Member News

May 20, 2016

Much like trying to turn around a company, Rocket Fuel CEO Randy Wootton is constantly seeking new challenges. His life has been full of them, from serving his country to fundraising for disease sufferers. The head of the ad technology company shares his thoughts in this Q&A, which has been edited for length and clarity.

What’s your favorite hobby and why? It’s biking, because it is the closest I have ever felt to flying. When you go zipping down the hills at 40 miles an hour and you’re wearing Lycra and the bike is shaking, and you’re like, “Well, I wonder if this is going to crash?” [chuckles] You just have this adrenaline rush, and swooping through the hills is really similar to when we flew the A-6. It was 200 feet at 500 miles an hour, and it [biking] is a little bit of adrenaline, a little bit of competition racing up the hills, and a lot of fun.

How did you get into biking? I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I used to play football, wrestling and track in high school. I was a big runner but I ended up with surgery in both knees, so I stopped. Then I went to Seattle, and all my friends were doing mountain biking. Then it became, “Well, let’s tie it to some charities rather than just going out and doing 100-mile rides. What are the events where I can get some sponsorship and do that?” It became a way of combining the interest and passion, stay in shape, as well as do good.

What kind of biking-related challenges are you doing at Rocket Fuel? I’m really excited because we just launched Charity Challenge, which is an event where we’re sponsoring different organizations. The one that I’m most passionate for is MS (multiple sclerosis): Waves to Wine. It’s something that I did at Salesforce and raised, I believe, a million dollars. We’re starting our own team here at Rocket Fuel and going to be doing bike riding. We’re going to have a competition around the company for which teams raise the most money for either MS or the Heart Association.

You’re big into service. What other ways are you involved in serving others? I knew very early on that I wanted to serve. I continued that with volunteering with children’s causes. I was on the board of a clinic and the YMCA. I was really just trying to give back time and wisdom early in my career mostly because I didn’t have any money. Now I’m trying to participate on the boards, giving back to kids, veterans and the families that are left behind when people are deployed. It’s a real crime how little we pay our enlisted folks because they can’t even afford new refrigerators if they break. They’re often below the poverty line. It’s just really heartbreaking.

How were you serving in the military? I was a naval aviator in the Navy. I flew A-6 Intruders as a bombardier and navigator so I sat next to the pilot. I did two Persian Gulf tours and then I went back to the Naval Academy, took a degree in the liberal arts and taught English for three years.

You were the co-founder of a program called VetForce at Salesforce. Can you tell me about this? We gave training away for free to veterans. For young, primarily enlisted folks who are making the transition that didn’t know what their skills were, we gave them free training and certifications. I’ve continued interacting with veterans’ groups like Vets in Tech, and helping to hire and place people in jobs. Then there’s the Honor Foundation, which is focused on special operations.