Robert has also been involved directly with Veterans, working closely through a family project to help homeless and transitioning Veterans, disabled people and seniors. This project, called Brandon’s Battalion, is named after Robert’s Marine Veteran nephew, Brandon Berrellez. Brandon passed away at the age of 23 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, suffering from PTSD. He was a two tour veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan, and his two brothers also served in the Marines. Robert has been committed to helping veterans and the homeless with programs such as no-cost apartment cleaning, no-cost manicure and pedicure services in the home for disabled and seniors who cannot pay, no-cost furniture, kitchenware and glassware for transitioning homeless who find new housing and who have proven to be drug free and aspire to a new beginning. Robert began his career in International Sales and Importing. He was a designing and marketing executive in the developing Audio/Video Industry of the 1980s. He established a line of audio/video cables and connectors called “Koala Kables”, later sold to the Monster Cable Company. Robert founded an Importing company to market a line of Video Tape Rewinding Machines exclusively through the Top Video dealerships in Southern California/Nevada/Arizona. He designed and developed the first “Auto Winder” video tape rewinder that looked like an American Classic Automobile where the VHS video tape was inserted via the opened car hood. He continued his Marketing and Sales career throughout the 1980s and 1990s, training sales representatives and establishing personality recognition techniques used in marketing insurance and mortgage products for Brokers, Direct Lenders and Banks. Later in his career, using his strong contacts with the Mortgage Industry, Robert became a corporate officer with Mortgage Lenders and Corporate Real Estate Brokers. Working mainly in Underwriting and Processing, Robert established himself as a preeminent expert on specialty mortgages such as VA Loans, Reverse Mortgage, Specialty Financed, & Jumbo (non-conforming) loans.

As of late, Robert has been the caregiver of his 90 year-old parents for the past four years. Suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, both were cared for by Robert in at-home hospice, & both recently passed away from natural causes within the same 30 day period. This life-changing experience has given Robert a unique and valuable perspective on seniors, caregiving, estate planning, hospice care, and the costs therein, both monetary and emotional. Robert continues his work though the family project, and looks forward to continuing with helping Veterans, the disabled, homeless, and seniors.