After serving four combat tours as a U.S. Army Ranger in Afghanistan, Matthew “Griff” Griffin sought ways to make sustainable changes in areas of conflict around the world.
Griffin, one of the founders of Combat Flip Flops, will visit Triton College Oct. 7 to tell his story. Combat Flip Flops is a fashion and lifestyle company that manufactures in conflict areas and then uses its profits to help those same areas. Griffin is visiting Triton as part of the school’s Executive Series of speakers, a program where real-world business leaders share their stories with students.
Business Professor William Griffin (no relation) said he saw the former Army Ranger speak at a national community college conference. He said that afterward, he approached Griffin, and the two hit it off. When it came time to revive the Executive Series after a year off due to the pandemic, the professor reached out to Griffin, who agreed to come.
“The talk will be about business, but it will be about more than that,” said Professor Griffin. “Sure you can go out and make money, but there’s more to life than that. You can have a higher purpose, too, and give back to society. I wanted the students to see through that lens.”
Some of the charities Combat Flip Flops supports include Aid Afghanistan for Education to help Afghan women and girls who have been denied access to education. Combat Flip Flops also supports the Mines Advisory Group, which has worked in more than 35 countries removing land mines left in war-torn countries.
“He’s definitely a military guy,” said Professor Griffin. “It’s just when he came out of the military he saw the positive effect of economic growth and opportunity in conflict areas.”
Griffin, who retired from the military in 2006, has been a TEDx speaker and was featured on the TV show Shark Tank where he secured a deal with three of the sharks: Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, and Lori Greiner.
Seating for the event is limited; reservations can be made by contacting Triton College at [email protected].