Russell Broughton Jr. and Nathan Simpson were a couple of years apart at Seymour High School, and both wound up serving in the Marine Corps around the same time.

They ran into each other during a tour in Iraq in 2008, and then they were stationed on the same forward observing base in Afghanistan for a few months in 2010.

After both men were discharged, they went separate ways but kept in contact.

Broughton started a family and attended Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus for three years before landing a job as an electrician, while Simpson moved to Colorado to attend college.

The idea of starting a food delivery service in Seymour was tossed around in recent months after Simpson saw something similar in Colorado.

Nothing really came of those talks until early October.

“Me and Nathan talked about this months ago, and I woke up one day and I was like, ‘I’m going to do it. I’m doing it,'” Broughton said. “I called him and I was like, ‘Are you wanting to do this or what?’ and he’s like, ‘I’ll back you up 100 percent.'”

Broughton created a Facebook page for the business, The Middle Man Food Delivery Service LLC, while Simpson took care of the paperwork associated with starting a business.

With the help of Kim Gonzalez, a website was established and a pamphlet was created to show local businesses as they started networking with them.

Read the fully story in Friday’s Tribune and online at tribtown.com.