Leupold CEO Bruce Pettet and Leupold Optics Academy instructor Michael Baccellieri sat down with Drew Estell, owner of Baer Solutions, and Garrett Schwindell, owner of Kagwerks, to discuss their transition from the battlefield to running their own businesses. Both guests are also head instructors for the Greyhive Training Community.
Garrett served in the elite 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He has a total of 14 deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Ranger, PSD Operator, US State Department Lead Firearms Instructor, and Shift leader for a Helo CSAR team. He was the lead State Department firearms instructor and trained thousands of US military and private contractors, as well as hundreds of foreign military and police. He continues to train US Special Operations Units, various SWAT teams, and civilians.
Drew is an Army Special Forces veteran who specialized in military free fall operations. He completed numerous deployments to the Middle East, conducted direct action missions, trained foreign special operations forces, and conducted human intelligence gathering. Together, Garrett and Drew comprise a part of the Greyhive Training Community, an online resource for firearms and self-defense tactics led by industry experts.
Both Garrett and Drew found it difficult adjusting to the civilian world after their enlistments ended, but instead of letting it get them down, they channeled their knowledge of firearms and tactics into tangible business opportunities. Since starting Greyhive, they have seen a growing interest in tactical training from both the military and civilian communities alike. They have partnered with Leupold to offer a broader depth of training for the Leupold Optics Academy. Since both guys have used Leupold products on and off the battlefield, it seemed like a natural fit to offer that expertise to others. Garrett and Drew, being a part of the Leupold Pro Staff, truly shows that we’re relentless because our fans are relentless.