This segment is a Veteran Focused talk show that showcases individuals and companies in the community and is focused on Veteran leadership, service, stories and transition. Our Veteran host highlights other Veterans who serve, have served and who are doing great things in their business and in their community. Today our host, Chris Budihas spoke with Christopher Polk of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
The Daily News Network, Buzz Tv News, and DAILYBIZBRIEF highlight business professionals, nonprofits, veterans and community leaders on over 40 TV Segments including The Horse’s Mouth, Legacy of Leaders TV, Veterans Buzz TV, Finding Your Frequency, and Buzzworthy Businesses.
Teal, The Agency, powered by Client Focused Media, offers marketing agencies a full-service white-label solution to scale their services without the cost or complexity of building large in-house teams. Tailored for small and medium-sized agencies, Teal specializes in relationship-driven lead generation, advanced CRM workflows for personalized client engagement, and end-to-end project fulfillment. With powerful integrations like HighLevel, Stripe, and Zapier, Teal simplifies your operations while optimizing efficiency—saving you valuable time and resources. While other tools on the market like Vendasta, RocketDriver, and DashClicks, may require contracts, Teal provides flexible, no-contract pricing, giving you the freedom to grow on your terms. Ready to elevate your agency’s impact and efficiency? Explore how Teal can help you deliver exceptional results and better serve your clients. Apply on BeTeal.com today to start your journey toward becoming a marketing powerhouse by understanding digital marketing strategies for agencies, SEO best practices for marketing agencies and scaling a marketing agency.
Budihas
The five minute.
Budihas
Salute. I’m your host, Chris Austin here. Joining me in the studio is Chris Polk with Embry-Riddle. But before we get to that, I want to talk about the Military Affairs and Veterans Department, who’s sponsoring the show, con Harris and the team over there scoring our veterans with the benefits they earned through their military service. So, Chris, good to see you.
Budihas
How are you? Best pleasure. First time we met was Vets on Tap. Oh, great. Nonprofit.
Chris
Yeah. Down there at Black Rifle Coffee. Yeah. Great place to be. Vets on taps is an amazing place. Actually helped me get a job when I got left the service. Honestly?
Budihas
Seriously?
Chris
Seriously. Yeah, I know that. Yeah. So, I went to one of the events that we came to, and I had been a few times I actually met them when I was going to like, some job fairs while still on active duty. Okay. And someone told me about it, so I showed up. Yeah. And then I went a few times, and then one of the guys who I spoke to because I’m trying to do a whole resume thing, I never did a resume because before when the service was in high school, you see an application, right?
Chris
You did a front side, back side. That was it. Right. And so, like, I’m not really having a lot luck here. And one guy was like, have you ever thought about, like, volunteering at the place you want to work at? I’m like, no, but that makes complete total sense. Does does it? And so, when my daughter, who’s now working the Imperial.
Chris
Yeah. Not working, but she’s going to school down there. Yeah, I was the only guy wearing a full on suit, helping my daughter move into her dorm. And so on that day, I’m going around shaking hands, getting, cards and everything like that. But I was isolated. There’s even volunteer opportunities, like. Yeah, if you want, I’ll get you a so and so.
Chris
Next thing you know, I get a phone call. Hey, can you come down here? I spent eight hours sitting at tents and tables and chairs. So all the clubs that they do on the campus, the students can walk around, do not. So they’re meeting people still talk and whatnot. They led me to career services to this. Leslie looked at my resume.
Chris
She’s like, hey, you thought about being a psych director? I’m like, no, tell me more. She gave you a person’s phone number. I called them up, spoke to them for about three hours, and I was like, is there anyone else I could talk to? And they limit to another person named Diana. And then Diane took care of me and she’s like, well, there’s this new place opened up and see.
Chris
So I don’t know if you’ve heard about it. I was like, yes, I actually heard of system for sure. It was a Navy base because I was in the Navy. Yeah, about it. So, I remember she reached back out to me after we had our conversations, like, are you so interested in the job? Do you have a resume like, I will have one to you on Monday through the help of, hometown Heroes.
Chris
Yeah, they help me with my resume. I got their give to her Monday on Tuesday, I get a phone call. On Wednesday, I have an interview. On Thursday I have the job.
