Meet Kyle Briley | Founder and President of the Georgia Police K9 Foundation / Corporal of the IMPACT K9 Team in Statesboro, Georgia

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyle Briley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Changing the way things are just to change them never made sense to me. Neither does keeping the things the way they are just because it has always been done that way. When I created the Georgia Police K9 Foundation, it came at a time where I had a realization things needed to change because of how things had always been done. There wasn’t a lot awareness of what vital role a K9 can play in our everyday life. Along with that, there was a gap within the community and law enforcement and law enforcement K9s. I really started this so that one day, even after I am gone, others can benefit from the groundwork we have established. From the K9, K9 handler, community and even agency, there needed to be a change and our foundation has done an incredible job in doing this. We couldn’t do it without the support of everyone from across the country. The passion of wanting to make a difference is really what got me to begin the foundation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One thing that I can always make sure of is that I never want to be outworked in something I am passionate about. We have to take calculated risks at times while weighing out a lot of political, personal and other matters. One thing that I think I can link any success to is having a mindset of just doing and going. I don’t need the affirmation, the pats on the back or believe there are ceilings you can’t get through. Work hard and let the success make the noise for you. As a foundation, I think I carry that mindset over where those who are really a part of our mission, see that we can be different and lay the groundwork for others to follow. I am humbled at the fact several other organizational leaders reached out to us for guidance and encouragement as they began their processes to make change in their own communities as well.

Challenges are what you make them. We are all subject to make mistakes or process things that don’t go our way in different manners. The challenges that I personally face day to day are things anyone faces and have had to learn from my own mistakes and others as well. In the end, trivial things don’t need to take up a lot of your time and being able to categorize what is not important and what is actually important can be a process over a period of time. Making sure you are protecting yourself and the brand are key components I wish I would have taken more seriously along the way. Always having confidence can carry you through any tough challenges you face and knowing your integrity and the brands integrity are to be put first and can speak for themselves.

Starting anything new can be tough. Especially when there is so many external factors coming in day in and day out. The uncertain times we live in can make people second guess any decision they want to make. Being able to look at what you have today, what risks are ahead and how to balance the best case scenario in order to make sure you’re ultimately “safe” and and continue in what you are doing can be difficult to go through. If you don’t start today, most of the time in the future you usually wish you would have.

If I would have listened to and followed direction from a few people at the start of this foundation, it definitely would have failed. Do what you know is the right thing to do and don’t let the overwhelming uncomfortable feeling make you not do something. This foundation has had it’s challenges and will continue to. We have been able to adjust and make decisions that really have made us different. When we say “Making a Difference: It’s What We do”, we really mean it and live by it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It depends on the person and what they want to see. There are a lot of great things to do in our community and the surrounding areas. It also depends on the time of year they visit and their likes and dislikes. We have a vibrant city that offers a laid back atmosphere or anything they’d like to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I started the foundation, there were a very few people who saw the vision. A group called Altrusa in Statesboro, Georgia believed in what I wanted to do and sponsored the filing fees to get our organization started. I will never forget their willingness to be a part of something; mainly because they believed in me as a person. I remember telling them they were always going to be given credit for the big things we were going to do as an organization.

There are many others that have come along this journey that deserve a lot of credit to shaping me of who I am and what I have become. Those who are the closest to me know who they are and know what they have done for me and their impact in my own life and for this foundation.

Website: gpk9f.org

Instagram: georgiapolicek9foundation (verified account)

Twitter: gak9foundation

Facebook: Georgia Police K9 Foundation (verified account)

Image Credits
Bymyside Photography Jacquelyn Rigsbee Statesboro Police Department PIO