Erik Prince

I loved being a SEAL. I loved working with those kind of guys and a sense of mission, and Blackwater was started to continue that sense of mission. ”

I'm a pretty stubborn guy. I don't quit too easily. ”

Readiness is an oft-mentioned - but frequently ignored - necessity. ”

I identify with Wyoming, I love the state of Wyoming, I love the people. It's a fantastic state - people that live in rugged conditions and who make their living doing things in the outdoors. ”

Unfortunately, I kind of split between Virginia and living in an airplane. I travel a lot. ”

In Joe Yorio you find a guy who's smarter at business than I am. I'm an entrepreneur and idea guy; he's a professional businessman. ”

Since United States military operations in Iraq began in 2003, I have visited Iraq at least 15 times. But unlike politicians who visit, the question for me has never been why the U.S. got into Iraq. Instead, as the CEO of Blackwater, the urgent question was how the company I head could perform the duties asked of us by the U.S. State Department. ”

We have kind of turned our back on the fact that hard work, sacrifice, risk-taking, innovation, is what made America great. ”

I know a lot of people in the aviation business, particularly ones who will fly to places where your boots get dirty when you get out of the airplane. ”

My dad built his business by providing products he figured the customers would want. ”