When you hear the name Kenneth Underwood, you might first think of a business expert or tech founder. But his story is much wider and much more inspiring. Ken is someone who has lived many careers, taken many risks, and built success in almost every field he entered. Today, he is best known as the founder and CEO of TrustGrade, a platform that is changing the way businesses earn customer trust. But before TrustGrade even existed, Ken’s life was full of big steps that shaped the person he is today.
A Life Filled With Many Careers and Real Experience
The journey of Kenneth Underwood did not begin in a boardroom. It started when he was only 10 years old. As a young kid, he went door-to-door selling Hallmark Christmas cards. Later, he started a lawn-care service in high school. Even at a young age, he understood the value of customer service, reputation, and trust.
Then his path took a huge turn. Ken joined the U.S. Navy, where he became a Special Projects pilot. He served for 20 years — a long, disciplined career that taught him leadership, clarity, and calm thinking under pressure. After leaving the Navy, he continued flying as an American Airlines pilot, building even more experience in responsibility, communication, and decision-making.
But Ken was not just a pilot. His entrepreneurial spirit kept growing. He founded one of the largest driver-education companies in America. Then he created Stereofame, a multi-platinum record label that introduced artists and built a strong fan community. He also launched and led companies like SafeDriver.com and Strategic Interactive Holdings Corp. Over the years, his businesses generated more than $300 million in revenue and served over 10 million customers.
On top of that, he worked in the business media world. He became a Senior Producer at Yahoo Finance’s On the Move, and earlier produced for Fox Business and CNBC. This gave him a deep understanding of how businesses grow, how markets move, and how trust affects everything.
This wide background — pilot, producer, CEO, entrepreneur, record label founder — gave Kenneth Underwood a rare mix of skills. But it also exposed him to a major problem almost every business faces.
The Moment Everything Changed
No matter how successful or careful a business is, one thing can hurt it overnight: unfair reviews. Kenneth Underwood saw this problem up close. Like many business owners, he dealt with fake reviews, misleading comments, and platforms that refused to remove false information.
Google Reviews, Yelp, and even the BBB seemed to follow the same pattern. They protected the reviewer, not the business. Their algorithms felt biased. Their dispute systems felt broken. There was no balance. No fairness. And no way for a business to add context or explain its side of the story.
One day, after trying to remove a clearly false review, a Google affiliate basically told him, “If you don’t like it, build your own platform.” So he did.
How TrustGrade Came to Life
This moment pushed Kenneth Underwood to create something new — a platform that finally gives businesses a fair chance. He built TrustGrade, a customer-review and business-grading system focused on honesty, transparency, and fairness.
He teamed up with his CTO Dennis Okon, and his wife Kate Underwood, who is an attorney. Together, they created new tools like “full-view reviews,” real-time alerts, instant feedback loops, and the ability to display an A+ grade and 5-star badge proudly on a website or social page. Instead of hiding business voices, TrustGrade opens the door for them.
TrustGrade quickly grew into something powerful because the idea behind it is simple: people buy from people they trust. And trust is strongest when both sides — customers and businesses — can share their stories.
How TrustGrade Helps Businesses Build Real Trust
When a new review comes in, TrustGrade alerts the business right away. This means the owner can reply fast, clear up confusion, or help the customer feel heard. Fast communication builds confidence. And confidence builds trust. TrustGrade also turns simple star ratings into an A+ grade, which businesses can show on websites, landing pages, and even their social media profiles. It is a simple badge, but a powerful one. It tells people, “You can trust this company.”
TrustGrade also gives businesses something they have never had before — the ability to add context. With “full-view reviews,” a business can explain what happened, correct a mistake, or share important details the customer might have left out. This creates a more complete, honest picture. It protects honest customers and protects honest businesses at the same time.
Why Giving Businesses a Voice Matters
Before TrustGrade, business owners could not defend themselves. A single unfair message could shape their entire online reputation. And they had no way to fix it. This is what motivated Kenneth Underwood to push forward. He wanted to “level the playing field.” He wanted a platform where the business finally has a voice too.
Today, TrustGrade helps thousands of business owners feel safe again. They are not afraid of fake reviews anymore. They are not helpless when someone writes something inaccurate. With clear tools, simple features, and real support, TrustGrade gives them the power to protect their good name.
This matters because reputation is everything. One good review can help. One fake one can destroy months of hard work. TrustGrade changes that balance and gives every business a chance to show the truth.
A Bigger Mission for the Future
Even though TrustGrade is a tech platform, the mission is deeply human. Kenneth Underwood wants to fix the broken review system. He wants to make online reviews honest again. He wants customers to feel safe when choosing a business. And he wants business owners to feel secure knowing their hard work cannot be taken down by a single unfair rating.
His years as a Navy pilot taught him discipline. His time as an airline pilot taught him responsibility. His success as a serial entrepreneur taught him how important trust is. His work at CNBC, Fox Business, and Yahoo Finance taught him how business reputations move markets. All of those experiences now live inside TrustGrade.
Why Trust Matters More Than Ever
In today’s world, customers look at reviews before making almost any decision. They check ratings for restaurants, doctors, stores, websites, and even small service businesses. If the reviews look bad — or confusing — the customer simply walks away.
That is why trust is the strongest part of a business. It is stronger than ads. Stronger than price. Even stronger than marketing. People buy from people they trust. And TrustGrade helps businesses show that trust in a clean, simple, honest way.
A New Way Forward for Businesses Everywhere
With TrustGrade, business owners don’t have to fear reviews anymore. They can reply fast. They can add details. They can clarify mistakes. They can fix problems. They can earn their A+ grade proudly. They can finally turn their online reputation into a powerful tool that brings new customers every day.
This is exactly what Kenneth Underwood wanted — a world where good businesses can shine. A world where fake reviews cannot ruin honest work. A world where trust is not guessed but proven. And a world where the review process is fair, balanced, and transparent.
TrustGrade is still growing, but its mission will never change:
Make online reviews honest again. Give businesses their voice back. And help every business grow through authentic customer trust.
