“From my first day in the Marines, I learned to love the dirt. Real estate lawyers are referred to as ‘dirt lawyers’ so I guess it was a natural fit. ”
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Why Listen:
I really enjoyed my conversation with Peter. First, I want to acknowledge that this is a sponsored interview, and we’re grateful to Verizon for their support of Beyond the Uniform, as well as how they have hired over 11,000 Veterans and thousands of military spouses. However, there’s only about six minutes of this interview that are directly about Verizon in a way that may be seen as sales-e.
Peter is such a fantastic speaker and storyteller. Immediately after our interview, I set up a call with Peter to chat more, because he is a great guy and has a really valuable perspective on career transitions. One of the aspects I love about our conversation is how Peter took one small aspect of his military service - how much he loved land navigation in the Marine Corps - and how he used this in his search for his next job… which happens to be in commercial real estate as a lawyer. Not a direct connection many would make, and yet it shows how Veterans can find tangential career paths based on smaller aspects they enjoyed while in the military. I also appreciated Peter’s outlook on life - the mere fact that he has his title as “Happy Lawyer” sends a message to everyone he meets and, more importantly, send a strong message to himself about who he wants to be on a daily basis… even on those days where he may not FEEL like a Happy Lawyer. This interview is also a great example of the wide variety of career positions to be found at large companies. For example, with Verizon, many listeners most likely immediately think of phones, or connectivity. But I didn’t think immediately about all the stores, warehouses, and office buildings they have… all that real estate… real estate that needs a strong legal team to obtain and oversee. It’s illustrative of the many potential career aspects below the surface that listeners may not immediately be aware of.
About Peter:
Peter Vanderloo is a Happy Lawyer at Verizon, where he has worked for over 18 years. In his current role, he works as a Commercial Real Estate lawyer creating value for internal and external customers from Verizon's amazing, extensive real estate portfolio. He started out in the Marine Corps, where he served for 10 years, most recently as a Company Commanding Officer, where he led an 150 member Light Armored Vehicle company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware, a JD from the George Washington School of Law, and an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business.
Our Sponsor:
StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.
Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books
Selected Resources:
Transcript & Time Stamps:
4:15
Joining me today in Leesburg, VA is Peter Vanderloo. Peter Vanderloo is a Happy Lawyer at Verizon, where he has worked for over 18 years. In his current role, he works as a Commercial Real Estate lawyer creating value for internal and external customers from Verizon's amazing, extensive real estate portfolio. He started out in the Marine Corps, where he served for 10 years, most recently as a Company Commanding Officer, where he led a 150 member Light Armored Vehicle company.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware, a JD from the George Washington School of Law, and an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business.
5:20
What else would you like people to know about your background?
You should never underestimate the power of being an example and a role model. In the 1960’s, my father volunteered to serve on active duty in the Air Force. As I look back on my father’s selfless service, I realize that he really changed the trajectory of my life. He served in the military at a time when it wasn’t as popular to do so.
My two younger brothers and I all ended up joining the Marine Corps. Whether you realize it or not, you’re a role model to someone somewhere.
I was actually born on an Air Force base. I was born on Veterans Day so it was almost predestined that I would eventually serve in the military.
In November of 1990, my parents drove 14 hours to attend my Marine Corps ball. The wearing of the National Defense Medal had just been authorized. I was so grateful that my parents would be there and I went out and bought my father a National Defense Medal to present to him upon his arrival.
9:10
Why do you think you and your brother all joined the Marines even though your father had been in the Air Force?
My father transitioned from the Air Force into the Navy at the end of the Vietnam era. We went to a place called Cherry Point, NC which was a Marine base. I was constantly surrounded by Marines in dress blues and I was really indoctrinated into that culture. That inspired me to eventually join the Marines.
10:15
Why did you end up leaving the Marine Corps?
When I entered the Marine Corps, I thought it would be a very temporary thing. I planned to go to law school afterwards. But the longer I was in, the harder it was to leave. I had an immense sense of purpose.
Eventually I transitioned out of active duty to go to law school but I stayed in the Reserves. It was a nice way to stay connected to military culture.
