Employee Spotlight: PTS Co-Founder and School Director Rich Lee

Rich Lee, the co-founder and school director of PTS, has been given various opportunities during his life and career. From his early days delivering papers and mowing lawns to his successful military career and eventually starting a school that provides high-quality education and opportunities for people to step into a new industry, Rich has extensive experience in helping people find their passion and grow their success.

Rich’s Career Before PTS

Rich enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after high school, serving as a medical services specialist. As he transitioned out of the military, he continued on in medicine, working for the Tennessee State Department of Corrections as a night clinic superintendent in Nashville.

Taking advantage of his GI Bill benefits, Rich obtained an education that allowed him to gain employment in a wide variety of industries, from medicine to banking to technology. While his career was varied, he saw a common theme: he was working with people to find answers to personal and technical issues.

In the years before confounding PTS, Rich was an application engineer for a few local electrical design and manufacturing companies. As he gained this professional and technical experience, he moved into a position in international sales and sales management. However, he believes his biggest accomplishment prior to PTS was growing a team of application engineers from the ground up. Starting from scratch, Rich was able to build a team of 12 talented individuals who provided services and opportunities to customers.

The opportunity to start PTS came along one day when a friend reached out. He remembers sitting on his porch when he received a call from Matt Foor, PTS’ cofounder and president. Matt expressed his interest in starting up a heavy equipment and crane operator school. As it turns out, Rich and Matt had the same reasoning — there is a world outside of college. To this day, Rich is still grateful that, out of all the people Matt knew, he chose to call him.

The Early Days of PTS

After the call with Matt, Rich got to work drafting the business plan for PTS. As with any new venture, the early days were fun and exciting — but also challenging. Leads and enrollment were thin at first, but as they continued to get the PTS name out into the community and online, the school started to grow.

Rich says that he and Matt shared the same vision of changing people’s lives, which kept them motivated throughout the hard times. Education, even short-term, can have a huge impact on someone’s life and bring them opportunities that they may have never had before. So, even when things were difficult, Rich and Matt kept their vision in mind and knew it would work out for the better.

Rich’s Role at PTS

When Rich started PTS with Matt, he knew that he would be heavily involved. With his vast experience in administration, Rich has worn every hat possible at PTS with the exception of instructor. This involved both front- and back-end work. Some of his front-end responsibilities included prospecting new students, attending job fairs, student admissions, conducting tours, and running new student orientations. On the back end, Rich provided career services, such as customized resumes for students and sourcing job leads.

Under his official title as School Director, Rich was responsible for federal and VA statistical reports, compliance with the law, and making sure the facilities were in good condition. Throughout his time at PTS, Rich never had a problem taking on other jobs — he simply wanted to do whatever was needed to be able to continue providing high-quality education and career opportunities.

Memorable Moments

As a small business, seeing growth was always rewarding for Rich and the team. Any time a new piece of equipment came onto the lot, it was a noteworthy moment because it meant things were moving in the right direction.

Another aspect of the school that Rich loved was seeing graduates return. No matter how far away they lived, many students came back to the school to visit instructors and tell current students about their success. Grateful students will always be memorable to Rich, as they prove PTS did precisely what we set out to do, help change lives.

Some students even returned as instructors. Through the years, three former students who used their GI Bill benefits to attend PTS later returned and applied to become instructors. Not only did they find work after graduation in their respective fields, but they also wanted to come back to teach at PTS. Rich never wanted students to feel they were stuck, and he was thrilled to give returning graduates the opportunity to expand their skills through teaching.

Rich believes that the most significant event lately has been the opening of their new training facility in 2023. The new location provides a larger classroom area, more teaching aids, and a larger training ground. Rich says it is an emotional feeling when growth finally comes to fruition.

Accomplishments at PTS

When asked about his accomplishments, Rich states that he could “talk about the school all day, but this one was tricky.” Rich believes that PTS’s greatest accomplishment is that they have stayed true to their core values — honesty, integrity, and respect.

On a personal level, Rich has worked alongside some of the best people he has ever known. He has been able to learn so much from them from a personal and professional standpoint, and they have made PTS a fun place to be.

Rich believes that the people he works with sets PTS apart. When he was developing the business plan with Matt, they were dedicated to making sure PTS was a family-like school and not a “diploma mill.” They wanted to change people’s lives, and they have been able to do so through an exceptional curriculum, hands-on training, small class sizes, and career services following graduation.

Rich’s Advice to Future Students

“Try” and “plan” were the first words that came to Rich’s mind. He has encountered many people who are paralyzed by indecision and poor planning. “Being idle, either through indecision or a lack of commitment, will cost you for the rest of your life. You are losing time to experience things, you’re losing time to gain knowledge, and you’re losing income. In other words, your life is just slipping away, and you’d be surprised how fast the years go by. Additionally, to coin a phrase, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. Lasting success with anything is rarely spontaneous. Find your passion, research educational and employment options, meet with those who can help you, and get moving.” Rich says. He believes you do not have to marry any single career or job, but he believes you should do something.

What’s Up Next for Rich

Currently, Rich and his wife are traveling across the country to spend time with their loved ones. This will also give Rich more opportunities to work with his church and get more involved in serving his community. Rich’s son is a minister at a local church and has founded programs in the Dover area for widows and other individuals in need of help and companionship, and Rich is looking forward to helping with these efforts.

Rich hasn’t forgotten about his PTS family, however. “The most important thing I’ve carried with me is how profoundly thankful I have been and that I am for the opportunity to have served for and with Matt there at PTS. Again, of all the people Matt knew — and Matt knows everybody — he called me. With that in mind, I am glad we shared the vision and stuck it out because we knew we were doing the right thing for the right reasons. It has been a blessed opportunity, and I thank Matt so much.”

A Thank You to Rich Lee

Rich isn’t just the co-founder or school director of PTS — he has been the heart and soul of the operation. From the very beginning, he has worked with the entire PTS family to maintain honesty, integrity, and respect at the school while providing exceptional education to all PTS students. Not only has he helped uphold our values, but he also used his own experience in the military and GI Bill benefits to create a financial program that helps veterans attend our school.

We would like to thank Rich for his service in the United States Air Force and his time at PTS. He has truly made our school a place where people want to work and study.

Thank you, Rich!