in return, but giving back. And I just think it's the right thing to do. And so. And even in my company, though, Alexa. Ah. If someone comes to me and says, hey, I've got this great opportunity, I tell them, if this is in the best interest, interest of you and your family, you should take it.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And I think again, I'll, uh, just say it comes back to the Marine Corps. One of the Marine Corps leadership principles is know your Marines and look out for their welfare. Well, I always say, know your colleagues and look out for their welfare. So if you know your colleagues and you're looking out for their welfare and this is the best opportunity for them, tell them that. And we've had people that have departed and come back. We've had people that have departed, and I stay in touch with them. I truly want what's in their best interest. And by the way, if you take care of your colleagues, they'll take care of the customer. The customer will take care of you. So not only is it a Marine Corps principal, it's just the right thing to do.

Speaker B: Right, Right. Right. I have to say that you've scooped up some amazing talent. Uh, the word must be out there. And that's how we ended up on this call. So congrats to that. And this little bit like that, right? Like, one person tells one person, and it's a small industry, Everybody talks. So if you have a bad company culture, if you don't look out for your people, that becomes known, and it's hard to back out of that. So it's great that on, um, the flip side of that, like, the good news side of that is companies that are doing a good job, that constantly care and overshoot the expectations, when it's taking care of people and families, that becomes known. And I think that your company is one that I've started to hear more and more about. So that's good news.

Speaker C: And I would add, Alexa, we've been really fortunate to, uh, with some of the talent that has joined us and that started with us. I mean, we still have. I still have colleagues that have been here from day one. But, like, the success isn't. It's not about me. It's team. It's your team.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker C: It's in. That applies to anything in life, whether you're in the military, your family. I mean, it's about the unit, it's about the team. And you gotta have a great team to be successful. It's not. It's certainly not about me? It's about them.

Speaker B: Yeah. How long have you guys been in business?

Speaker C: 12 years.

Speaker B: 12 years. Oh, wow. That's like the perfect time. It's like you kind of know what you're doing. Got your vehicles lined up, you got kind of the right talent. And then it's like, okay, well, it's amazing.

Speaker C: I mean, you mentioned this earlier when we were talking about the 250th time flies. I mean, I feel like I started Iron Arch yesterday. And, you know, you look back and it's 12 years later now when I go on my iPhone and I look at pictures of myself, I can certainly see. Could see me aging, but it does. Time flies. And I've learned so much. It's been a journey, and I just feel really blessed and fortunate to, you know, be a part of this industry and just be surrounded by great people.

Speaker B: Awesome. So this is an off the list question.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker B: So if you think about it off the top of your head, 12 years, what was your favorite time? Like, what was your favorite memory of the last 12 years in the business?

Speaker C: That's a good question, I think, Alexa, for me, we just. Our first contract. I mean, that's when we got our start. We got our start as a subcontractor. We didn't have any work. I was running around and through a great relationship. Started in Army Cloud, and that was before Cloud was cool in government. And so, I mean, that. That's really. That was the start of our company. I mean, that got us started. And so from there, we've just. We've grown both in the DoD and we've grown within Veterans affairs, and we've added new capabilities, new people. And so, yeah, I'd go back to, you know, that first contract I remember getting, and they were still sending, like, hard checks back then.

Speaker B: You got your first.

Speaker C: Yes, it was the Horse and Buggy era. Uh, Alexa.

Speaker B: Horse and buggy. Right. Oh, my goodness. Hysterical. Well, I do appreciate that kind of sentiment from, you know, the first one of it. Right. You probably still know the company name that gave it to you, the customer. Like, you remember that all very clearly, and it's it. So I was just gonna say that, you know, the way that I try to pay it forward is I want to be that memory for people. Right. Like, I want to be the best boss they've ever had. I want to be the person that opens the door or takes a chance or. Or does things differently, you know? And so I. I think that probably inspired you also to, if you could help another company, you Will.

Speaker C: Absolutely. I love that about you, Alexa. That's. Yeah, same thing. Pay it forward.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. All right, so next question. What was a risk you took that seemed crazy at the time, but fundamentally changed your trajectory? And how did you build the confidence to take that leap? Earlier you said, I just put myself out there. But the thing is, not everybody's that brave. So talk to us a little bit about a, uh, risk that you took and what gave you that confidence to know that you could do it?

Speaker C: Well, I will say I've always been a little bit of a risk taker. I did do the run. I did do the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. So my. Yes, I did. I'm not sure. Yeah, I did.

Speaker B: I felt a little bit of a risk taker. That's like saying you jumped out of an airplane and like, air glided across the pyramids or something.

