Ep 124: The Fog of War and Humanity with Richard Acritelli and guest Jeff Brett P2 on hmTv

Ep 124: The Fog of War and Humanity with Richard Acritelli and Guest Jeff Brett (Part 2) | hmTv

In Part 2 of our powerful conversation, The Fog of War and Humanity host Richard Acritelli continues his dialogue with Jeff Brett, founder and CEO of King Quality. This episode dives deeper into Jeff’s national expansion, his unwavering belief in people, and his commitment to building a business rooted in compassion, family, and purpose.

Jeff shares how his experiences—from early mentorship to wartime family legacy—inspired the King Quality Cares initiative and a culture of giving back. With heartfelt reflections on community service, the importance of showing up for others, and why the best investment is in people, this episode is a masterclass in leadership with heart.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, community leader, or simply someone seeking purpose, Jeff’s message will stay with you: “We’re not just putting on roofs—we’re rebuilding lives.”

Transcript

Ep 124 – The Fog of War and Humanity
hmTv | Host: Richard Acritelli | Guest: Jeff Brett, Founder & CEO, King Quality

Richard Acritelli:
This is Rich Acritelli coming to you on hmTv and The Fog of War and Humanity. Welcome to part two of our conversation with Mr. Jeff Brett from King Quality. In our first episode Jeff walked us through his path to becoming one of the nation’s leading home-improvement entrepreneurs and the relentlessly positive mindset that powers his work.

Today I’d like to dig into your recent service projects. I read in the paper—and saw on News 12—that King Quality donated a brand-new roof to VFW Post 6249 in Rocky Point. Can you tell us what happened there?

Jeff Brett:
Absolutely. The request actually came from my cousin—he’s more like an uncle—who served in Vietnam, along with his best friend, Jimmy Hankey. They told me the post’s roof was shot and asked for a price. Like most vets, they insisted on paying their own way, but I couldn’t let that happen.

When I finally called Commander Joe Cognatore back and said, “We’re donating it,” he was stunned. He still tried to pay for the plywood! But that’s veterans for you—always ready to give, never looking for a freebie. Those men and women literally built this country.

Richard:
And that gift keeps the post alive so it can keep serving the community—schools, fire departments, the neighborhood—far beyond veteran-focused work.

Jeff:
Exactly. On demo day the place was packed with vets. Joe and the guys fired up a grill—you can’t stay on a diet at the VFW! We handed out King Quality hoodies in camo. Joe had even invited the local officials; suddenly it was “Jeff Brett Day” on Long Island—crown and all. But the real heroes were standing right beside me.

Richard:
What did it feel like to watch the old roof come off?

Jeff:
Honestly, it took me straight back to my childhood in Port Jefferson. When I was eight or nine, I’d be out planting trees at Infant Jesus Church with my dad and a bunch of vets. I once asked Dad how much we’d get paid. He looked at me and said, “We’re helping out, Jeff.” That lesson never left.

Father Frank Pizzarelli from Hope House reinforced it. He’d pull up with a van full of kids in trouble, hand them to me and say, “Jeff’s in charge.” We ended up donating roofs, windows and siding to seven or eight Hope House facilities. Father Frank isn’t a veteran, but nobody lives service more than he does—unless you count his love of chocolate-chip cookies.

Richard:
And the Matt Lengro story fits right in there.

Jeff:
It does. Matt got into fights, lost his spot in college, and wound up at Hope House. He turned everything around—great family, thriving business. When he passed recently they renamed a residence the Matt Lengro House, and we donated that roof in his honor. One act of service can change generations.

King Quality Cares

Richard:
Thanksgiving turkeys with Lighthouse Mission sparked your next initiative—King Quality Cares. How did that begin?

Jeff:
Four years ago we’d just finished handing out several hundred turkeys. The whole company was in a parking lot asking, “What else can we do?” Dave Widmar from News 12 said, “Let’s use media muscle.” Now, for every chosen nonprofit we produce a commercial and give them about $50,000 in airtime.

Our first partner was John’s Crazy Socks—John has Down syndrome and runs the company with his dad. Sales shot up overnight. Long Island Against Domestic Violence went from 60 hotline calls a month to 600 after their ad. Feeding Westchester landed a major Manhattan donor. We’ve helped Habitat for Humanity, AHRC, and many more. These groups spend every dime on mission; we simply amplify their voice.

Richard:
You also slipped a scholarship surprise into Rocky Point High School last week.

Jeff:
A couple of baseball players caught Rich’s eye. He called me and said, “Think we can do a $1,000 scholarship?” I said, “Make it two.” The look on those kids’ faces—priceless. If we plant the service seed early, they’ll pay it forward.

Veterans Inside the Company

Richard:
King Quality actively recruits veterans. Why?

Jeff:
Because they’re the best teammates I’ve ever had. We’ve got Marines, a Green Beret—Jeff Oben—who still teaches at West Point, and partners like Victor’s Roofing in Detroit and Sure-Fix Roofing in Wisconsin, both run by Marines. Tell them to run through a wall and they’ll try—then regroup if it doesn’t work. They never get stuck in the mud.

Jeff ran a barbecue-slash-training session at our Westchester office last week—grilling, teaching, motivating all at once. People left fired up, not worn out.

Richard:
Do those veterans form the foundation of your national growth?

Jeff:
Absolutely. I’m getting older; they’re young, strong, mission-driven. Their constant question is “How do we become the #1 roofing contractor in America?” Second place isn’t in their vocabulary.

Richard:
And you’re still learning every day.

Jeff:
You have to. Our mantra—borrowed straight from the military—is “Better than yesterday.” The U.S. military is already the finest in the world, yet they keep improving. I once shared the stage with former Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill. You’d never guess he shot Osama bin Laden—humble, focused, always refining. That mindset drives us, right down to making the bed in the morning. If you won’t straighten the sheets, you won’t straighten the day.

Richard (closing):
Jeff, thank you for another powerful conversation—service, leadership, community, and the drive to be better than yesterday. We’ll take a short break, and when we return for part three we’ll crank the energy even higher with more stories from King Quality and the people you’re helping along the way.

Stay tuned—this is hmTv’s The Fog of War and Humanity.

[Music fades in]