While I was still on active duty, I started planning for life after getting out. I started taking law school preparation courses and filling out applications. I advise members of the military that are preparing to get out of the military to really plan ahead. Start planning for your transition at least one year ahead of time.
15:30
What attracted you to real estate law?
From my first day in the Marines, I learned to love the dirt. Real estate lawyers are referred to as ‘dirt lawyers’ so I guess it was a natural fit.
I got a lot of spatial training in the Marines and that later came in handy when I went into real estate law. There’s a lot of looking at a blueprint and being able to picture that building in real life.
Don’t underestimate the skills you learned in the military. It truly can translate into almost anything in the corporate world.
18:30
Why do you call yourself the “Happy Lawyer”?
When I was leaving active duty, General Kelly told me that he didn’t want me to become “just another lawyer”. So I decided I wanted to become the “Happy Lawyer”.
Working at Verizon has been fantastic. It’s a company that promotes military experience and values veterans.
23:00
Before Verizon, you worked at AOL. Can you describe how that came about?
That job came about through my network. I think many times in the military, we take our network for granted. In the corporate sector, you have to work a bit harder to actively keep up your network. I found out about the position at AOL through someone I had previously worked with. That job offered me the opportunity to learn a new skill. The role was in advertising law which was something I had never done before me. I got to dig in and learn something new.
Sometimes veterans have trouble transitioning out of the military because change can bring a sense of loss. The nice thing is that you have the opportunity to learn something new and get faster and stronger.
28:00
Why does Verizon need real estate lawyers?
Verizon has a need for offices and technology centers. We own hundreds of thousands of square feet of space across the country. That’s a huge real estate portfolio.
Verizon is looking to help folks understand all the additional services that we offer. I deal with people all across the business as they work to better serve our customers in many different ways.
34:10
Do you have any advice on how people can build and maintain a network?
As veterans, we know that we share a special bond. We have a shared set of common experiences. This network of veterans is really powerful. As you’re transitioning, reach out to other veterans that have gone before you for help and advice.
I also want to talk about valor. When I finished my MBA in 2012, I started running a veterans group at AOL. As AOL and Verizon came together, I rallied to bring additional funding and resources to our veterans group. This allowed us to be more supportive of veterans that were working throughout the company.
The seminal book in my life is “Stone Soup”. It’s about a soldier coming back from war. On his way home, he stops in a town. He’s hungry and he asks the townspeople if he can buy food from them. All of them say ‘no’. So the soldier starts a fire in the middle of the town in order to boil a pot of water. He throws some stones in the pot. Slowly the village people gravitate toward him because they’re curious about what he’s doing. They offer vegetables and meat to add to the stone soup. At the end, the soldier cooks soup for the entire town. He’s also unified all the village people. All I’m trying to do a leader of the Verizon veterans group is bringing together our company’s veterans in the same way.
43:30
What is the impact of Verizon’s veteran group?
We’re an employee resource group and a business resource group. We set up various events and encourage people at Verizon to contribute and participate.
In June of 2019, Verizon sponsored the Warrior Games in Tampa Bay. The Warrior Games are an opportunity for wounded warriors to show how enduring the human body and spirit can be. We also brought Yahoo News to the Warrior Games and they published stories of the participants.
We also try to profile our veterans. We showcase the stories of our veterans so employees all across the organization can learn more about the life and service of military members.
52:00
How has storytelling impacted your career?
Storytelling is part of the leadership process. In the military and in the corporate world, it’s all about making personal connections with your people. I learned very early on in my career with the Marine Corps that I could connect and inspire my people through storytelling.
54:00
How valuable has getting an MBA been for you?
Getting an MBA provided me with the kick in the pants that I really needed. Through my studies at Darden, I really began to understand the inner workings of a business. It taught me how to think about allocating resources and getting a return on investment. Getting an MBA also pushed me to become better and communication and time management.
You should always keep the mindset of continual growth and continual learning no matter what stage you’re at in life.
58:30
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I’m grateful that I’m working at Verizon - it’s an amazing place to work. They go all in on bringing in veterans and first responders. We’ve hired 11,000 veterans to work at Verizon. It’s a company I’m proud to work for.