Patrick Montgomery, CEO and owner of KC Cattle Company, runs his business with a philosophy informed by his experiences in the military. A former member of the 1st Ranger Battalion, he has built a much-loved quality business, family-run and veteran-operated, bringing Wagyu beef and other proteins to the Kansas City area and beyond.
Wagyu means “cow” in Japanese. “Or black cow—depending on who you ask,” says Montgomery. The origins of Wagyu beef date back to the 1600s in Japan and have developed into what is often described as the best-tasting steak in the world. KC Cattle began selling Wagyu beef in 2017, including their viral sensation Wagyu hot dog. We spoke to Montgomery to learn more.
How did you make the transition from the military to KC Cattle?
I got out of the military in 2014 and went back to school at the University of Missouri. I was doing my degree in animal science and pursuing a career path in veterinary medicine. But I started to notice this disconnect between agriculture and consumer, between the one percent of the population that produces the food and the other 99 percent who consume the food. I saw an opportunity to bridge that gap. In 2016, as I was finishing up my undergrad, I put together the business plan and then hit the ground running.
How do your experiences in the military translate to business?
I’m a big advocate for the veteran community and convincing people the skills they learned in the military translate well to the civilian world. This whole narrative of being a broken person when you exit the military, or your best years are behind you, is false.
You can offer something special in the civilian world—perseverance, determination, hard work. You’ve gone to schools and done things, training you can’t pay for on the civilian side. One example is Ranger School, one of the best leadership schools in the world. You can’t pay to get in, no matter how rich you are. In my humble opinion, the opportunities you’re afforded during service translate well to entrepreneurship and its struggles.
Was hiring veterans part of your business plan?
It wasn’t part of our original business plan, but I felt the benefit in my own life of finding a new purpose through building this company. So, when we did start bringing on employees, we made a huge effort to find other folks who were in the same position that I was—transitioning out of the military and trying to find what their next step is in life.
What challenges have you faced in building your business?
I was completely naive when we started. I think if I knew everything I was going to face, I probably wouldn’t have done it. My business plan from when I started is so different from what it is today that it almost makes me laugh. But adaptability is another key part you take away from the military. When a plan is not working, you have to be able to shift and, when you’re a young company, you need to be able to shift quickly or you’re not going to survive.
Take me through “a day in the life” of running KC Cattle.
It’s funny—if I’m being completely honest, the real reason I started this company was so I didn’t have to sit behind the desk. Now that we’ve grown quite a bit, I find the majority of my day is spent sitting behind the desk, but I still enjoy it. It’s something different every day.
My office is right next to 420 acres, so when I can’t handle looking at Excel spreadsheets anymore, I make the effort to go out and be the ranch manager’s ranch hand and help him out with whatever he’s doing. I love getting around the animals. I have a lot of meetings in the city and a lot of travel—it’s been a wild couple of years for the business.