Staff

The Fortitude Ranch management team is a group of experienced "preppers" who have been acquiring survival skills and operating survival groups for decades. Most of us are former military. All of us have business and professional backgrounds and the highest standards of integrity. Our Foodservice Manager has thirty years of restaurant management experience. Some of our staff, in keeping with the prepper community ethos of "don't tell anyone you're a prepper" do not list their names on our website. Many of our members have ideal survival skills such as MDs and Pharmacists. They are not listed here, and we never disclose our member's names!

Dr. Drew Miller, Col USAFR (Ret)

CEO

Colonel Miller is a USAF Academy honor graduate who received an academic scholarship to Harvard University where he earned a Master’s Degree and PhD in Public Policy/Operations Research. His dissertation topic was underground nuclear defense shelters and field fortifications. Drew served in the Cold War at Strategic Air Command, deployed to Germany, Bosnia, and Iraq. In addition to serving as an intelligence officer in Active, Air Guard and Reserve AF positions, retiring as a Colonel, he served in the Senior Executive Service in the Pentagon, and in many business management positions. His articles on the bioengineered viral pandemic threat and collapse have been published in leading journals.

Steven Rene, US Army (Ret)

Chief Security Officer and Fortitude Ranch West Virginia Ranch Manager

Steven Rene served our country for nine years in the US Army as a Pershing Missile crew member and Intelligence Analyst, deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division for Operation Desert Storm. As a result of this wartime service, Steven was exposed to Sarin nerve agent in Iraq. Upon his Honorable discharge he attended college and earned a Bachelor's degree in Humanities and started his own international non-profit organization, helping victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. He served in the country of Belarus for 12 years remodeling and updating their clinics and running a small ranch for social orphans. His construction experience is another great fit with Fortitude Ranch where he has been involved in a variety of projects.

Chris E, Army National Guard (Ret)

Fortitude Ranch Wisconsin Ranch Manager

Chris served in the Army National Guard, with training in infantry and combat engineering, serving as an Apache helicopter systems specialist. Chris also has gardening, farm and ranch experience, and after leaving the Army spent several years in construction, with great carpentry, building and electrical skills. His business also including IT, surveillance, communications, network infrastructure, installing and programming a wide range of equipment. Chris’s wife is a Registered Nurse and also an avid gardener.

Jeff S

Chief Operations Officer and Fortitude Ranch Nevada Ranch Manager

Jeff has been a long-time student of disaster, survival and emergency preparedness. He comes from a military family where everyone served, learning discipline, adaptability and service. Since his late teens, Jeff was a successful entrepreneur & small businessman, creating new businesses and leading associates to accomplish goals. His prepper skills and ability to quickly diagnose opportunities and challenges, create action plans and execute those plans with efficiency and attention to detail, made him a natural to lead our Fortitude Ranch location in Northern Nevada.

Dustin G, US Marine Corps (Ret)

Fortitude Ranch Texas Ranch Manager

Dustin G is a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, who served over 15 years on active duty. His primary specialty was Military Police. Dustin served as Squad leader in an MP combat unit and as Watch Commander for multiple platoons guarding air stations in southern California. His secondary duty was weapons marksmanship training, ranging from crew served heavy weapons to small arms. Military training includes Antiterrorism officer, marksmanship coach, defensive tactics instructor, Marine Corps Martial arts, combat medical aid, and multiple combat training courses. After the Marines he worked as a Sergeant at the Deputy Marshall's office for the Maricopa County Superior Court, and as a Custom Protection Officer with a police department in Arizona.

Larry D, US Navy (ret)

Fortitude Ranch Colorado Ranch Manager

Larry has 30 years of experience working complex technical and national security problems as an Intelligence Analyst and deployed Liaison Officer supporting direct operations. He's a U.S. Navy veteran with a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences. Larry deployed with multiple combatant commands during periods of high operational activity assessing and resolving task force priorities and threats. Larry's recognized as a subject matter expert in Technical Intelligence, Counterterrorism, Threat Assessment and Operational Planning.

Frank W, Merchant Marine

Business Manager, Fortitude Ranch New York

Frank has served as an engineer in the Merchant Marine for over 2 decades. He has sailed on every ocean and visited over 30 countries. In that time, he has learned the necessity of being prepared at all times. Frank runs Fortitude Ranch New York on 60+ acres with his wife, raising hogs, turkeys, chickens, fruit trees and crops. Bass are stocked in the 1/2 acre pond. His wife is a landscape architect designing and remodeling structures on the property.

