When 2007 Marriott School alumnus Cyle Adair was deployed to Iraq in January 2009, he didn’t think he would be using his business degree. As a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he thought of leading soldiers in firing mortars, conducting mounted and dismounted patrols, and training Iraqi forces. But none of those tasks proved to be his toughest job.
“Everyone thinks of Iraq as just a lethal battle, shooting guns at each other, but the most difficult part of the war in Iraq is the nonlethal part,” Adair says. “You’ll never be able to kill an insurgency with guns. We are trying to use influences other than weapons to effect change.”
Enter Adair’s business savvy. By implementing a micro-grant loan system, he provided small grants of up to $2,500 to help Iraqis start or improve small businesses. Using his entrepreneurship knowledge, he has also provided support to business owners.
“I’ve helped them by working on goals and business plans to help them qualify for these grants,” Adair says. “It has been hard work with lots of meetings and working in the marketplace itself to see where and how these grants can help the economy. I know if the money is placed in the right areas with specific functions, the marketplace can flourish and improve the economy.”
By combating poverty and the poor economic conditions of the average Iraqi, Adair is striking hard at insurgent groups. Those groups use ordinary citizens to plant roadside bombs and other explosives, offering money for their services. Most citizens don’t belong to the insurgency, but the money can go a long way toward feeding their families. “By building a strong economy here, it will greatly influence the success of our efforts in this war,” Adair says.
His work with the micro-grant system was such a success in his area that his squadron commander appointed him to coordinate the program through a larger area of operation.
“The squadron commander inquired about my background, and I mentioned that I graduated from the BYU business school and had taken a lot of classes in entrepreneurship and finance,” Adair says. “He said he needed the skill set that I had and promoted me, saying I’d have the opportunity to affect a larger area with this new position.”
Thanks to his Marriott School education and unique skills, Adair has been able to do more good for the Iraqi people than a typical soldier might.
“I am appreciative of the education I received from the Marriott School,” Adair says. “It has given me a greater opportunity to serve and make a difference. It is what we as soldiers sacrifice to do every day.”