Budihas
I love that story. I did not know that. So again, some plugs here. So that’s on tap. A nonprofit local that’s getting together during the week, on the weekends for coffee. Yep. And just doing some network talking each other have some camaraderie.
Chris
Yes, 100%.
Budihas
Which is awesome. But the ability to network through that sometimes on purpose, sometimes I’m not just meeting people. Get a resume out there. Next thing you know, is a home to it was, which was the hometown heroes. Hometown heroes helps with the reason.
Chris
That it was hierarchy heroes.
Budihas
Higher. Our heroes. Yeah. Yep.
Chris
Yeah. That group right there, they were, helped me lock down my resume to fit to match. Because when you go through a service, you try and match your resume to your your old evaluations, right? And you’ll find out real quick. You’re more than just your rank and your rate, which is your job. Right to service because you do so much more while you’re there.
Chris
Yeah. And so, I found I was a more plug and play and there’s more things I had to offer I could fill up on the page because I didn’t think about before, but they really helped me tone it down. So at first when I put in a resume, all it said was aviation maintenance manager, which was my job in the service.
Chris
All right. Finished. But the job was site directory, so that didn’t match. Yeah. Through their help, I was able to translate. Yeah over there and got me in my foot. The door.
Budihas
That’s wonderful. We’re going to pivot here because I know we we pressed for time is let’s talk about Embry-Riddle. I know what it is. I grew up here. You know what it is because you work there. Yep. I think most of our nation knows what Embry rolls but some don’t. So it was what Embry-Riddle is. And then let’s talk about this new campus on Cecil Phil.
Chris
They don’t really advertise like mainstream things like that. But it’s just word of mouth. But they’ve been around for 100 years. We just had 100 year this year, 2026. We have three campuses. We have the Daytona Beach, the one Prescott, Arizona. And then we have Emerald Worldwide, which is about 120 locations in the United States and overseas.
Chris
Worldwide alone this year, we’ll have 100,000 graduates.
Budihas
Oh my gosh.
Chris
For the alumni. And so everywhere you go in the aviation industry, anything maintenance, pilots, airline, ATC, you’ll run into alumni there. So just being part of the school itself, things want to be an aviation. This is the place to be. Because soon as you get out to the real world, you’re going to find someone who went to the school.
Budihas
No kidding. Wow. That’s amazing. And so, this campus out there at Cecil Field, can you tell us, like, oh, what are you guys offering? And, you know, like, because some folks don’t realize all the different courses you guys teach.
Chris
Oh, 1%. So Cecil is a great placement. It’s at the airport. Used to be a Navy jet base. Yeah. And it’s among leading aviation industries like Boeing, Flight Star, Tactical Air Support, Grace industries, just to name a few. And they want to make Jacksonville like a aviation Mecca, even through the government. Yeah. And a continued growth. We have a company called Aero Aviation come in.
Chris
We’re making airplanes without windows. So with all of that being at our fingertips, wow. People come to our school, they’re learning about aviation. But I’m making, relationships and building bridges among this industry so they can interact. So a lot of times when you go to school, you don’t know how that’s going to connect right there and at sea.
Chris
So we can make those connections because you’re going to school for aviation and you’re surrounded by it. That’s huge. And virtual will have people come and speak from the different, industries around there to help them really make those connections.
Budihas
I love that because you’re taking education. Then there’s the education that the education. But the experience piece of that with industry, by the way. Right. The experts are going to come and talk to you and you get to see feel it, touch it. And I love what you’re saying about the windowless aircraft. I mean, drones have kind of a hot topic very much, but I’ve seen it, you know, from not just the tactical predator Reaper type of drones that we see in the military, but also in the logistics space.
Budihas
Law enforcement say you guys are cutting edge as a as a school. So, so right now, what type of courses are being offered at the campus?
Chris
Oh, so right now we’re real lucky because we’re approximately 200 beach campus, the main campus, okay. Started I think. Yeah. So basically everything that they teach, we can basically teach at our campus. Okay. So there is a few limitations around it’s going to be partially online courses and some will be more in person. So you can come to my campus, sit down in a classroom, have a professor for Eagle Vision funding.
