Serving Customers And Country

Chamber Member, Veteran Goes Back to Work

Major General Robert Livingston is back running his electrical contracting company after serving 13 months in Afghanistan.
Photo: Bill Barley; inset provided by Robert Livingston

When he was deployed to Afghanistan, business owner and veteran Robert Livingston left behind the world of invoices, payroll, and customer service to focus on a bigger mission.

“I had troops in combat, and this business was the furthest thing from my mind at that point,” says Livingston, a major general who oversaw 9,000 military personnel as part of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VI, based in Kabul from April 2007 to May 2008. The task force was primarily responsible for training and mentoring the Afghan army and national police force.

But as president and CEO of Gregory Electric Company in Columbia, South Carolina, Livingston is also among the more than 55,000 self-employed or small business owners who simultaneously serve their country while running their businesses.

As a 31-year veteran of the National Guard, Livingston has been called away from his business for extended periods on several occasions. From 2004 to 2005, he commanded a task force of about 8,000 personnel in a mission to supplement security at army posts and air bases.

While in Afghanistan, Livingston turned to his vast support network to run his business while he was gone. He turned over the day-to-day operation to his three senior vice presidents. Livingston’s dad, a small business owner as well, took over Livingston’s chairman duties, providing financial oversight and settling any disputes that came up.

Livingston also had the support of his 350 employees, including his fellow Reserve and National Guard employees. “They know the value of what we’re doing over there. They know it’s necessary that we deal with the threat of terrorism overseas to make sure that type of extremism doesn’t come over here,” Livingston says.

Learning to become resourceful, flexible, and innovative in business paid dividends for Livingston in Afghanistan. “In the military, you have a very regimented organization. Your support comes from a certain place, and if you can’t get that support, you can’t do the mission,” says Livingston. But when Livingston arrived overseas only to discover that the 3,000 people he had been promised for his mission would be diverted to Iraq, he looked within his own ranks for those with police experience. “We were able to draw several hundred people within our ranks to act as leads on our police mentoring mission at 240 locations.”

Livingston’s business experience also helped his relationships with government agencies and non-governmental groups. “When you work with other agencies, there’s not always that rigid chain of command. As a business owner, I could take off my military hat and not be intimidating. I could form a level of cooperation,” says Livingston.

Since returning from Afghanistan, Livingston has split his time between South Carolina and Tampa, Florida, where he serves as deputy director for Strategic Plans and Policy at the U.S. Central Command center at MacDill Air Force Base. The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce recently presented him with its 2009 Sergeant William Jasper Freedom Award in recognition of his service.

But Livingston’s primary job is getting Gregory Electric back on track after a difficult year. “My business went through some tough times while I was gone, in part because of the economic downturn. Some of my input was definitely missed,” Livingston says. “I don’t regret doing what I was asked. It’s a huge sacrifice, but everyone will tell you it is worth it. We’ve become tougher and work together as a team.”