Michael Curtis Broughton’s career did not start in a boardroom. It started in combat.

Before he became an industrial engineer and logistics strategist, he was an infantryman in the U.S. Army. That early experience shaped how he thinks about operations, risk, and execution today.

“I learned very quickly that logistics is not theory,” Broughton says. “If supplies don’t arrive, people feel it immediately.”

That mindset still drives his work. Now, he applies that same level of urgency to supply chains, distribution systems, and business operations.

Broughton was born in Bloomington, Illinois, and raised in a home that valued education and discipline. But his path was not traditional.

He earned his GED and enlisted in the Army in 2003. Soon after, he was deployed to combat zones during the Global War on Terrorism.

In those early years, he served in multiple high-risk roles. These included turret gunner, squad machine gunner, and combat lifesaver. He worked at the front lines where decisions had real consequences.

“That period taught me accountability,” he says. “There’s no room for error when people depend on you.”

For his service, he earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge—one of the Army’s most respected honors.