Chris
Kind of like this. Yeah. And then they will teach you the course. The other half of it will be online. Now veterans can take advantage other VA benefits, education, because they get a stipend for going to school. If you go to school in person, then you get that full amount versus half the amount just going online. So the courses we teach, we have multiple degree programs, to name a few.
Budihas
Please do.
Chris
Bachelor of Aeronautics, aviation safety, aviation maintenance. We have the pilot operations. We also have, which we don’t teach flying, but which is degree relate to flying to make yourself a, more of a factor. We also, have master’s graduate degree programs that we teach. So it’s not just undergrads. And, we are, because we’re in proximity of FCG, the local school right here.
Chris
There are two university. They teach aviation. We are in partnership in with them. So students from FSU can come over to us and finish our four year degree. Oh, so it works out really great. We have a good relationship with FAA CJS, so it’s a beautiful thing, but those are some a few of the handful of degrees that you can get while you’re attending C.
Budihas
So our current courses or future courses are afternoon evening type courses.
Chris
Yeah. So right now at this moment, just starting out because we just opened up in October. So this is one of the newest civilian site locations that we have normally at a military base. Yeah. So courses are usually from 6 p.m. to 920. Okay. So not that long. Three. Yeah. Half hours roughly. We go one night a week and it’s a nine week term.
Chris
Currently we’re doing hybrid courses. Okay. So instead of having to be there in person for the full nine weeks, you show up the first week, the third week, the fifth week, and then finally the ninth week. So that helps you balance out life, you know, daycare, whatnot. So be able to handle things at home and go to school at the same time.
Chris
And when you’re not going to school in person at our campus, yeah, those other weeks you’ll be at home doing it from your house.
Budihas
That’s awesome. And so, Chris, as we get ready to wrap up, tell folks what you do in the Navy.
Chris
So I started as a Navy rescue swimmer, and I was an air crewman for the first decade I was in. I flew an H 46 as H three and T three, and then I transfer over to the aviation maintenance side of things. Okay. And, I was able to get involved in things like test and development. Yeah. Also for survival training for aircrew and pilots.
Chris
We also did, I got to go deployment with the Marines on the amphibious ships. I got to go and multiple aircraft carriers. Yeah. And led, sailors out there, which is a great experience to see things over, seas and whatnot. So it’s just really a great experience. And I just being a senior chief in the Navy.
Chris
Yeah. I did 28.5 years of service.
Budihas
Well, thanks for your service. We appreciate it. So, how could folks find any rental? Just Google it.
Chris
Yeah. One. I’m Google, Imperial, and you can find a local campus. Luckily for us, actually, in the Jacksonville, we have three campuses. We have Cecil and yes, Jax and yes, Mayport. So if you have, you can access to the base and you can go to those campuses as well. But it’s a trifecta. So you have options. And we teach different classes in the different areas.
Chris
So that way yeah you could are always covered.
Budihas
That’s wonderful Chris thank you for Service Nation. Thanks for you doing right. You’re thank you for your second journey. That’s awesome. And you’re literally impacting lives. You know, I mean I like I told my kids, I said nobody’s going to fault you’ve heard three and two educated, so.
Chris
Oh no.
Budihas
Always, always be working on yourself.
Chris
Right. And I always tell, like when I run to a doctor, do his first. No, please, please, please do not leave the service without getting your degree first, because it’s going to service so much. Well, and you’re getting paid to go to school in the first place, sir. Now, granted, it’s been great that the VA has blessed us with having that same experience post service and it’s a great way to transition from the military to civilian life, because it gives you a little time of buffer time to get your education, and they’re going to pay you to go to school.
Chris
So you have a little money in your pocket just to carry you through it so you can find something you really want to do.
Budihas
That’s great. Thanks again. Chris. Hey folks, take a look at Chris and I on LinkedIn. Love to connect with you. Continue the conversation. Take a look at Embry Rosa. Yeah. Her delivery. Really? You need to, first. Second of all, if you got a passion in the aviation space, I mean, they’re doing it all over there. So reach out to them, see what you get plugged in.
Budihas
You know, like Chris mentioned, they are nationwide, and they’re ready to educate you and get you ready for that career pivot or and career enhancement. So see you next segment. We’ll have a great.
