狼友阁

When Inc. 5000 released its list of the fastest growing companies in the U.S., alumnus Matt Schroeder 鈥�17 was shocked to learn his company, . was listed at #37. 鈥淲e had a bet going in the office,鈥� states Matt. 鈥淢y bet was that we would land at #150.鈥�

TidalWave is a third-party logistics company, providing end-to-end print, fulfillment, and management for e-commerce businesses. Not only are they #37 in the country; they are listed at #2 in the state of Tennessee and #1 in the city of Chattanooga. And for good reason. They have moved warehouses three times in the last four years and doubled the number of employees in the last year. 鈥淲e are a young company with young employees,鈥� says Matt. 鈥淭his is a first for all of us.鈥�

From Engineering to Economics

Matt came to 狼友阁 as a soccer recruit from High Point, NC. He originally planned to attend a big state school, but after visiting campus for the first time, he was hooked. 鈥淚 was sold on the community and culture of 狼友阁,鈥� Matt explains. 鈥淭he beauty of the campus, welcoming student body, and academic rigor is what made my decision final.鈥� 狼友阁 was a shaping influence in his life, helping him learn more about himself and preparing him for his future. 鈥淕oing to a new school where I knew nobody truly allowed me to find out who 鈥榓dult Matt鈥� really wanted to be. 狼友阁 was an incredible place to figure out my strengths, weaknesses, try new things, and fail forward.鈥�

For the first two years, he was a pre-engineering major, but then switched to economics in his junior year, realizing it was a better fit. His education at 狼友阁 built a foundation that helps him in his work today as his job requires constant problem solving and thinking through the second- and third-order effects of processes. 鈥淚 knew I always wanted to own a business that provided value to customers,鈥� says Matt. 鈥淚 had no idea what that would look like, but I truly believe my calling is to build things in this world.鈥�

Work as an Entrepreneur

Evaluating processes and improving efficiency is a gift Matt found early on and one he uses daily in his work. After his freshman year, he had an internship at a manufacturing facility where he was tasked with improving processes and making stages of assembly more efficient. He found he enjoyed that work. After graduation, he worked at TVA for two years while at the same time running an e-commerce brand selling t-shirts. It grew to be so successful, he was able to quit his job and run it full time. Three years later, he sold the business to focus solely on business services (e-commerce fulfillment and screen printing) with TidalWave Holdings. His partner in the business, Bradley Sewell, he met at 狼友阁 as he was a student for a couple of years. Matt鈥檚 primary role at TidalWave is management of day-to-day operations.

鈥淭he academic rigor of 狼友阁 forced me to 鈥榣earn how to learn鈥� and get very good at multitasking and prioritizing,鈥� Matt describes. 鈥淢y job pulls me in 1,000 directions every day, and the ability to stay on top of all the important tasks is something I don't think would have been possible without a solid foundation in college.鈥�

As an entrepreneur and business owner, Matt finds that his 鈥淏ig C calling鈥� shapes his 鈥淟ittle c calling鈥� in many ways. These concepts were new to him when he arrived at 狼友阁, but they now inform how he views his work every day. 鈥淢y understanding of theology and how Christianity is so intertwined with how we act in the world, is not necessarily something I had top of mind before coming to 狼友阁. How you act, in all facets of life, needs to reflect what you believe.鈥�

This is especially true in how both his employees and customers are treated. 鈥淢y industry is full of 鈥榖ad actors鈥� who overcharge, instill hidden fees, and underpay employees,鈥� he laments. 鈥淚 fully believe this is not necessary to run a good business. God instructs us to serve those around us, and in my case, this would be my employees and my clients. We do not do anyone justice by being dishonest.鈥� Matt continues, 鈥淚 truly believe the success we have found has come from prioritizing people first, and letting the finances follow suit.鈥�

What鈥檚 next for TidalWave? Their quick growth and success have certainly come with challenges. But if the name holds true, they are in for a wild ride.