You have returned to the top of the page and may restart browsing.
Skip Main Navigation
You have skipped the global top navigation and may now begin browsing the page.
  1. Home
  2. Colleges
  3. Mitchell College of Business
  4. MCOB News
  5. Chasing Greatness

Chasing Greatness

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Amanda Akey
Amanda Akey

data-lightbox='featured'

In 2007, Nathan Cox ’11 returned home to Alabama after serving in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer, determined to chart his own course. As the Great Recession began to be felt, Cox dove headfirst into developing a lasting legacy across every facet of real estate — investment, development and homebuilding.

Shortly after beginning his career as a real estate agent, he decided to add a formal business foundation to his real-world experiences. In 2008, he enrolled in the University of South Alabama to earn his Master of Business Administration.

He took classes at night while growing multiple businesses and starting a family with his wife, Kimberly ’03. It took him three years to complete his degree. During an uncertain economic time, he believed that adding that distinction to his resume would strengthen his credibility.

Cox says he values the personal connections he built through South with both peers and faculty. He has invested in the University through the charitable giving of his real estate development and investment company, 68 Ventures, and the Cox Family Foundation, both of Daphne, Alabama. 

The investments include a scholarship for a senior walk-on football player as well as the newly established Chasing Greatness scholarship for real estate students in the Mitchell College of Business. His company also sponsors the annual 68 Ventures Bowl college football postseason bowl game at Hancock Whitney Stadium on South’s campus. The game matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference (which includes South) and the Mid-American Conference or Conference USA.

Male sits on brown leather couch during an interview. He is identified in the lower left corner as Nathan CoxWatch the video interview with Nathan Cox '11.

Cox says he invests in the University and its students to help ensure that the next generation of local leaders has the resources and the wisdom to build their own legacies and to reinforce his belief that when the University thrives, the entire region rises with it.

While earning his MBA, growing his family and running a real estate brokerage, Bellator Real Estate & Development, Cox founded Truland Homes, a homebuilding company, in 2011. He eventually sold it to the national homebuilder D.R. Horton in 2023. 

In 2016, 68 Ventures was formed as the holding company for Cox’s enterprises. It grew at one point to 18 operating companies and more than 800 team members. Today, its portfolio comprises more than 100 investment entities and nine operating businesses spanning industries from construction to pest control and energy distribution.

Cox says that what has set him apart as a business leader is his “extremely elevated capacity for pain” and “very, very high risk tolerance.” From his experiences as a walk-on football player at the University of Alabama and serving on the front lines in Iraq, he learned to navigate high-stakes environments through grit, perseverance and teamwork.

Those experiences shaped his leadership philosophy: “Leaders eat last.” He realized that while his own grit could build a company, putting the needs of everyone else ahead of his own would help an organization flourish. He credits his success to the incredible people God has placed in his corner throughout his life.

Today, Cox practices a form of servant leadership, operating under the belief that he actually works for his employees. He has found that organizations work best when he trusts team members with autonomy to succeed or fail on their own merits.

“If you focus on what you can do for the other person rather than yourself, thereʼs no limit to where it can go.”

Cox says he deliberately hires people who are better at what they do than he is. He focuses on providing financial resources, relationships and wisdom to help them succeed. This culture of empowerment aligns  with the mission of 68 Ventures: to inspire people to bet on themselves.

​Ultimately, Cox isn’t interested in taking the easiest road.  He often tells people that he mentors, “Doing anything worth talking about is always going to be brutal.” Embracing that reality, he says, ensures that the impact of 68 Ventures is felt far beyond real estate development. It extends to the next generation of leaders across the Gulf Coast, whom he is counting on to move the region forward.

This article appeared in the 2025-2026 issue of the Mitchell Magazine, an annual publication of the Mitchell College of Business. READ THE FULL ISSUE >>>

Share on Social Media