'It’s About Impact': Robert McBride Dishes on Helping Veterans and Special Operations Forces

Beyond his business as a top lobbyist, Robert McBride’s impact stretches into service—specifically through his role as an Executive Board Member of Operation Healing Forces (OHF), a nonprofit supporting active-duty and veteran members of U.S. Special Operations Forces and their spouses. Tom Brady, tennis champion Monica Seles, and golf legend Fuzzy Zoeller are also backers of the organztion that started out with some patriotic yacht owners inviting Green Berets, Marine Raiders, and Navy SEALs onto their boats with their spouses for some well deserved R&R. These soldiers had been away from their families and homes for up to a year. Many had been severely injured or suffered from PTSD. The organization now offers retreats at the homes of their benefactors in idyllic spots across the country, including the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, and Aspen to Special Operations Forces members, their spouses, and caregivers. "We let them enjoy some of the luxuries we often take for granted, like fishing, boating, skiing, swimming, tennis, and hiking," said McBride, adding, "They are disconnected from being away. We want to be a small part of getting them back together."

At OHF’s recent Florida event, McBride was part of a team that raised over $1.5 million to fund their healing programs. “As someone who advocates for military and veterans every day, I can’t say thank you enough,” he told the crowd. “The job’s not easy, but it’s an important one.” The programs OHF runs—retreats, crisis support, mentorship—are focused on strengthening relationships and stability. “These programs are designed to reduce stress, improve communication, and ultimately create a more stable home environment,” he explained.

That’s where McBride thrives: on the bridge between high-level strategy and real-world results. “I’m not interested in doing anything unless it’s going to move the needle,” he says. “And I want to be around people who want to be impactful.”

McBride doesn’t speak in vague mission statements or buzzwords. He speaks on purpose. “I wake up every day and I have the ability to affect change in people’s lives,” he says. “We’re able to change communities, we’re able to change generations, and we’re able to put people in a position of success.”

McBride Consulting & Business Development Group

As founder and CEO of McBride Consulting & Business Development Group, McBride has earned a reputation for being both strategic and relentless. His consulting firm has advised developers, public officials, unions, and private clients across healthcare, transportation, housing, and infrastructure. But he’s not interested in volume for volume’s sake.

“We turn away probably 60 to 70 percent of the people who ask us to represent them,” he says. “We ask five questions: Who owns the company? Where's it going? Who's going to run it? How long are you going to be involved in it? And what's the exit strategy?”

For McBride, it’s not about politics. It’s about outcomes. “We’re in the business of affecting people’s lives and putting them in a position of success, and at the same time not forgetting where we came from,” he says. “I’m very fortunate and blessed to be in the position I’m in. But I never forgot who I am. I never forgot my roots.”

McBride grew up in Ozone Park, Queens. “I’m the youngest of four kids. I grew up in a neighborhood that was tough. If you ate slow, you didn’t eat,” he says. “We were Irish immigrants. We didn’t have a lot of money. I wore my neighbor’s hand-me-downs.” Still, he adds, “I had a mother who never told me I couldn’t do something.”

Impacting Underserved Communities

That foundation—humble, tough, unshakable—became the basis of a career that now spans multiple companies and advisory roles. His work often touches New York communities most in need of infrastructure and housing support, and he maintains a sharp eye on what makes a project meaningful.

“We get called to work on housing developments that are in communities that are underserved and have not had affordable housing in 30 years,” he says. “We’re working on healthcare projects that are going to save lives.”

At McBride Consulting, he keeps the standards high—and the relationships personal. “We interview people over six months. I’ll have coffee with them, lunch with them, I’ll meet their family, and I want to see how they interact,” he says. “I’ve built the firm on a foundation of integrity.”

And while some people build businesses to exit, McBride builds to endure. “I’m not looking to build something to sell it. I’m looking to build something that I can hand to my kids,” he says. “My father died at 91 years old and said, ‘America is the greatest thing that ever happened to me.’ That’s a pretty powerful statement from an Irish immigrant who came here with nothing.”

As he looks forward, McBride is still asking hard questions, still refining the mission. “We want to be better. We want to be more efficient. We want to be more impactful. We want to grow. We want to continue to support people,” he says.

When asked what keeps him motivated, the answer is simple: “I don’t need to be famous. I don’t need to be on the front page. I just need to know that I made a difference in somebody’s life. And if I can do that, I’m good.”

Visit mcbrideny.com