Ryan is a co-founder and the CEO of Knowledge Perk LLC in Rock Hill, SC, and a founding member of The Gravity Center, also in Rock Hill. An Air Force veteran and former general manager at Starbucks, Sanderson is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in sales, business development and business startups. He is a past board member of Rock Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce, a founder of the Rock Hill chapter of 1 Million Cups, current member of the Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation and chairman of the Finance Committee of Lakewood Baptist Church. Ryan and his wife, Laura, have two children.