Recognizing and Honoring our Valued Veteran Security Team Members.
Meet Ryan Clay, Assistant Site Manager
Charlotte, NC
Ryan Clay joined the Sunstates team in July 2023 and has been a great resource to his site and the Charlotte region. His 14 years of military service, including many leadership and instructor roles, suit him well for his new position with Sunstates.
Military Experience
Ryan, a member of the US Marine Corps, after 14 years of multiple deployments, several job duties, and significant injuries, retired with a Purple Heart and many adventures to share. During tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Lance corporal and Staff Sergeant, he was immersed in combat and sustained life-threatening injuries on more than one occasion, but he never lost his will to get back onto the battlefield to support the men and women on his team who were looking to him for guidance. Ryan also spent three years as an Infantry Instructor and a year and a half as a Drill Instructor in North and South Carolina. Speaking of adventures to share, share he did, you can read some of Ryan’s story in Glenn Thomas’s book, God Saw Them Through.
In a glowing letter of recommendation from one of Ryan’s Marine supervisors, he stated, “Ryan’s success in combat came from something more than toughness or valor, though he had those qualities in spades. It was not enough for Ryan to be brave or hard. To succeed as he did, Ryan had to love his men as he loved his own sons. He had to put their welfare before his own. He paid the price for that love through the physical wounds that eventually forced him out of the Marine Corps. He suffered those wounds, putting himself at the point of worst danger every day. Every single day, Ryan would tell our Marines, “No matter what happens, take care of the man next to you, and if you don’t know what to do, just follow me.”
Sunstates Security
Joining the Sunstates team in the Charlotte region, he works at a well-known home supply headquarters. As an Assistant Site Manager, he leads a team to ensure the site’s operations run smoothly and communicates with his team, site employees, and Sunstates management.
What Ryan enjoys about working for Sunstates is the ability to shed a positive influence and lead with compassion and by example. Advice he’d give to a new officer would be to treat everyone with respect, and that communication is key.
Personal
When not at work, Ryan enjoys woodworking and spending time with his wife, Kandace, and three boys. You might find him at the ball field supporting his son Ayden, whose game was aired last year on ESPN during the Little League World Series, or cheering on his youngest, Grayson, who is a rising martial artist. His oldest son, Jackson, has been accepted to East Tennessee State University, and Ryan couldn’t be prouder.
Ryan, we appreciate all you do and look forward to your continued success with the company!
Also, thank you for your dedication to your country and your years of service.
Sunstates partners with the ESGR and is actively hiring those who served. To apply to be a part of our team, visit our Careers page.
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