Chris R, US Marine Corps (ret)

Ranch Manager, Fortitude Ranch Tennessee

Chris was born and raised in Western New York, a hunter and outdoorsman all his life. JROTC in high school lead to enlistment in the Marine Corps. Chris served in a Transport Battalion and Landing Support, gaining valuable equipment maintenance and operations experience as well as construction and military experience. After serving in the Marines, Chris worked in plumbing and electrical system jobs, more great skills for our off grid water and electric systems and future aquaponics operations. As a KOA campground and maintenance manager Chris also has advanced skills with RV systems, electric and propane systems. Chris leads a team at FR TN with extensive military and construction skills.

Sam S

Assistant Ranch Manager, Fortitude Ranch West Virginia

Sam lives full time at FR WV to take care of farm animals, and build and maintain the Fortitude Ranch facility. Sam has great construction and equipment maintenance skills. He works closely with Ringo and Mandalorian, the loyal FR WV guard dogs and entertainment directors.

George F, US Marine Corps (ret)

Assistant Ranch Manager, Fortitude Ranch West Virginia

George has 20+ years of state/federal law enforcement, military, and national security experience. He served in a United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance Company and Hawaii Army National Guard Military Police Unit. He was a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department, a police Sergeant with the Department of Defense Police and Special Investigator with the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Island, Department of Public Safety. George served overseas in Germany for the U.S. Army Europe, Office of the Provost Marshal and Office of the Inspector General. George worked for Department of Homeland Security participating in transnational criminal investigations and intelligence operations.

Abbey A

Sales Associate

Abbey manages sales and work with membership for Fortitude Ranch Wisconsin and the north central region. Abbey has worked as a consultant and developer and has a background in education. She graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln with a Bachelor's in Psychology.

Anna M

Office Manager/Sales

Anna manages FR office operations and assists with sales, explaining the many membership and token options. While she attended the University of Edinburgh for a year, she graduated from the University of Colorado where she participated in Army ROTC training. She has served at all FR locations and will likely be at the FR Colorado ranch during a collapse.

Luna

Fortitude Ranch Texas Guard Dog

Luna is an apprentice Guard Dog at FR Texas, working with Rosie.

Rosie

Fortitude Ranch Texas Guard Dog

Rosie excels in keeping foxes and coyotes away from our free-range chickens.. Pets are allowed at Fortitude Ranch—but members are responsible for providing their food, cleaning up, and ensuring they are never a nuisance.

Ron Weasley

Fortitude Ranch Nevada Guard Dog

When not trying to crawl into your lap, Ron serves as mid-range Guard Dog, visiting all buildings while keeping an eye on the chickens.

Starbuck

Fortitude Ranch Nevada Guard Dog

Starbuck provides long range reconnaissance and protection, covering all 175 acres of our property and venturing into surrounding BLM land in pursuit of coyotes and jack rabbits, reinforced by her brother Ron if a serious threat.

Donnie

Fortitude Ranch Colorado Guard Dog

Loyal guard dog Donnie protects chickens at Fortitude Ranch Colorado.

Frodo

Fortitude Ranch Colorado Guard Dog

Frodo, half Coon Hound, half Border Collie, assists Donnie in defending the chickens and members of Fortitude Ranch Colorado.

Ringo

Fortitude Ranch West Virginia Guard Dog/Entertainment Director

Ringo does his job well—keeping foxes and coyotes away from our free-range chickens, deer from our peach trees and gardens, and providing warning barks when people approach. Ringo is also a true best friend, enjoyed by all our guests. He is convinced that small creatures hide in rocks, and can spend an hour wrestling a big boulder around, barking and having a great time. Pictured here in front of the “Hobbit House”, a guard shelter attached to the guard watch gazebo.

Mandalorian

Fortitude Ranch West Virginia Guard Dog

Ever vigilant, the warrior dog Mandalorian on lookout for chicken thieves and hawks. Backed up by Ringo, Mandalorian provides ruthless farm animal defense while entertaining human visitors.

Gracie and Sasha

Fortitude Ranch Wisconsin Guard Dogs

Bad guys coming after our chickens or sheep or crops will face the wrath of Gracie (brown, on left) and Sasha (white, on right). They are Anatolian Shepard and Armenian Gampr mix.

Titan

Fortitude Ranch New York Guard Dog

Titan is half Great Pyrenees, half Anatolian Shepherd, 120lbs and a gentle giant. If a predator shows up outside the guarded area, it’s warned off with barks. If it crosses the line, it’s game on to protect his livestock; hogs, turkeys and chickens. Winter is his favorite season and he doesn’t mind getting buried in the snow; perfect concealment.

Rhea

Fortitude Ranch New York Guard Dog

Rhea is half Great Pyrenees, half Black Lab mix, 90lbs and, like her brother, gentle as can be. She not only hunts on the ground but scans the skies for hawks and eagles. She’ll trail them until they’re out of sight. She patrols night and day with Titan to keep Fortitude Ranch New York safe.