brands we love: the story of vrb labs of the veterans behind it
There are three primary parts of speech in the English language: adjectives, verbs, and nouns (don’t worry adverbs, we see you.) We use these parts of speech every day when we speak, write, lecture, sing, etc. Today, let’s take a moment and use them to parse out the meaning of the word, Warrior.
When we think of a warrior, a few adjectives immediately come to mind. Ones you would expect to pop into your head are: brave, selfless, strong, courageous. The verbs to describe a warrior’s daily activities might be: running, fighting, training, defending. The nouns we use to describe warriors in our society could be: Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine. The word we forget, that should come before any of the others, the all encompassing noun that is the foundation to each adjective and verb is:
Human.
The men and women who defend our country often return home with the side effects that only war can create. Emotional and psychological stress, physical injury, the loss of a friend. Some of these human beings have been exposed to the harshest of elements, and return home feeling lost, in pain, and overwhelmed transitioning back into civilian life.
After sharing their experiences of returning home, Chase Hobby, a former Naval Flight Officer and Evan Seale, former Army Ranger, created VRB Labs. Both men researched and tested the best way to create CBD products that were safe, clean, and effective against ailments like stress, inflammation, and insomnia. The brand is committed to improving the lives of driven doers - including veterans - and creating a community that can heal and grow together.
Chase Hobby and Evan Seale met at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania after separating from the military. The two of them were part of different branches, different tours, and different backgrounds, but bonded over their shared military experience.
Chase’s military career began at the Navy Academy after graduating high school in 2003. His decision to join the Academy came from looking at colleges in a post-9/11 world.
“At that time it felt like it was our generation's turn to step up to do our duty.”
Chase always had an interest in carrier aviation, and he was eager to be part of something that could turn his interest into reality. From 2004-2007 he attended the Naval Academy before heading to Naval Flight School in Florida for two-years. It was then off to Whidbey Island for advanced training before joining Carrier Air Wing FIVE in Atsugi, Japan where he deployed aboard the USS George Washington. After years spent in the cockpit as a Naval Flight Officer, he finished his time in the Navy working for a 3-star Admiral as a Contingency Planner for the Pacific Theater. He served for a total of ten years.
Similar to Chase, Evan Seale joined the Army due to the all too vivid memory of September 11th, 2001. He attended the United States Military Academy, better known as West Point in 2006.
“I wanted the sense of purpose that military service offered.”
Evan graduated from West Point as a Field Artillery Officer and headed to Oklahoma for 8-months of training. After basic training, he was assigned to the 3rd infantry division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. At Fort Stewart, Evan attended Ranger school and spent one-year there before going on his first of three deployments to Afghanistan.
His time in the Middle East consisted of numerous operations that were vastly different from one another. On his first deployment, Evan’s unit worked with the Afghan police forces to give them proper training and contribute to the overall security of the civilian population. His second deployment was with the Ranger Regiment, embedded with a human augmentation team running covert sources in Afghanistan. Evan served as the liaison between the 10th mountain division and Ranger Regiment for high-value targeting in Eastern Afghanistan. On his third return to Afghanistan Evan was part of another Ranger unit, this time serving as the Company Fire Support Officer, coordinating air assets for combat operations to kill/capture high-value targets. After 5 ½ years of service, Evan separated from the Army and went to St. Louis where he worked in private equity before meeting Chase at Grad School at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
VRB grew out of personal necessity. Evan and Chase were fresh out of the military and experiencing issues with pain, inflammation, stress, and sleep. As previously mentioned, both men met in their first week of grad school at Wharton and had the realization that CBD was a real option for solving some of these issues. After researching the compound and trying products on their own, they were convinced that CBD was an incredibly effective and natural tool for mild to moderate symptoms. They conducted a nationwide search and found an R&D team in California that helped them create their flagship formulas: Work - a daytime blend for focus & calm, Rest - a nighttime blend for sleep, and Recover - a topical for pain & inflammation.
VRB Labs was born and bred by two men who know what it means to answer the call, and their brand is rooted in a foundation of strength, courage, and peace. Please remember to take this month as a time to honor all of our Veterans, and those who continue to serve at this very moment.