Growing up on a military base means living considerably differently than civilians. After all, you get accustomed to an extremely regimented lifestyle since that’s how the military functions. Moreover, people growing up on such bases have remarkably different childhood experiences than ordinary people because the military has its own way of doing things.

A quick glance at Eric Ranks won’t necessarily highlight his upbringing on a military base. However, he knows everything about the lifestyle. Born at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Eric spent a portion of his childhood on such bases because his father was a clinical and neurological psychologist in the Air Force. Naturally, this meant that he and his family would often move, never settling on one place for more than a few years.

Humans are creatures of comfort, preferring familiarity over change. Thus, it comes as no surprise that moving around often can be toiling for children. However, it also has its advantages. After all, the most successful people are those who thrive in unfamiliar situations. Such situations would cause most people to shirk away from them, but Eric Ranks has never been that sort. He’s cut from a different cloth.

Ever since he was a child, he embraced the uniqueness of his situation. He knew that his family would move around ever so often. Thus, he became more outgoing and started engaging with people often. Doing so allowed him to meet people from all backgrounds, contributing to his accepting nature. He began to understand that everyone is unique in their own way because they’ve been shaped by their upbringing, culture, and independent experiences. More importantly, his experience taught him to love and accept people regardless of their differences.

Today, Eric Ranks is a successful serial entrepreneur. In addition to being an acclaimed businessperson, he has also co-written two books, one being an international best-seller. His experiences have also prompted him to become a successful motivational speaker. However, his latest venture is entirely different. It’s not about profit maximization. Instead, it’s about giving back to his community.

An innate love for his community prompted him to start The Veterans Connection™, a non-profit organization, in 2012. Initially, the non-profit focused on helping veterans access their entitled benefits. But he was disheartened by the complexities of the process, often leading veterans to give up before receiving the support they deserved. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened his awareness of the rising suicide rates among veterans and first responders, so he refocused The Veterans Connection™ on mental health and suicide prevention for these groups.

In addition to having founded The Veterans Connection™, Eric Ranks is also the co-founder and CEO of 22 Salute™ Spirits and Coffee. It’s a social enterprise that supports veterans and first responders by donating a portion of the profits to The Veterans Connection™. Talking about the company’s contributions to veterans, he shared, “We offer a variety of coffee selections including a few South Texas Mesquite Smoked coffees roasted by a Navy Veteran in Texas, along with some highly premium, high altitude coffee blends and single origin varieties. Our Veteran-made Spirits come from a distillery in Maryland that is woman and Navy Veteran owned and was rated as the 7th best distillery in the U.S. by Travel & Leisure magazine in 2021.”

He further went on to say, “With every purchase of our products, 22 Salute™ donates a portion of its profits to The Veterans Connection™ to help support mental health and suicide prevention programs. Our vodka has been awarded five medals from 4 Global Spirits Competitions in its first eight months of production, including Gold and the highly esteemed Double Gold.” In addition to their vodka, 22 Salute™ is releasing their small batch, limited edition numbered bottles of 22 Salute™ Fig-Vanilla Bourbon ‘With a Purpose’™ which is bourbon whiskey infused with mission figs and Madagascar vanilla beans.

The best part about this venture is that Eric Ranks’ community is the people he grew up with and around, i.e. military personnel. His ambition and passion to honor the veterans and first responders who served our nation is something that sets him apart from his competitors!