Colin Wayne is a former US Army Veteran who went on, after serving in the military, to become a large fitness social media star and high profile CEO and founder of Redline Steel – the largest steel monogram company in the United States. However, it wasn’t the smooth sailing that it seems to be. Colin faced many challenges and had to take many tough and life altering decisions before he eventually ended up where he wanted. His business might not seem like “changing the world type” but to him it is important as it is his legacy as everyday he makes his mark on the world.
What do we know about Colin Wayne?
When he turned 16, Colin realized that High School wasn’t for him and that he wanted to do something that satisfied his inner self and made him feel like he was accomplishing something bigger than himself. When he turned 17, he found his true calling and he joined the Army in 2006. Unfortunately, while he was serving in Afghanistan, he became injured as a 107mm rocket exploded nearby him.
What some people might consider the peak of their career or life, was just the beginning for Colin. From there he went on to become a fitness model with 50+ magazine covers, created a social media fan following base of over 3.2 million and eventually became the Founder and CEO of Redline Steel.
How successful is Colin Wayne?
Colin worked hard from a very young age. He wasn’t much of a student but only because he always knew what he wanted and then he went for it. Being confident enough to know what you want at the age of 16 and being able to drop out of school to pursue what you want is a great success and that is what Colin did. That was his first step towards achieving greatness.
Serving in the US Army and being honorably discharged only because he was injured might seem unfulfilling to some but is a success story for Colin as he was young and his time in the army cultivated his personality and molded him into the man he is today. His time as a soldier taught him the discipline and gave him the strength to carry on even when he was tired and especially when he was down.
Having such a strong foundation growing up gave Colin the tools to continue with his life. He became a fitness enthusiast and many aspired to be like him. He became a role model for masses and appeared on the covers of 50+ magazines and also 15 Romance Novels.
Colin was satisfied with his life but his thirst to aim for more was still there. In January 2016, Colin founded Redline Steel which quickly became the country’s largest customized Steel Manufacturing company. At this point, Colin had become successful in every definition possible, with a great and loyal social media fan base, serving for years for his country, appearing on famous magazine covers, building a successful company and becoming a multi-millionaire before he even turned 30.
His achievements were even acknowledged by the Whitehouse as the Trump Administration invited him to represent the State of Alabama at the Made in America White House Event in 2023. He also received a Commendation award by Governor Kay Ivey at the Alabama State Capitol.
What is so unique about Redline Steel?
Redline Steel offers customized/personalized steel decor art. They manufacture a wide range of products from custom man cave items to military memorabilia and a wide range of faith-based products so whatever you build has the mark of who you are as it can represent your core belief and values.
Redline Steel is a symbol of patriotism as all of their products and the material used are sourced in the United States. Their Steel is made from high quality, 16 gauge steel and all of their steel decor items are powder coated (rather than painted to ensure quality over a lifetime). So not only will the steel immortalize any mark, design or symbol you love but is also a symbol of longevity and reliability.
Colin is gradually expanding his business even further and his company is also scaling their product line to include Custom Framed Canvas, Leather Bracelets, Leather Keychains, and Apparel.
Has Colin ever faced any tragedies?
Everybody has their own demons to face and tragedies to survive through, and Colin was no exception. He struggled a lot while he was trying to accomplish his goals but he quickly learned not to give into them rather to rise above them.
On May 3rd, 2012, while he was serving his third Military tour in Afghanistan and working out in a gym when a 107-mm rocket exploded about three and a half feet from him. He was so shocked by what had just happened that he couldn’t even process the pain and the situation and he barely remembered the ensuing gunfire and the rescue. But he survived.
Shrapnel went all the way through his leg, which led him to six months of physical therapy just so he could learn to walk around a little and move normally again. The incident also left him with some nerve damage in his back and so he required lumbar block fusion surgery as well.
But he turned his own painful experience around and worked hard on himself and thus enjoyed the fruits of his labour. In less than 18 months after the injury in Afghanistan, he landed his first magazine cover on Ironman Australia. The gym almost killed him as he was already in physical recovery, but it also saved his life.
A lot of people would have feared re-entering something that almost ended their life, but He was able to turn that negative experience into a positive career change.
What are Colin’s hopes for the future of Redline Steel?
Like many successful entrepreneurs, Colin has no intention of slowing down. He aims to continue growing and scaling the business to become the largest Home Décor Company in the Nation. And not just within the Wall Décor Industry, but all things encompassing Home Décor.
He wants to create new barriers for himself just so that he could break them. He intends to dive into the Home Decor industry to include acquisition deals within the next 12-24 months for product lines that align with our current customer avatar. Colin has major plans for his company and he is just relentless enough to achieve them.
Any Quotes or “Words of Wisdom” that inspires Colin?
“A quote that I love is from General Douglas MacArthur, “Americans never quit.” It isn’t the season to quit. It’s the season to remake ourselves.”
How is Colin and the Redline Steel making this world a better place?
He formed a “Giveback Collection”, where they give away a free item to the medical workers and other critical first responders, and within the last 60 days has donated over $3M in product to First Responders and Medical Staff.
In Early March when there were a lot of concerns and unknowns, he decided to ease some of the stress and cover all of his staff’s April Rent/Mortgage payment due to the uncertainty and stress over potential set-backs due to COVID-19.
They were able to remain open for business and were able to retain all staff to include hiring over 35 new employees within the past 2 months.
In the future, he envisions Redline forming a Non-Profit Rehabilitation Compound that would include purchasing 300-400 acres and building an all-inclusive “compound” to include Temporary housing, Dining Facility, Gym, Recreation Center, and state of the art Manufacturing/Distribution Center where Redline Steel will transition its HQ. This Non-Profit is intended to help rehabilitate Veterans, as well as, being known for being a hire-friendly company for a second chance work rehabilitation for those that have committed felonies, or are recovering from Alcohol/Drug Addiction. It’s his belief that both areas of focus need to be improved so that those who are struggling can truly have a second chance, and give them all of the tools to rebuild their life.
Colin is truly a substantial and reliable pillar of the community who works not only for himself and his family but to also help as many people as he can.