Service Academy Business Mastermind

Claude Burns is the Founder of Office Libations, a corporate beverage and snack service delivering to offices in the San Francisco Bay area. They offer craft and local brands of coffee, tea, snacks, beer, wine, and spirits. In 2019, Office Libations was ranked as the #2 fastest growing business in Oakland by the Inc 5000.

In this episode, Claude and I discuss:

• His journey from the Navy into the snack & beverage delivery business
• How business school helped him formulate his idea
• His growing team and an open position he has at his company

Connect with Claude:

• Office Libations
• Claude on LinkedIn

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Claude for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Brad Artery (USNA '95) is the CEO of MOCingbird, an innovative online platform for healthcare professionals to monitor certification and educational requirements. The platform allows users to track and store MOCs, CMEs and state licenses in a secure vault in order to stay up-to-date and compliant. In the Navy, Brad was a submarine officer, doing tours on two Los Angeles class fast attack submarines.

In this episode, Brad and I discuss:

• His journey from the Navy into the healthcare business
• The value proposition of his platform to healthcare professionals
• His lessons learned getting the product to market

Connect with Brad:

• MOCingbird
• Brad on LinkedIn

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Brad for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Chris Prentice (USMA '92) has over 20 years of medical device experience in both large strategic healthcare companies and in successful startup companies. Most recently he was Vice President of Commercial Integration at Medtronic. Prior to his position at Medtronic, he was CEO of Mazor Robotics, which was acquired by Medtronic in December 2018 for $1.6B.

In this episode, Chris and I discuss:

• His journey from the Army into the medical device industry
• How he grew a company that sold for $1.6B
• His new robotics company that is revolutionizing upper extremity rehabilitation

Connect with Christopher:

• Harmonic Bionics
• Chris on LinkedIn

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Chris for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Charles Mullenger (USMA '10) is the owner of Ethos Evacuation Strategies, a leading partner in emergency preparedness and an American-made manufacturer of cost-effective evacuation solutions, including its flagship product, the Med Sled®. Since 2004, Med Sled has been developing products to support disaster preparedness and emergency evacuation to ensure that non-ambulatory individuals are transported safely in an emergency.

In this episode, Charles and I discuss:

• His path into business ownership through a search fund
• The 3 different types of search funds and the benefits of each
• His short- and long-term goals for Ethos Evacuation Strategies

Connect with Charles:

• Ethos Evacuation Strategies
• Charles on LinkedIn

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Charles for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Ben Allen (USNA '07) is the Chief Operations Officer at Beachly, a subscription-based premium apparel company inspired by the coastal lifestyle. I'm also joined by Kevin Tighe, Co-Founder & CEO at Beachly.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why they chose a subscription model to sell their coastal themed clothing
• How they attracted their first customers and how they are getting new customers today
• Valuable lessons learned on hiring and building a business from the ground up

Connect with Ben & Kevin:

• Ben on LinkedIn
• Kevin on LinkedIn
• Beachly website

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Ben and Kevin for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

David Chepauskas (USMA '77) is a Senior Wealth Planner at Summit Financial, an independent wealth management firm located in Parsippany, New Jersey. David has over 28 years of experience specializing in solving problems and maximizing opportunities for senior Wall Street professionals, business owners, executives, and retirees.

In this episode, David and I discuss:

• How to minimize capital gains tax through charitable giving
• How a charitable giving strategy creates a sense of purpose during retirement
• How his firm has helped some of the most financially successful Academy graduates in the U.S.

Connect with David:

• David on LinkedIn
• Summit Financial, LLC

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to David for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Mike Nemeth (USMA '04) is best known across the Service Academy community for his hilarious pranks that capture the spirit of the Army/Navy rivalry. In addition to his role as the community prankster, he's also a very successful entrepreneur who has built a 7-figure apparel business from the ground up.

In this episode, Mike and I discuss:

• His apparel company that has grown to over 7-figures in sales in the last two years
• His marketing pivot that helped him target the clients he loves serving
• His recent prank that included a press release saying the Navy named a new destroyer after Army's football coach

Connect with Mike:

• Mike on LinkedIn
• Emblem Athletic
• Mike's book: Discipline the Annapolis Way

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Mike for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Alex Chehansky (USNA '95) is the CFO and Partner at Notorious Wines, a wine company that has achieved national distribution through its great tasting wine and winning team. Their flagship wine, Notorious Pink, is an award-winning rosé made from 100% Grenache.

In this episode, Alex and I discuss:

• How they got their first customers and have grown sales to 50,000+ cases per year
• Best practices and lessons learned from growing their team
• Advice for Academy grads working in a start-up environment

Connect with Alex:

• Alex on LinkedIn
• Notorious Wines

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Alex for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Bryan Rodriguez is a real estate investor who has built a portfolio of real estate investments while serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. Part of his investment strategy involves renting his properties on Airbnb. In addition to real estate investing, Brian and his wife, Lana, run a real estate agency where they ranked in the top 10% of agents in the Colorado market.

In this episode, Bryan and I discuss:

• His best tips for renting investment properties on Airbnb
• Important metrics to consider when listing a property on Airbnb
• Utilizing a VA loan to purchase an investment property

Connect with Bryan Rodriguez:

• Bryan on LinkedIn
• The Lana Rodriguez Group

Jim "Bart" Bartelloni (USNA '90) is a Naval Academy graduate and former Rugby player. He cut his teeth in the military as a Naval Aviator, flying F-14s and graduating from the US Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). The opportunity to relocate to San Diego brought the chance to learn stand up paddle (SUP) surfing. After attending a SUP 'n' Surf retreat he made the decision to bring this opportunity to veterans with the hope they enjoy the same unique experience as he did.

In this episode, Jim and I discuss:

• How SUP boarding can help military veterans with PTSD
• Lessons learned from starting a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization
• Pro tips for catching a wave on a SUP board 😊

Connect with Jim Bartelloni:

• Jim on LinkedIn
• The SUP Vets Organization

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Jim for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01