Speaker C: I did that in. Yeah, Pamplona, Spain, summer of 2001. Maybe I don't make the best decisions. My parents were not thrilled, so I don't think that changed my trajectory. But I will say I did do the running of the bulls for. Look, starting a company is a big risk, right? But my mindset, again, goes back to mission, focus, make a difference, make impact for our war fighters, for our veterans, their caregivers. And so it was a no brainer to get into this industry. One of the things we did recently is we teamed up with another company called Ad Hoc, to form a joint venture, Peregrine Digital Services. And we went after something called Spruce, which is a, uh, VA Department of Veterans affairs idiq. And we won that idiq, and we won a bunch of really impactful work at the va. And so I was intentional with wanting to do what I would call tip of the spear work, which digital services is. And so this is work that's helping schedule appointments for veterans, helping them transition from DoD to VA, helping automate some of the disability benefits. All high impact work that matters a lot. And so that was a big risk to want to get into a community that I wasn't super familiar with. We made some really key hires before we had the work right. So that's an investment. You never know if it's going to pay off. I had confidence that it would. I knew this was the right decision. I knew that this type of work was not going away. It was something, you know, I could certainly, you know, as a veteran, it's personal to me. We've got over 40% of our employees, Alexa, when you count employees and military spouses over 40% are veterans. So this is something. This is. Yeah, it's a huge deal to us. And so this type of work is personal to me and many others. And so we went after it, we took a risk, and it's really paid off. And now we're doing tip of the spear work. Take care of our veterans and their caregivers. It's really awesome.

Speaker B: That's great. And, you know, I have to go back to the beginning part of this, so starting a joint venture, I feel like, is a risk as well. I. When I was working in my previous companies, one of my. One of those, I did start a joint venture with a larger business, and it was at the early part of the JV program, the 8Amentor, protege JV program.

Speaker C: Okay, sure.

Speaker B: And it was, uh, an experience, let's just put it that way. And I think, you know, it. It doesn't always go the way that you think it's going to go. It sounds like it went really great for you. You know, you picked the right partner, you hired the right people, you chase the right deals to get the work to accomplish. You know, it's kind of like all the things fell into place and worked out, but there's a million stories out there of one of those pieces not working out as planned, and it's not as great of a story. So congrats.

Speaker C: Well, thank. Thanks so much. Yeah. And it's all. Look, it's built on trust, it's built on transparency. It's being direct, and it's being able to have, you know, difficult conversations. And so I always say, clear is kind, unclear is unkind. So be clear. That's the kind thing to do. And so if you're able to have that with your, you know, your business partners and frankly, your colleagues, that builds trust and that builds accountability and that builds a good working relationship.

Speaker B: Right, right. Ad hoc does a good job as well.

Speaker C: Yeah. Uh, they've done a great job.

Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. Cool. Let's jump to the next question. Looking ahead the next few years, what emerging opportunities? And listen, if you don't say AI, I'll be really happy with the answer, whatever it is. If it doesn't include AI, what emerging opportunities do you see that others might be overlooking? And how can people position themselves to take advantage of it?

Speaker C: Well, I think, Alexa. Yes. I won't say that buzzword, but what I can speak in just more, maybe more broad terms is that this has been a year of change. Right. I think we can all. I think we can all acknowledge that Kind way of putting it and the change. But we're driving towards speed and outcomes. And so that's a good thing for our industry. That's a good thing for American citizens. That's a good thing for war fighters, veterans and caregivers. And so I think, you know, as I've talked to other executives, there are. There's two groups of people. There's people that are talking about the past, talking about the good old days, and then there's people like myself that say, you got to move forward, adapt and overcome. The industry is changing. And so it's just like, look in combat, Alexa, we're in Iraq. I remember going to a city and they're like, we're going to stay here for three weeks. The battalion commander is going to be the mayor of the city. And then literally six hours later, like, we're going to Baghdad. Everyone jump on your vehicles. And so, like, you know, you've got to be able to overcome and adapt, right? And it's a little easier in combat. You take orders and you go. But I think, you know, we as industry need to understand that things have changed. And so get focused on speed, get focused on outcomes, get focused on impacts, if you can do that. I think there's huge opportunity to make a. It's a moment in time. It's an opportunity to make a real difference.

Speaker B: Yeah, I never really saw myself talking about Game of Thrones as much as 2025, because there's one quote in there by Peter Littlefinger, and he says that chaos is a ladder. And it had never really made that much sense to me until 2025 came about. And then I was like, wow, I can really see what he was saying. Chaos is a ladder. And this is the time, right? Because the old Monopoly board got cold out and throw in the trash. And there's a new Monopoly board, but people don't know what it is yet. Right? The OTAs and CSOs and, um, far adjacent procurements and then the rewriting of the FAR itself. And like, all of these things that are kind of like, happening. Right. People are really tied up in the politics of it all, rather than like the outcomes of it all. Right, that's right. Left, right, who cares? Let's move forward. And the. Some of the things that are happening needed to happen regardless of your politics, like the ability to move innovation forward at the speed that we need it to stay relevant in the world kind of conversations. It just had to happen.

