#331: Band of Brothers Legacy: A Journey from D-Day to Today with Chase Millsap, Brett Lea, and Alex Sabga-Brady
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Release Date: 07/24/2025
#343: Leveraging AI to Close Real Estate Loans Faster with Zach Farkas, Army Veteran
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: Want to join us in Tampa, FL on January 26th & 27th? Visit: ____ Speaker Bio: Zach Farkas is the founder of Relos, a proptech company automating real estate workflows to streamline transaction coordination and reduce hours of manual work. Before launching Relos, Zach was the #4 ranked VA lender in the nation, a career he built by focusing not on volume, but on educating veterans about how to leverage their VA home loan benefits. A former Army officer, Zach built his lending business by combining his personal mission...
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#342: Strengthening the Backbone of Business (and Self) with Omar Ritter, USMA ‘00
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: Want to join us in Tampa, FL on January 26th & 27th? Visit: ____ Omar Ritter is a West Point graduate, fractional CFO, and the author of West Point to Wall Street: My Journey to Mental Wellness. Currently serving as an Area President at FocusCFO, he helps small and mid-sized businesses improve their financial visibility and achieve sustainable growth. With a career spanning financial leadership, entrepreneurship, and military service, Omar works to strengthen the backbone of small business communities through expert...
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#341: Helping Defense Contractors Work Smarter with AI, Anthony Pinto USNA ‘14
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: ____ Anthony Pinto is the founder of Veteran Vectors, an AI consulting and automation company serving defense and government contractors. A former submarine officer with nine years of service, Anthony previously appeared on the SABM podcast in April 2020 while still on active duty, managing real estate deals from overseas. After leaving the Navy and navigating the challenges of military spouse life, Anthony pivoted from real estate to launch Veteran Vectors in 2025. His company helps small and medium-sized defense tech companies...
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#340: Building a National Real Estate Brand for Veterans with Travis Winfield, USN Ret.‘16
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: ____ Travis Winfield is the founder of Military Operated Real Estate, and author of the upcoming book Military Money and More. A retired Navy Command Senior Chief with 24 years of service, Travis founded the Winfield Group in Southern California, successfully helping 100-150 military families per year before passing the business to his son in 2024. Recognizing that less than 12% of the nearly 20 million active duty and veteran population has used their VA home loan benefit, Travis launched MORE to create the first national real...
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#339: Growing America’s Padel Community with Dan Fitzgerald, Army Veteran
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Dan Fitzgerald is the Founder of the 40Forty Padel Club, a company bringing one of the world’s fastest growing sports to South Carolina and beyond. A Citadel graduate and former Army Infantry Officer, Dan went on to serve as a TAC officer at West Point, teach leadership, and build executive teams as a recruiter before discovering padel during his travels to South America. Hooked from the very first game, Dan saw an opportunity to introduce the sport to the U.S. market in a way that was both affordable and community-driven. Today, he leads 40Forty Padel Club with the mission to make padel...
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#338: Building Affordable Survival Communities at Fortitude Ranch with Drew Miller, USAFA ‘80
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: Want to join us in San Francisco, CA on October 7th & 8th? Visit: ____ Drew Miller is the CEO of Fortitude Ranch, a survival and recreational community for disaster preparedness and everyday use. A former Air Force intelligence officer and longtime prepper, Drew founded Fortitude Ranch over a decade ago, creating a network of secure rural compounds supported by professionally organized teams and sustainable resources. With eight locations nationwide, Drew’s mission is to offer members affordable access to well...
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#337: Bringing Institutional Discipline to Multifamily Investing with Curtis Cullen, USMA ‘09
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: Want to join us in San Francisco, CA on October 7th & 8th? Visit: ____ Curtis Cullen is the Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Convolo Capital, a real estate investment firm focused on small to mid-size multifamily syndications across the Southeast and Sunbelt markets. A West Point graduate, Curtis served as an Infantry and Aviation officer, including time as a Battalion Operations Officer, before exiting the Army in 2018 to pursue a career in commercial real estate. After the Army, Curtis built his business and finance...
