Ryan Holly did not take a straight line to running a multi-business holding company. He trained as a nurse, fell for emergency medicine, and moved into international air ambulance work that took him across 143 countries. In this episode of the Sunny Ray Show, he traces how that path led to Odin Industries, a holding company with three segments. The largest is a Defense Base Act case management business that handles workers compensation claims for foreign nationals tied to combat zones. A veteran disability practice focused on Nexus and DBQ work and a real estate arm buying foreclosed and tax lien properties round out the group. Ryan explains how a single request for medical records from Chad grew into a profitable niche, why he builds services in house when clients keep asking for them, and what he learned from selling his first company and staying on for five years. He also covers why he designed Odin with a future exit in mind, how inbound interest from investors has shaped his thinking, and why he finds the legal frontier of the Defense Base Act so compelling.
A nurse turned air ambulance flyer explains how one phone call about medical records from Chad became a multi-business holding company.
What is Odin Industries and what are you building?
Odin is the biggest of the three businesses I oversee. It focuses on Defense Base Act claims, essentially workers compensation for foreign nationals working for American military contractors. We manage their claims globally, including appointments, medical records, medical legal opinions, and vocational assessments. We also own a veteran Nexus and DBQ practice and a property holding company.
What pulled you toward medicine, and what did you think your life would look like?
I actually wanted to be a firefighter, but there were few jobs. My stepfather Murray pushed me toward nursing. I hated it for about three and a half years, but when I picked emergency for my consolidation placement, something clicked. It felt like home. I like the chaos and the adrenaline.
How did nursing turn into international air ambulance work?
A charge nurse of mine flew for an air ambulance company and kept wowing me with stories of London and Barcelona, so I bugged him until he got me a job. It started with occasional flights, then became a salaried role. We mostly repatriated sick travelers for insurance companies, and it was the best job for my 20s and 30s.
What did air ambulance work teach you about operating where normal systems fail?
It is built on a team: logistics handling visas and landing permits, pilots keeping us safe, and medical staff caring for critical patients. If a plane has a mechanical issue or a colleague gets sick, there is no backup plan in another country. Everyone has to work together, and you have to adapt on the fly.
How did the case management business come about?
It was serendipitous. A client asked me to get medical records out of Chad, and then Uganda. I realized it was a pain point, met with them, flew out and built a network. It went from a single phone call to roughly 50 to 80,000 dollars a month in revenue in under six months.
How do you decide which client requests to build in house?
When I saw vocational assessments being requested constantly, costing two to four thousand dollars each, I asked why I would pay a vendor and keep 50 dollars. So I hired an expert. Those services cost mostly staff knowledge, and we bill in six minute increments like a law firm.
What lesson did selling your first company teach you?
I sold it and stayed on five years in South Florida, and I hated it. I had no control and our values did not align. If I had a time machine, I would not sign that contract. It taught me better negotiating, and I built Odin with a future exit in mind.
How does Odin fit together, and how do you handle investor interest?
The three pieces are separate LLCs under the holding company and do not have to fit together. Case management serves employers and insurers, while the veteran business serves claimants directly. Investors have called, and I take those conversations, but I am not ready to sell yet. We are still growing.
Building something daring? Sunny talks to founders like this every day. Fifteen minutes to see if your story belongs on the stage.
Claim your pre-interview