Speaker C: Well, our adversaries are moving faster than we are in some instances. And so we literally have no choice but to do this. I mean, we've got to move a lot faster, right? And so you're right. It's just something that needed to happen. It's been challenging. There's a lot of uncertainty. It's hard on people. I don't lose sight of that. But adapt and overcome. We gotta move forward.

Speaker B: Adapt and overcome. I like that. Is that a Marine Corps term? Adapt and overcome?

Speaker C: Yeah, sure, probably.

Speaker B: I love that. I think it's great. What final thoughts would you want to leave? Kind of like the industry with, you know, going into 20 FY26 that, you know, kind of just started. I was at a. An event last night and everybody was kind of like, what do you think, Alexa? What are you seeing in your crystal ball? And I'm like, oh, I wish I had a good answer because. Because there's a lot of murkiness and unknown. Uh, but what would you say?

Speaker C: I think, Alexa, it's a really good question. Probably some continued chaos. You know, I don't see that. You look at the politics that the world we live in, the, um, shutdown that we're going through right now, I think that. I think some of that continues. But my thoughts for industry is you have to wake up knowing it's an honor and a privilege to serve in this industry. And you have to think of, like, the impact you're making and try to, like, filter out all the noise, right? So you can get caught up. You can do doom scrolling. It's easy to. It's easy to do that. You can watch the news, you can get spun up. But I think if we stay focused on what. What's most important, and that's the American people that we're serving, you can kind of move through that. And yeah, I mean, so I try to stay out of. You know, it sounds like similar to you, Alexa, where it's like, hey, um, you know, we're just. We got to move forward. We got to be focused on, you know, taking care of the American people. So whether there's chaos, uncertainty, challenge, there's going to be all of that. And that's happening around the world. And so, you know, I look at it as, what can we do m my company, our partners, this ecosystem to make a difference. And so I'm optimistic. I'm optimistic and. But maybe we do this again in a year. And you tell me, Joe, you were wrong. You said it was going to be all good. I. But I'm optimistic, Alexa. I'm excited for. I'm excited for the future, and I'm excited to continue making a difference.

Speaker B: Awesome. Uh, I love it. Well, I have a previous boss that said that the truth is always in the middle. So when she told me that, I was like, wow, that's kind of sad and kind of true. But it was great advice to kind of remember. But I love your optimism, and I feel like optimism, hope, all of those things kind of give you the fuel that you need to make it through the times that are kind of dark. But, you know, there, like I said, there's so many exciting things also happening with the different innovations and opportunities and things that this will be a year that we've never seen before. Even, like, for example, the GSA one Gov. Right, Pulling all the procurements into gsa. Right from the outside, like, that looks straight crazy. Uh, especially after letting go of so many GSA folks, like, how is this going to work? But. But, you know, just moving the procurement process forward to a way that makes more sense. Like, I think all of us are behind that.

Speaker C: Yeah, no, I mean, we have to be. And I know they're looking at, you know, reforms around acquisition, protest, all kinds of things to, you know, speed up some of the procurements. And so I'm excited for, you know, what's to come and, you know, acknowledge that it. There's a lot of uncertainty and there's a lot of challenge, but there's also plenty of opportunity. And so you just gotta keep your head up, keep grinding, and keep moving forward.

Speaker B: Forward.

Speaker C: I mean, Alexa, I think you were a great example of that. I remember when you were sick and you put yourself out there and, you know, you inspired a lot of people. And I think, you know, by being vulnerable, by putting yourself out there and look at you today. And so I think you're a great inspiration, you know, for all of us. And so we in this ecosystem need to inspire the others that are, you know, going through difficult times. And so that's why I just say we got to move forward. We got to adapt and overcome. And I. I think everything works out in the end.

Speaker B: I appreciate you saying that, and thank you for mentioning my own journey. Today was the first time I was able to put my hair in a ponytail since I love it. Like, literally, my boyfriend was like, you put your hair up. I was like, I know.

Speaker C: You look great. You look great.

Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. But no, thank you for saying that, and thank you for being such a ray of sunshine and positivity. I don't think Marines are known for that either. So, you know, it's been a great conversation. And yeah, thank you for tuning in to Govcom unfiltered. We'll catch you on the next episode. And for today, Joe, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Speaker C: Thanks so much. Alexa.