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#336: Finding Opportunity at a Crossroads: Raj Kankaria and Lone Star Attorney Service, USMA ‘13
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: Want to join us in San Francisco, CA on October 7th & 8th? Visit: ____ Raj Kankaria is the President of Lone Star Attorney Service, a full-service litigation support firm and the largest process service company in Harris County, Texas. A West Point graduate and former Army engineer officer, Raj went on to hold leadership roles in investment banking and commercial strategy at Citi, Mexico Pacific, and WSI Enterprises. After discovering an overlooked corner of the legal services industry, he rolled up his sleeves, learned...
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#335: Transforming Restaurant Efficiency Through Real Time Data with Daniel Bednar, USNA ‘08
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: Want to join us in San Francisco, CA on October 7th & 8th? Visit: ____ Daniel Bednar is an investor and advisor at Curbit, a technology company transforming the restaurant industry with real-time data and operational transparency. A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Naval Officer, Daniel led technical operations and intelligence programs on the USS Makin Island, in Afghanistan, and at the Office of Naval Intelligence. After transitioning into finance and strategy, he’s applied that same mission-driven focus to...
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#334: Helping Small Businesses Overcome Financial Challenges and Access Capital with Juan Dominguez, USMA ’89
Service Academy Business Mastermind
Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: Want to join us in San Francisco, CA on October 7th & 8th? Visit: ____ Juan Dominguez is the founder of Dominguez Advisory Group, specializing in business mediation and access to capital for small to midsize companies facing financial obstacles. Drawing on three decades of business experience, he has built a practice focused on business advocacy for those who have hit a bump in the road. After a successful corporate career, including leading a $1 billion company and managing a team of 600, he launched this consulting...
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Want to join us in San Francisco, CA on October 7th & 8th?
Visit: https://www.10xvets.com/events
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This week on the SABM Podcast, we’re joined by Chase Millsap (USNA ’05), Brett Lea, and Alex Sabga-Brady, the producers behind D-Day to Today: The Band of Brothers Legacy, a forthcoming documentary exploring the lasting impact of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers on modern-day service members and military culture.
Chase Millsap is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, former Marine infantry officer, and Army National Guard Special Forces veteran. After over a decade of service, Chase transitioned into storytelling and documentary filmmaking. He helped launch We Are The Mighty and has spent more than 15 years producing authentic military content in Hollywood. This project brings together his dual passions: military service and meaningful storytelling.
Brett Lea is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with 22 years of service. A former West Point history instructor and military public affairs officer, Brett led multiple staff rides in Normandy and served as the Army’s official liaison to Hollywood. His personal reverence for Dick Winters and Easy Company fuels his commitment to preserving the legacy of WWII heroes and inspiring today’s soldiers.
Alex Sabga-Brady portrayed Corporal Frank Mellet in the original Band of Brothers series and has spent the last two decades as a creative director, production designer, and brand strategist. While originally cast as background support due to his prior cadet training, Alex’s dedication and performance earned him a named role. Today, he remains closely connected with his fellow castmates and is deeply committed to honoring Easy Company’s legacy.
Together, they’re bringing this story full circle through reenactments, interviews, and original footage—connecting the heroes of WWII with today’s soldiers of the 101st Airborne and reigniting conversations about courage, leadership, and service.
Show Notes:
In this episode of the SABM podcast, Scott chats with Chase, Brett, and Alex about:
- The Band of Brothers Legacy Project: How a group of veterans and cast members are preserving the legacy of Easy Company
- From Training to Jump: Reenacting WWII parachute jumps in Normandy with the original cast
- Impact on Today’s Military: Why Band of Brothers still resonates with the 101st Airborne
- Military-Civilian Storytelling: Blending authenticity, history, and cinematic power
- Bringing It Home: The team’s goal to premiere the documentary in Normandy in 2026
Timestamps:
- 01:10 Chase’s background and transition into storytelling
- 04:10 The jump that inspired the documentary
- 07:22 Alex’s perspective on portraying history and maintaining legacy
- 14:40 Brett’s journey from West Point to the Army’s Hollywood liaison
- 19:00 Why Band of Brothers still matters
- 24:16 Production progress and what’s left to do
- 31:45 How the 101st Airborne is carrying the legacy forward
- 36:50 The unexpected power of rediscovered footage and interviews
- 43:00 The impact of Band of Brothers on leadership across generations
- 49:13 How to support and get involved
Connect with Chase:
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A special thank you to Chase, Alex, and Brett for joining me this week. Until next time!
-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01