Long before Steve Koehler became an AtWork franchise owner, he was serving his country as a U.S. Navy SEAL. His early career took him through demanding special warfare training, maritime operations in the Persian Gulf and years of work supporting the intelligence community. Today, his mission looks different, but the desire to make a meaningful impact remains.
Alongside his wife, Tracy, Steve owns an AtWork staffing franchise in the Austin, Texas, area, where the couple helps employers find talent and connects people with opportunities to support themselves and their families. Their path to business ownership reflects a life shaped by service, an enduring partnership and a faith that ultimately changed how Steve sees himself and his purpose.
Answering the Call to Serve
Steve grew up in a military family and was drawn to the challenge of becoming a Navy SEAL. For him, enlisting offered an opportunity to serve his country, develop maturity and pursue a goal he had carried for years.
The journey was demanding, thus earning the elite reputation that the SEALS have. Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training tested candidates through relentless physical conditioning, open-water swims, diving, obstacle courses and tactical instruction. Steve learned that surviving the experience required as much mental determination as physical strength.
“We joke that SEAL training is counterintuitive in that it’s actually 98% mental and 2% physical,” Steve explains. “The training can be grueling, but as long as you can tolerate the suck factor, you’ll get through it.”
After completing the pipeline, Steve joined a SEAL Team on the West Coast as a corpsman, or medic, combining medical expertise with special warfare responsibilities. His service included maritime interdiction operations in the Persian Gulf, where his team boarded vessels suspected of violating international embargoes.
Steve left active duty in 2000 and continued serving in the reserves before transitioning out. When the wars following September 11 created new opportunities for specialized government work, he returned to overseas assignments supporting the intelligence community. Those experiences further expanded his perspective, but they also reinforced something he had begun to recognize; he needed to feel connected to a mission and see how his work made a difference.
A Partnership That Crossed Continents
Steve met Tracy in Beirut, Lebanon, while both were connected to government work overseas. Their careers took them around the world, but they found ways to maintain their relationship across the distance. While Steve worked in Saudi Arabia, he used his leave to meet Tracy wherever her assignments took her. He eventually proposed in Cairo. Nearly 18 years later, they are raising two children and navigating another adventure together: owning and operating a business.
Their partnership brings together distinct but complementary strengths. Steve's experience in leadership, strategic direction and problem-solving complements Tracy's background in accounting and business operations, along with her natural ability to build relationships. Together, they approach business ownership with a shared commitment to building something meaningful for their family and the community they serve.
A New Identity Through Faith
Steve’s transition from military and government service was not simply a career change. After returning to Texas, he began searching for direction. He felt drawn to Houston Christian University, where questions about Christianity helped grow his faith.
“Steve had already lived a big life, seen the world and proudly served our country before we ever met,” explains Tracy. “But I think his journey of faith is what ultimately reshaped how he saw himself, his purpose and the future he wanted to build.”
For Steve, his service as a SEAL will always be part of his story. It gave him great perspective; but it doesn’t define him. His faith, family and desire to serve others have become central to the person he is today.
Finding a New Mission with Franchising
Steve admits as rigorous as military training is, he, like other veterans know that military service doesn’t always translate well to a resume in civilian life. But he and Tracy had the entrepreneurial spirit and wanted a business they could build together; one that offered both a sustainable opportunity and a way to help others. They found that combination as franchise owners with AtWork, a national staffing franchise connecting employers with qualified candidates.
During a visit to AtWork’s headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee, the couple was struck by the culture and the way faith and shared values were reflected in conversations with the support team. They saw a business that could bring together their strengths while allowing them to make a tangible difference in their community.
AtWork gave the couple a way to put that conviction into practice. Their office works to ensure job seekers feel heard and respected, recognizing that behind every application is a person with goals, responsibilities and a story. Even when there is not an immediate position available, they want people to know someone has taken the time to listen.
For Steve and Tracy, franchise ownership is more than a business venture. It is a way to bring together the lessons of a life lived across continents; a marriage built on partnership and a faith that continues to guide their choices. Steve is proud of his military service. Today, alongside Tracy and AtWork, he is serving his community by helping people take their next step forward.