Considered one of the nation’s best civilian tactical firearms experts, Kelly Venden, founder of Criterion Tactical, provides “world class operational readiness and civilian tactical firearms training.” His expertise was hard earned through decades of training and life challenging experiences in the Special Forces of the United States Army. Recently, the staff members of the Kniestedt Foundation had the privilege of catching up with Kelly Venden and are fortunate to be able to share how he used his talents and life experiences to build a successful business.

Venden was born in 1963 in Madison, Wisconsin. He lived on a farm which he happily admits is “the best place ever to grow up”. His family moved to Texas in 1972 and settled in the “sweat belt” of Texas: right smack in the center core from Galveston Island up to the Texas Panhandle. Living just north of Houston in the then small town of Conroe, he recalls how the heat combined with the humidity to make it a miserable living experience without air conditioning! Venden easily dismisses the heat misery when he recalls how quickly he became a Texan. He enjoyed motorcycle riding, Texas distinctions, and Tex-Mex food along with talking about the rest of the “lower 47 states” outside the Country of Texas.

As a kid, he had always wanted to be a Police Officer, and, in this pursuit, he had been accepted to the Sam Houston State University. A few days before leaving for college he had an epiphany. He simply changed his mind. His folks, of course, were shocked and wondered what would he do now that he gave up this opportunity. After a few months of “bumming” he began seeking a place for himself with the military, which, in the end, was the best decision he ever made. Listening to his gut was the first of many smart tactical moves Venden made in his professional life.

With a long family history of military success, he was familiar with life in the service. His Grand- dad, two uncles, father, and older brother had all served so he had some inclination as to what life would be like in the Army. This perspective would benefit him greatly. His real shock was more of how his fellow recruits had such bizarre behaviors of being “trapped” in the Army and away from home. He tells humorous stories of one trainee wouldn’t bathe…one who refused to cut his finger nails…and the best of all was a youngster who could NOT do ONE PUSH UP. Yet he talked motivationally to everyone and how he was getting better and stronger every day. He was one that soon left….

Venden’s keen intelligence, talent, and work ethic carried him into most of the combat missions from 1985-1997 and he feels very fortunate to be involved in these operations. His “truest honor was serving with consummate professionals in the Army Rangers and Delta Force.” Venden recalls “what an overwhelming experience it was to be involved in missions both, practice and real, with Delta; the amount of personal effort to be our best, resources and planning that went into our training, rehearsals, operations, the people and agencies

[they] ‘casually’ interacted with were amazing.”

There were two missions that stand out to him as the most memorable. First, was his work in Grenada where he “saved” his platoon Lieutenant from an enemy ambush. Second, and the most famous, is his participation in the Hostage Rescue of Kurt Muse during the Panama Invasion. The book “6 Minutes to Freedom” and Discovery Channel documentary tell the story.

Kelly Venden finally retired from the Army in 2003 with the goal of a second career in federal law enforcement. After 9-11, he knew there would be a need for experienced persons to help “fight the terrorists in the air”. So, he and many of his peers joined the Air Marshal Service. Like all government run organizations, this one also failed to meet the expectations of those who worked in it.

In retrospect, he is “thankful to the supervisors who saw [his] potential as a military veteran and utilized [his] experiences for the success of the agency.” He spent time as a Training Officer and then as a Training Instructor in the Federal Air Marshal Academy. The agency was in its infancy when he joined, and along with other military and law enforcement vets, was able to guide and shape many training and policy decisions which are currently in use.

Venden sees his transition to civilian life as “ongoing” because his contracting days have always been with or supporting the United States military. Transitioning from the Army’s Delta Force was probably the easiest because special ops members are typically “civilian in nature” as they have to blend in regardless of the environment. Rarely did they wear traditional military uniforms and stick to strict military customs. As he moved between Military and Federal Law Enforcement the work/peer environment was somewhat similar.

At the time, when he left one “government job for another,” his transition didn’t feel like a transition at all. However, 6 years later, when he left the Air Marshal Service to be a true government contractor, the fear of lack of income and stability of work quickly rose its ugly head. Thankfully, he had a job to move to and has been blessed with steady work since.

