Leading Through Pressure: Navy Lessons, CEO Decisions, and Building a Stronger Wabash with Brent Yeagy

In this episode of Risk & Resolve, Ben Conner and Todd Hufford sit down with Brent Yeagy, President and CEO of Wabash, to explore his journey from small-town Indiana to the U.S. Navy submarine force and ultimately to leading one of America’s largest transportation equipment manufacturers. Brent shares how military pressure shaped his leadership, what it took to guide Wabash through COVID, why he refuses to accept the status quo in healthcare, and how leaders can drive breakthrough change by owning outcomes instead of delegating them away. This is a conversation about resilience, responsibility, and leading with clarity when the stakes are high.Main Talking PointsBrent’s Indiana roots, early dream of becoming a doctor, and formative years in AlexandriaHis nonlinear path from Purdue to enlisting in the U.S. Navy during the first Gulf WarHow leading young sailors on a nuclear submarine shaped his view of pressure, responsibility, and leadershipWabash’s origin story: disrupting the trailer industry through customization and entrepreneurial speedBrent’s rise through multiple roles at Wabash after joining in 2003The career-defining risk of moving into manufacturing leadership with only 24 hours to decideWhat changed when he became CEO in 2018How Wabash responded to COVID after losing roughly 70% of backlog in weeksWhy command-and-control leadership was necessary in moments of crisisTurning crisis into opportunity by recapitalizing, reorganizing, and reshaping the businessBrent’s philosophy on healthcare: leaders are responsible for outcomes, not just costsWhy CEOs cannot delegate away stewardship of employee healthHis vision for Wabash’s future through resilience, culture, and strategic transformation