This was more than a business idea. It was a chance for Army veteran Andrew McIntyre to watch his kids grow up.
But becoming an entrepreneur was never the dream. Being a race car driver was.
“The big question was — How do you follow that dream while working a 9-5?” he asked. “But one day I was watching Formula DRIFT, and this guy — his own business sponsored him through the races. So there he was, his business supporting him and what he was doing, and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head.”
Years of experience as a 15T, an Army Black Hawk helicopter repairer, had given McIntyre the mechanical background, problem-solving skills and discipline that would eventually help him build a business of his own. That business would become the vehicle that allowed him to pursue his passion for racing while creating more time for the people who mattered most.
Starting a new business was no easy feat, but McIntyre said there were two things that helped him not only get his business off the ground but continue to succeed: podcasts and Navy Federal Credit Union.
“It was as simple as ‘I didn’t know where to start,’ so I just typed in ‘entrepreneur’ on my podcast and just started listening to stuff,” he said. “I listened to hundreds of podcasts and I just absorbed everyone’s knowledge, their wisdom, their struggles, and it made me realize that you can make money kind of doing anything.”
In 2019, McIntyre opened his business, Mac’s Wood Products, which started with a single pickup truck providing wood disposal services. Located in the Tacoma/Seattle region, the company has since then grown into a full-service pallet manufacturing, pallet recycling, custom crate building and wood disposal operation.
“Navy Federal has been there from the start,” he said. “Between the accessibility, low fees and the relationships I’ve built there, I know where to go when I need something.”
McIntyre said some of the biggest challenges he faced when getting his business off the ground were systems, cash flow and marketing.
“Probably in that order,” he noted.
But he said he has appreciated the sense of security Navy Federal has given him, which is why he runs both his personal and business banking through the not-for-profit credit union and has been a member for more than 10 years.
“Banking [with Navy Federal] has never felt like a hassle, which is valuable when you already have a hundred other things to worry about as a business owner,” he said.
McIntyre said entrepreneurship has its highs and lows, and the military taught him not to give up just because something is difficult.
“I learned to ‘embrace the suck’ because sometimes you have to make hard choices, work through uncomfortable situations and keep moving forward when things aren’t going your way,” he said. “But in the end, our feet tend to follow where our minds wander. If you constantly surround yourself with the things you want to learn and accomplish, eventually you start moving in that direction.”
Earlier this year, Navy Federal partnered with Evergreen Business Capital to provide SBA 504 financing for the purchase of the property where Mac’s Wood Products operates, helping the business transition from tenant to owner-occupant and gain long-term stability.
And now, as McIntyre looks toward the future, he is excited to continue growing his business and chase his longtime dream of racing.
“The business has helped build the race car and we’ve gone out there and made connections,” he said. “I know I probably won’t be making it to the big league, but it’s cool to be able to chase this passion like the way I saw that guy do it on Formula DRIFT — just will always appreciate that.”
No matter where the road takes him, he knows the moments that matter most are waiting at home — the bedtime routines, the birthday wishes, the games in the backyard, the first days of school, the inside jokes with all the giggles.
They are the little moments that may seem ordinary now, but one day become the memories you wish you could go back and experience just one more time.
“At the end of the day, I get to be there for my babies as they grow up, and that continues to be one of my biggest motivations,” he said.
Contributed by Navy Federal Credit Union.
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