Killian Nowrey

Killian Nowrey, Evening MBA Class of 2024
Ruck Sox, Co-Founder & CEO

 

How did your career evolve after graduating from the MBA Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School?

I entered K-F with very little business knowledge, having just been an enlisted soldier with a criminal justice degree. I also started the program with simply an idea and a few sock prototypes, so absolutely 0 sales. What I learned throughout the program, from finance and accounting to operations and branding, was implemented instantly at Ruck Sox. I challenged myself with a finance concentration because I considered that my biggest weakness, and I believe the concepts I learned helped me/Ruck Sox have a successful, crowdfunded debt raise on WeFunder. I feel more confident than ever leading Ruck Sox thanks to what I learned at K-F, and am incredibly proud to have led the company to over 6 figures in revenue, something I could’ve never dreamed of back in 2022, and recently getting into our first national retailer. This first national retailer happens to be the largest military and law enforcement gear retailer in the world, and it wouldn’t have happened without K-F. From networking to communicating with data, what I learned in the program was applied and made that PO happen.

 

How did UNC, Kenan-Flagler Business School, the MBA program, or MBA Career Services help you reach where you are today?

I’ve been thinking about the dollar return on my MBA lately, and it’s incredibly difficult to calculate. One thing is for certain: it was 100% worth it. That’s why I pushed my wife to apply to the FT MBA ’27 program, and she has had a great first week so far. We love K-F, forever and always. The K-F alumni network is one of the reasons I was drawn to the program, but I didn’t realize how powerful it would be until I actually became a Tar Heel. The alumni I’ve met with, worked with, DMed, or been mentored by have led me to this point. I’ll never forget when feetures CEO Hugh Gaither, MBA ’75 talked to me for over an hour about starting Ruck Sox. He was also an Army veteran and founded a highly successful sock company, so I wanted to learn from him, and he kindly guided me. Chris Bingham, MBA ’09, another entrepreneur mentor of mine, pushed me to apply to K-F, and I’m so grateful he did. I believe I’m one of the few in my class who took classes in every format: EMBA-CH, EMBA-Charlotte, EMBA-Weekend, MBA@UNC, and FT MBA. My classmates who pushed me, helped me, and bounced their own entrepreneurial ventures off me, as if I were some sort of expert, all impacted me in a profound way. There are too many to name, but they know who they are, and I’d work with them all again/continue to work with them all in the future in a second. Outside of the academics, which helped me immensely professionally, the K-F network is something you have to be part of to understand its power and value both personally and professionally.

 

What advice would you give to current MBA students?

Enjoy your time at K-F and cherish it, because it’s very special. I miss my days on campus already, and I’m a recent graduate. Even during the tough days and late nights, I remember walking across the OLD bridge to the parking deck and seeing the UNC water tower in the distance and thinking, “I’m so lucky to be here. I can’t believe I got in, but I’m here now. This is an amazing opportunity, gotta keep pushing.”

 

In what ways do you see our students standing out in the workplace or making an impact?

Everyday, Tar Heels are doing great things. I just saw an article about a Tar Heel going to the ISS. We’ve got a recent graduate coaching the best field hockey team in the nation. Another Tar Heel is the Secretary of the Army. Tar Heels do big things.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I was an exchange student in Italy for a year in high school, where I played soccer and was first introduced to the textile industry by my host family, the founders of LedaTex.