Matt Hesse

About Matt Hesse

Matt Hesse is behind UHP, based in Gentry, Arkansas.

On episode 50 of NWA Founders, the Northwest Arkansas business podcast, published October 13, 2026, Matt Hesse shared the story of the business. The conversation runs 1 hr 7 min. In this milestone 50th episode of the Northwest Arkansas Founders Podcast, host Cameron Clark rides around the UHP (Unlock Human Potential) campus with founder Matt Hesse, a former Army veteran and serial entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to solving the veteran transition crisis. After selling his sports nutrition company, Hesse invested heavily in veteran suicide research and discovered that loss of purpose, not combat trauma, is the primary driver of veteran suffering. In just four years, he has transformed 800 acres of raw Arkansas farmland into a $40+ million campus that trains veterans in human performance, industrial trades, and entrepreneurship, with a goal of serving 1,500 veterans per month by 2031.

Jump into the conversation

1. 4:30Hesse describes UHP as combining "Disneyland, Fort Bragg, and the University of Arkansas" into one campus
2. 6:10The devastating statistic: 7,300 combat deaths vs. 200,000 veteran suicides over 20 years of the Global War on Terror
3. 8:08Hesse identifies loss of purpose and identity, not combat trauma, as the primary driver of veteran suffering, explaining why UHP focuses on prevention over treatment
4. 50:15The transformation story of Mike Gerardo, a Marine who overcame injury, addiction, homelessness, and parole to become a mental health counselor serving veterans
5. 59:20Hesse unveils plans for a franchise model where veterans graduate from UHP and own a business with zero debt and no capital of their own, making up to $150,000 in under a year

About UHP

• Veteran-focused health and leadership education, Gentry
• uhp.com

Show notes, chapters and transcript →