This week's Roundtable covered a lot: a lively debate about AI assistants and data privacy, three first-time attendees, and plenty of people offering introductions before anyone asked. It was another reminder that the best part of this group is how quickly people show up for each other.
 

We started with AI. Mike Forrest (founder of ALMA, a voice-first AI companion for seniors and veterans; mike@almamyfriend.com; almamyfriend.com) told us he'd just set up an AI assistant that briefs him on his email twice a day. Alicia Nordman (social media manager and short-form video specialist with Alicia's Social Media; alicia.nordman@gmail.com; aliciassocials.com) is a fan of the same tool. PJ Ewing (founder of Chief Marketing Outsource and co-host of a weekly finance podcast with Bill; pjewingnyc@gmail.com; chiefmarketingoutsource.com) urged everyone to think twice before handing over their inbox. Bill Haase (author of Our Mindset on Money and founder of Money Mindset Media; info@moneymindsetmedia.com; moneymindsetmedia.com) summed it up: these tools are built to acquire information. That led to stories about prices changing on TVs and airline tickets once a store or airline knows you're looking. Consider yourselves warned before you book holiday travel.
 

Then Deb Plennert (founder of Precision With Honor Bookkeeping and part of the QRF Up team; deb@pwhbk.com; qrfup.org) properly introduced Mike. He's 92 and a serial founder who has never worked for anyone else. In 1984 he started a company that found absent parents for agencies around the country. It grew into one of the first background-check companies, and he sold it in 2001. His new venture, ALMA, does three things:

• It eases loneliness with a memory that builds over time, so it can bring up something you said weeks ago at the right moment.
• It handles reminders.
• It watches for scams using 215 fraud patterns drawn from Senate, House, AARP, and federal agency reports. It won't call something a fraud. Instead, it makes you pause and reach out to someone you trust, because urgency is a scammer's biggest weapon.

University of Central Florida students are testing ALMA now. It will be free to every senior and veteran, and Mike is aiming for 750 active users by the end of the year. He's also volunteering as a business mentor at a VA hackathon in Tampa next month.

The room responded fast:

• Nikki Gianni (the GovCon Architect, Air Force veteran and former federal contracting officer; nikki.gianni@gmail.com; nikkigianni.com) wants to connect Mike with her son, a nursing student who cares for a 98-year-old man.
• Alex Snyder (financial planner working alongside an estate planning law firm; amsnyder@ft.newyorklife.com) posted contacts in the chat and offered his network of older clients and their adult children.
• PJ shared that he recently watched his 85-year-old father lose $4,500 to a phone scam. He offered to introduce Mike to Peter Gordon in New York, whose firm manages finances for older adults.
• Alicia added that UCF's tech program is top tier.

I'll make introductions to Mike for anyone who wants one. That's exactly why we're here.

Our second new Mike, Michael Mayoral (Army veteran and financial advisor with Florida Financial Advisors; michael.mayoral@floridafa.com; floridafa.com), came to us through GB De León. His practice is comprehensive: wealth management, retirement income, legacy and estate planning, Medicare, and benefits like 401(k)s and health insurance for business owners. Business owners are where he's most drawn. He helps them answer questions like these:

• What happens to the business if something happens to you?
• How do you pass it on without a huge tax bill?
• How should you structure a sale?

He also has a publishing deal for a book on financial education. Bill introduced himself for Mike's benefit. He has 40 years in finance, 20 in the Chicago trading pits and 20 on Main Street, and then "ran away from the compliance department" to write his book. He's now bringing that work to prison and parolee programs, military groups, community colleges, and the Financial Therapy Association. Bill and Alex both offered Mike their time.
 

Nikki also talked about her own work. She helps established businesses in professional services, construction, and the trades win government contracts. She's involved with Sierra Delta, which gives veterans grants of up to $3,500 to train their dogs, and a new cohort starts tonight. She and a colleague are collecting stories for a book about veterans and their dogs, so reach out to her if you have one. The dog theme sparked a fun tangent from PJ: his sister's documentary Folktales, about teens learning dog sledding at a folk school in Arctic Norway, is now on Netflix. Years ago she also filmed a CNN Heroes segment on volunteers who train dogs free of charge, and PJ is going to dig up the link.
 

