Hi everyone,

Thanks for making time for the Roundtable yesterday—lots of good new faces, practical resources shared, and a strong example of how this community shows up for one another.

We started with some quick tech/shop talk, then Kelvin Ching (financial mentor in Hawai?i working tax-free retirement strategies and leveraged planning) brought in Mark Salmon (Enrolled Agent in Alpharetta, GA) who gave a clear, no-fluff explanation of what an EA is and how IRS representation works—plus answered a few questions in the flow of the conversation.

Deb Plennert (Gold Star widow and founder of Precision with Honor Bookkeeping) helped keep the “who’s who” straight as more people joined, and we had a nice run of introductions and “what do you do” overlap:

Clayton Bretey (Founder, Bill Savings Advocate) shared how he helps businesses reduce expenses by auditing and negotiating across a wide range of recurring cost categories, and clarified how his approach differs from larger, more standardized firms.

From there, Kevin connected the dots to Bill Clement (Navy veteran and energy broker with Wise Energy Solutions), who shared a concrete example of how audits uncover surprises—like a Michigan client where a rate classification change drove major savings (including going back three years).

That naturally led into Wayne Murray (Founder, A-1 VA Ratings West and connected to the Employee Well Now program), who walked everyone through how the program uses IRS code-driven reimbursement plans to increase employee net pay and reduce employer payroll tax burden—while also highlighting the per-employee savings concept and added benefits. Wayne also pointed people to his website https://a1vawest.com/ (Employee Well section with a video + slides) for anyone who wants to dig in further.

Vince Lindenmeyer (retired Army Colonel; nonprofit advisor; co-founder of the Maui Community Foundation; also active in South Florida leadership/community work) introduced himself next and shared a few threads he’s seeing in the nonprofit and small business space—including the broader “systems” lens around sustainability and long-term positioning. A conversation around “where do you put money / how do you protect value,” he raised the question of Bitcoin—prompting the broader “what’s real diversification” discussion that followed.

Deb then pulled Tom Lundell into the mix (Gold & Silver savings consultant with Sound Money / 7k Metals), and Tom expanded on diversification outside the “money printing system,” including the idea of starting small and using insured private vaulting and liquidity options. Bill Haase (Money Mindset Media, author of “Our Mindset on Money”) added perspective on the psychology of “getting started,” and how people often assume these asset categories require big dollars upfront.

The heart of the call centered on Michael Matteis (disabled Air Force veteran; founder of Sentinel Veteran AI Solutions), who shared the Sentinel Veteran AI platform concept—aimed at giving veterans a safe, supportive interface while also creating actionable, clinician-ready context during moments of elevated risk.

That’s where the group really leaned in with practical, experience-based support:

• Vince brought his experience as a longtime nonprofit advisor—(Principal at Beacon 4sight Group, where he’s helped organizations strengthen strategy, governance, compliance, and sustainability, and has supported grant funding wins totaling $2.5M+) urged Mike to keep the story less “tech speak” and more mission/outcome: a practical safety net for veterans in the in-between moments of care. He emphasized making HIPAA/compliance a top priority, then moving into a real pilot so the concept gets vetted and validated with partner feedback. Vince also encouraged Mike to pursue strategic partnerships—especially with nonprofits and frontline provider ecosystems already serving veterans—so this becomes something organizations can confidently adopt and stand behind.

• Alex Snyder (NY Life financial professional with a deep prior background in law enforcement and crisis response) underscored how valuable Mike’s data collection could be in a real crisis scenario—especially when the responder doesn’t already know the person and needs context quickly to de-escalate safely.
• Brian Cate (Assistant VP at SouthStar Capital) asked smart “build and deploy” questions and shared a practical hosting/security path worth exploring as Mike moves toward HIPAA-level readiness.

• Chris Hunt (Navy veteran; President/CEO of Blue Prairie Synergy Solutions—project/program management, technical integration, operational excellence) offered help where needed and asked about the right way to share VOB through the Fort Worth Chamber and bring in more people to strengthen the ecosystem.

We also had several strong community members in the room who didn’t take mic time (or only had very little), and I want to acknowledge you as well—your presence matters here: Mark Miracle (Marine Corps veteran and Certified Sales Leader; Fractional Sales Leader / outsourced VP of Sales with Sales Xceleration, helping SMBs—especially tech/SaaS and professional services—build a sales engine and drive sustainable revenue growth), Pete “Aloha” Tingstrom (retired Army LTC / Special Forces; Aloha Oahu Weddings & Events in Hawai?i), Lisa Bowers (Office Allies / virtual operations support), Mark Spenelli (Army veteran building the Nature’s Edge Management vision around veteran-centered rural respite + sustainable property models), and Mike “BUZZ” Mallon Jr (Marine veteran; Storyteller Promotions / brand experience and promotional strategy). Don’t forget to catch Mike’s group Tropic Thunder Thursdays.

Joseph Wexler (AOD Resource Group / Acres of Diamonds ecosystem) shared a quick funding-related update and encouraged the community to keep showing up strong in aligned rooms and events.

Before wrapping, I reminded everyone that Clay’s Thursday H7/VOB meeting is available for those who want more connection and reps in the ecosystem (Thursdays at 10:00am HT / 4:00pm ET).

Appreciate you all—see you next Roundtable.

Kevin