Some careers follow a straight path. Claude “Bobby” Sanks’ journey took a few turns along the way.
Today, he serves as Financial Controller for LuAnn Capital, LLC, a company that owns multiple international freight forwarding businesses. In the past six years, he has helped guide the company through major growth. Revenue increased from just over $3 million to more than $100 million during that time.
But Sanks did not begin his career in accounting.
His story starts with a childhood shaped by movement, sports, music, and curiosity about how things work.
“I’ve always been the type of person who wanted to learn by doing,” Sanks says. “That mindset followed me through every stage of my career.”
Claude “Bobby” Sanks was born in Atmore, Alabama, and spent his early childhood in nearby Bay Minette. He grew up in a large family with three sisters and a brother.
His father worked in aviation electronics for the U.S. Air Force in civil service, and the job required the family to relocate a few times.
“We moved when I was ten,” Sanks recalls. “First to Atlanta for a short time, then to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah became home for the next fifty years of my life.”
As a kid, Sanks stayed busy.
He played baseball, football, and soccer from the age of six through high school. He also spent years in the school band, playing trumpet, baritone, and sousaphone.
Sports played a big role in shaping his discipline.
“Team sports teach you a lot about effort and accountability,” he says. “Those lessons carry over into business.”
During his senior year at Bible Baptist High School, he was named Most Valuable Player on the soccer team and received a college football scholarship to Pillsbury Bible College.
But he chose a different direction.
After high school, Sanks attended Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah. His original plan was to become a doctor.
“I started as a chemistry major in the pre-med program,” he says. “After a few years I realized my path might be different.”
Before moving into accounting, he worked at Strachan Shipping Company in Savannah from 1979 to 1985. His roles included Gear Shop Superintendent and, later, Stevedore, where he managed equipment and worked directly with port operations.
It was an experience that exposed him to logistics and global shipping long before it became central to his career.
“Working at the port gave me a real appreciation for how global trade actually moves,” Sanks says. “You see the physical side of it.”
In the mid-1980s, Sanks joined his family’s accounting business. Over time, he moved into leadership and eventually managed the operation.
He became an Enrolled Agent with the IRS in 1993, and later pursued his CPA credentials.
To qualify for the exam, he completed an Accounting Equivalency program through the University of Alabama, earning the academic credentials needed to sit for the CPA exam.
He passed the exam in 1999.
“That was a milestone,” Sanks says. “It represented years of work and learning.”
The CPA designation opened new opportunities and expanded his role in financial leadership.
One of the most unusual chapters of Sanks’ career came in the 1990s.
For twelve years, he owned and operated Amazon Anglers, an adventure travel business that took small groups into the jungles of Venezuela to fish for Peacock Bass.
The experience was far more than a fishing trip.
Guests lived for eight to ten days in a village of Piaroa Indians, deep in the Amazon rainforest.
“It was really an early form of ecotourism,” Sanks explains. “People experienced the jungle, the culture, and the fishing all together.”
The business ended when political conditions in Venezuela changed during the presidency of Hugo Chávez.
“It was an incredible experience while it lasted,” he says. “We built relationships and memories that stayed with people.”
In 2019, Sanks accepted a new challenge as Financial Controller for LuAnn Capital in Asheville, North Carolina.
The company owns several international freight forwarding businesses.
His role focuses on financial oversight, systems, and scaling operations as the company grows.
The results have been dramatic.
“In six years we’ve gone from about three million dollars in revenue to over one hundred million,” Sanks says.
Growth at that level requires strong systems and clear financial visibility.
“You have to understand the numbers and what they’re telling you,” he says. “Good financial leadership helps companies see where they are and where they’re going.”
Sanks’ life has also included creative pursuits.
In 1982, he helped start a Contemporary Christian rock band called Zero Hour. The group toured across the southeastern United States and opened concerts for well-known artists such as Petra, Steven Curtis Chapman, and DeGarmo and Key.
Sanks played bass guitar and handled the band’s bookings.
“It started as a youth ministry,” he says. “Music gave us a way to connect with people.”
Even today, he keeps an active lifestyle.
He learned to water ski at age four and still enjoys outdoor activities. He also plays competitive senior league softball in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
“At seventy, I’m still playing,” he says with a laugh. “Staying active keeps you sharp.”
Family remains an important part of Sanks’ life. He is the father of three children and the grandfather of ten grandchildren.
Looking back, his career reflects a simple philosophy.
“Work hard, stay curious, and be open to opportunities,” Sanks says. “You never know where the next chapter might lead.”
For Sanks, those chapters have included shipping docks, jungle rivers, rock stages, and boardroom spreadsheets.
And the journey is still going.
Read more:
Claude “Bobby” Sanks: From Port Worker to Financial Leader