Benefits and planning came up from two more directions. Val Ayers (Army veteran and founder of Pathfinder Readiness LLC; help@pathfinderreadinessllc.com; pathfinderreadinessllc.com) came as Nikki's guest. Val spent 15 years combing through DD-214s, first for his Reserve unit and then at the Durham VA. He's now built a business that helps veterans gather their records into one organized digital package, complete their paperwork, and get buddy statements written. He works alongside VSOs so veterans get the hands-on support the free system often can't give in time. Alex offered him an introduction to a contact in Texas and a list of veteran service officers across Massachusetts. Nikki's business-coaching note for Val: raise your prices.
 

Lisa Galloway (Guardian Financial Partners and Director of Operations for RebootVA Networks; lisa@rebootva.net; gfinancialpartners.com; rebootva.net) shared her Guardian Wealth SOP. It's built for veterans who have income, benefits, and savings but no strategy connecting them: it finds the gaps, the priorities, and the next steps. Lisa invited me to this morning's Reboot VA Networks meeting. It was great meeting new people and catching up with founder Shane Hicks (not to be confused with our own board member Clay Hicks, founder of H7). Reboot VA Networks connects businesses, veteran-owned or not, that want to serve veterans.
 

Deb also gave a QRF Up update. The app is free to download from the website. It has a crisis line backed by 988 and wraparound care, including housing help, and users control their own data. QRF Up partners with Excello Housing to get unhoused veterans into homes, especially in Florida, and Deb wants to connect with Val. On the bookkeeping side, she's taking on a few more clients before year end so their 1099s go out on time and their books are ready for tax season. She also shared a fun fact from Bill and PJ's podcast: GLP-1 drugs pushed Weight Watchers into a full restructuring, and lighter passengers are cutting airline fuel costs. Bill's reply: it isn't bringing airfare down.
 

Deb is still looking for an angel investor with $250,000 to $400,000 for a Kentucky campground that would house veterans and offer recreation. That ties right into what Mark Spenelli (Army veteran developing Nature's Edge, a veteran-centered RV park and tiny-home community; natures.edge.glampground@gmail.com; naturesedgeglampground.com) is building. It's a strong model because the RV side funds the housing community. 
Deb also thanked Alicia for the LinkedIn posts she made featuring Deb's cat. Alicia put out a call for B-roll of everyone's pets, since animal content is gold on social media.
 

Lisa Bowers (founder of Office Allies; lisa@officealliesllc.com; officealliesllc.com) closed the loop on a hiring ask from a couple of weeks ago. She got nearly 50 applicants, and about 30 came from this network. She has hired one person and is about to make a second offer. Lisa also works with Steadfast Home for Vets in Indianapolis on getting unsheltered veterans housed, which is how she and Mark first connected. She even interviewed Mark's wife, Nicky, for her open role. Alicia and Nikki have already traded emails about a VOB social media campaign, and they'll pick that back up once the family's college move settles down.
 

On the VOB side, a few updates:

• Job board: It's live while we finish some final tweaks. From your dashboard, go to Resources → Jobs in the left-hand panel to post a listing. I asked Lisa to test-drive it and send feedback, since our tech lead Shanker makes improvements constantly. Resume posting for veterans comes next, before we do a full launch announcement.
• Courses: Ed Jarecki (Jarecki Business Coaching & Concepts; ed@jareckibcc.com; jareckibcc.com) has already uploaded his course, The Startup Architect, to the platform. We worked through the last details last night. It covers the foundations for new small businesses: strategy, vision, plan, customer focus, value proposition, marketing, sales, and AI, at a price that's easy on the pocketbook.
• Content uploads: Use the content link on our website to send photos and video straight from your phone without compression.

Mike Forrest slipped back in at the end to say he's fascinated by this group and plans to attend next week.

Everyone is encouraged to complete their free VOB member profile. I can see that several people have registered but have not yet finished setting up their profiles. If anyone runs into difficulty completing their profile, adding a business listing, posting Community News, or navigating the site, please reach out — I'm happy to help.

Thanks again to everyone who attended, shared, asked, offered, and connected. This is exactly what we want the VOB Roundtable to be: veterans and supporters helping each other find the people, tools, services, and opportunities that move missions forward.
 

Mahalo, 

Kevin 🍍🇺🇸