David Trogden has learned some things about working hard, but he’s also learned some things about working smart, and the combination of the two are leading him in some influential paths.
His grandfather was a Kentucky coal miner and his grandmother woke up every morning at 5 am, got on her bike (she never got a driver’s license), and rode through all kinds of weather to open their local Catholic church. She set an example he remembers well in this and other ways.
His parents both grew up in large Catholic families and were the first from their families (David has more than 50 first cousins!) to attend college. Setting another example of hard work and ingenuity, his father became a city bus driver in Owensboro where he grew up, and in addition they shared a number of “side hustles” together by the time he was 10. They did lawn care, leaf removal, and gutters, and he paid cash for his first car on the same day he got his driver’s license.
With college came a move to Greencastle, Indiana for a degree in economics from DePauw University, and 5 years later, an MBA from Indiana University. After serving seven years with E&A Companies, a private equity firm in Indianapolis, he was asked by the owner to move to California to run a new acquisition, which he did successfully for three years before the company sold. Now the entrepreneurial seed was firmly planted, and although David returned to Indianapolis, he came back at age 31 as a fully engaged self-starter.
His first solo venture was a medical equipment business, which he started out of his garage in 2014. Called Probo Medical, the company focused on repairing and refurbishing medical equipment. It grew steadily – both organically and through 12 buy-side acquisitions, ultimately being recognized as the second fastest-growing private company in Indiana, and one of the fastest in America. In 2022, he sold it to Avista Capital Partners. Probo now employs more than 700 people worldwide.
Now he has turned his considerable time and talent toward what has been most life-giving for him: service and relationship.
A spiritual gifts assessment underscored where he was already thriving: leadership and giving. “I’ve always been able to galvanize people around a common goal, purpose, or cause,” he says. “And when you start from the understanding that it’s all God’s, giving is a joy. So we joyfully share our financial resources – primarily with an international focus – supporting about 20 non-profit organizations.”
Equal to his resources, David believes in sharing his time, meeting regularly with entrepreneurs and business leaders, focusing on how and where he can help others. He often finds himself at the intersection of entrepreneurship, capital, and purpose, helping growth-stage entrepreneurs, investing in ventures and people, or helping for-profit and non-profit enterprises channel their energies toward more than just making money.
In that pursuit, the dedicated entrepreneur helped start the Brightwater Collective, a group of like-minded, faith-driven investors who look for opportunities to create and nourish a redemptive ecosystem in Indy.
Happily married for a dozen years to “my best friend Casey,” David names himself “blessed” with two daughters, 9 and 7. Since 2019, the family has traveled by RV to all of the lower 48 states and almost every national park in the country, a feat that outdoes his childhood by a factor of 16.
“If I believed in reincarnation,” he says jokingly, “I’d like to come back as my kids.”
Also in pursuit of relationships that matter, he takes annual weekends with guy friends from both high school and college, maintaining a core of friendships as the years go by. The family attends Northview Church, and he and Casey run a family foundation together that focuses on their philanthropic giving.
TROGDEN'S IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
SEE INTERACTIONS AS A WAY TO SERVE AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. “Indianapolis is blessed with an incredible culture of open-handedness,” he says. “You can see it in the community, connections, and the genuine desire to see others succeed. Rather than a transaction, I see each interaction is an opportunity to build a relationship or do a service.” David asserts that the rewards for serving will be much greater anything else you might have sought from the interaction.
C7 FUNCTIONS TO FIGHT ONE OF OUR CULTURE’S BIGGEST EPIDEMICS. “We are in the midst of a loneliness epidemic,” says David. “C7 exists to create community and purpose – two of the best tools known to combat this problem.”
JOIN A PEER GROUP FOR MORE ACCOUNTABILITY. David belongs to four different peer groups that meet monthly, and from those he receives a steady stream of encouragement and accountability -- keeping him living into the things that matter most with intentionality and purpose.
DAVID TROGDEN TRIVIA
Favorite hobby besides work? Family adventures.
Go-to snack & beverage? A grazer, David snacks continuously on protein bars, almonds, and buffalo chicken meat sticks. He’s also an executive bourbon steward (like most Kentuckians, he loves bourbon and basketball), but while bourbon might be his favorite drink, water is the obvious staple.
Favorite restaurant, locally? Thanks to his daughters, Crave, an ice-cream shop within walking distance of home.
Favorite places for a vacation? “I love the mountains, and my wife loves the beach. Needless to say, if you want a beach recommendation, I’m your guy.”
Secret Dream? David dreams of flying in the Goodyear Blimp someday. Can anyone make that happen?