Serving our country in uniform is one of the greatest honors and a tradition that runs throughout the Daly family (my father who was a Korean War Veteran, a brother and son have all served in the Army), so it was a natural choice for me to enlist in the Army as an Infantryman, serving tours both stateside and overseas in Gelnhausen, Germany.
Coming back, and soon with a family, we settled near Moorhead, MN, where I taught Social Studies for many years in their public schools, before focusing on a new career path, learning everything about logistics, particularly freight and small parcel.
When in 2008 the markets crashed, it changed the lives of many Americans permanently, including mine.
The freight industry was caught up in the turmoil and I lost my position as a logistics consultant.
But as the old saying goes: “If one door closes, another one will open” and I decided to start my own company, ‘DalyWorks’ in 2009, working for Unishippers as an independent consultant.
Once again, I drew on skillsets developed while on active duty and this foundation, along with the amazing Veteran Business Community, proved invaluable at this time. I found great resources, classes to participate and mentors who were always willing to give a helping hand when I had questions. While I was a certified SDVOSB by November 2009, it took several more years before DalyWorks first proposal was accepted, doing courier work for the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi, MS.
Whenever I received an unsuccessful offer letter, I would think of a book written by my CO in Airborne School called “Charlie Mike”; which means Continue Mission, and so I did. Each time I made sure to ask for a debrief, so I knew what needed improvement and learned a great deal through failure.
Today, DalyWorks is proud to currently serve 18 VA Facilities, doing courier work for their hospitals and the Community-based outpatient clinics (CBOC’s).
There is nothing more rewarding than to visit a VA we service and look at all the wonderfully diverse people who served our country, knowing, in a small way, DalyWorks helps to take care of our Veterans.
Sean Daly