Venden, like all vets, misses his “military family” the most—“The greatest feeling of my military experience was the camaraderie of my fighting teammates—-something I’ve never truly experienced since. I have work mates and those I consider friends but nothing brings soldiers together creating long lasting and true friendship than life saving training and the battlefield.”

When asked about the skills he learned in the military that he found most transferrable to civilian life, he references his “military family” again— “successes in life are due to the great mentors and leaders I was fortunate enough to have trained under and with.” He still keeps in touch with his very first Ranger Platoon Sergeant from 1982. Vender also notes that leadership, planning, and thinking of “what if’s” — are “paramount in the military as well as civilian life”. These skills [he] works to provide to [his] teenage [daughters] for their self awareness and thinking safety in their daily activities.”

Venden stealthily utilized survival skills throughout his career(s) and he has an extraordinary “knack for teaching others to be competent in these skills.” He feels fortunate to be in his current position with the Army where he teaches and trains these skills for their his clients to be ready for any deployed environments. His company, Criterion Tactical, LLC, also trains civilians and Law Enforcement in survival skills and use of personal weapons for protection.

The genesis for Criterion Tactical began after his years in the Air Marshal Service and his contractor days. He began working in Tampa Florida for the Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Completely a staff job, he spent many hours, as he humorously puts it, “either in a frenzy of planning and writing documents or learning to stick pencils in my eyes without leaving marks from shear boredom”. He felt the itch of getting back on the range and teaching from his experiences. His first “gig” was with the Sheriff’s department serving the Tampa Area. For his protection and theirs, he had to start an independent company. Since then, Criterion Tactical took off nationally and quickly became well known amongst the high level tactical training entities.

His natural talents served him well, but his biggest hurdle was not knowing the “business side” of things. By his own admission, Venden “could shoot, train, talk, network, and grow a solid “flat” business based upon [his] experiences”. What he continues to work at is developing the knowledge of building a business with depth; creating a true plan to expand his business grow without being the “guy on the ground.”

As Venden continues to meet his business growth challenges, he taps into a multitude of resources available to him. He states, “I’m fortunate to know and able to talk with successful friends and mentors like Jim Kniestedt of the Kniestedt Foundation, and other fellow Delta Force and Rangers peers who’ve been successful in the post military business world. I’m currently seeking my 8A Certification and becoming a certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.”

He has also found that “social media is an amazing asset when used properly.” When he started his business in Florida, good old fashioned word of mouth kept him plenty busy as a startup. When he went overseas on a contract, he utilized social media to catch up with long lost military and law enforcement friends and peers. This served as a vast network so that once he moved to Texas, he could execute his strategic plan

Kelly Venden feels blessed to be healthy despite his military and law enforcement escapades. He finds joy in teaching and seeing “the light bulb” come on with people as they expand both understanding and confidence in self protection. He plays a few rounds of golf whenever he can, and spending time with his family is paramount. Walks with his wife Robin and “doing fun stuff” with his teenage girls keeps things fresh and helps reduce the stresses of life.

If he could help a veteran who is struggling with the change from military back to civilian life, he would tell them that experiences don’t translate. When a veteran attempts to explain “what I did” or “there I was” is that civilians don’t care, or they don’t have the same baseline of life lived to understand. So many times, he would try to explain his work with the Special Forces. The Army’s Delta Force is a “secret” unit that is not widely discussed, yet many have heard about them. Even to this day when folks ask what he did in the military and he explains, “I was in Delta Force,” the words can be met with no comprehension or complete amazement. Venden offers this advice, “…don’t try, and don’t get frustrated when you can’t get them to understand. We have been exposed to the best and worst in people through harsh environments and best experiences seeing how it affects those around us. Instead use your experiences to shape how you drive the environment to aid in your success.”

One final thought that Kelly Venden shares is that as he “works for the Army training soldiers who deploy to the best and worst places to protect our way of life, I’m blessed to be involved, and thankful to be provided the opportunity to give back in such an important way. Successful transition from military to civilian life is just that; being involved in ways to give back. Seeing the benefits of your time and efforts is the greatest blessing.”

Kelly Venden resides with his family in San Antonio, Texas. For more information about Criterion Tactical and the services that they offer, visit http://www.criteriontactical.com.