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About Us

Our Mission

Legacy Land Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was established in 2024 with a primary mission to help families across the United States maintain their working ranches and farms and, while doing so, create unique opportunities to support our country’s veterans and children. The foundation ensures that their land remains maintained and operated over time as intended and is utilized for meaningful purposes consistent with each family’s deeply held values.

Whether we are assisting families through challenging transitions, generational shifts, or simply those looking to donate portions of their land for the benefit of others, our diverse team of ranchers, business leaders, veterans, and subject matter experts customizes solutions for each unique situation to uphold our donors’ agricultural legacies in support of select, impactful nonprofits.

What We Do

We accept and structure property donations throughout a donor’s lifetime, either in part or in whole, depending on each donor’s estate planning needs and philanthropic goals. We provide operational and management assistance to help landowners transition as needed and facilitate connections to various consultants and industry experts.

Legacy Land Foundation then uses mutually agreed-upon portions of dedicated lands to design, construct, and operate various retreat-style facilities. In turn, these facilities – steeped in nature – are used by our nonprofit partners to support veterans and their families, rescued children, and, in some cases, rescued or retired animals, furthering their therapeutic efforts.

  • Coordinate with ranchers and agriculture owners to preserve their land and ensure it is used in the intended manner in perpetuity.
  • Prevent land from being over developed or misused by commercial interests and maintain the property as American-owned and operated.
  • Provide retreat facilities and enhance therapeutic opportunities for select nonprofits and charitable groups dedicated to military veterans and rescued children.

Why We Do It

We help maintain working ranches and farms to follow the wishes of the owners who have spent their lives building these special places. Worth protecting and preserving for generations to come, we do it to prevent properties from ever being developed. Furthermore, we do it because assisting ranching and farming families through challenging transitions is a critical step to ensure their properties carry on indefinitely as they wish.

Vulnerable children need homes, help and healing more than ever before. Global human trafficking affects an estimated 40.3 million victims – one in every 1,000 worldwide. Children make up 27% of those victims, often escaping abusive households, child welfare system, juvenile detention, and homeless youth shelters only to land in the hands of abusers. Once rescued, survivors require special care to overcome physical and psychological challenges.

Veterans deserve a helping hand to navigate the rising challenges they face. Nearly 1 in 3 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans develop PTSD, 1 in 10 struggles with alcohol or drug abuse, and 1 in 10 outpatient appointments are scheduled to address depression, contributing a military suicide rate four times higher than combat deaths. We do this to help veterans reconnect with family, community and the workforce.

RETREAT EXPERIENCES

HUNTING, FISHING & HIKING

TRAUMA RECOVERY

ANIMAL INTERACTION

 

COUNSELING SERVICES

CHILDREN &

RECOVERING VETERANS

 

EMPLOYMENT

RANCHING & ENRICHMENT

 

How We Support

Legacy Land Foundation collaborates closely with organizations that provide meaningful and comprehensive support to veterans, rescued children, and rescued or retired animals within the therapeutic field. Through these strategic partnerships, we use donated land as a catalyst to advance the impactful missions of these valued organizations. Each property – ranch, farm, etc. – holds a unique opportunity and value within our nonprofit network.

  • Offer hunting, fishing, hiking, vacation and retreat experiences through nonprofit partners.
  • In partnership with field expert organizations, house and care for rescued animals to aid trauma victims.
  • Provide safe, healing environments for children in trauma recovery or counseling programs before they move to their next stage of care.
  • Offer ranch and retreat employment opportunities to wounded or recovering veterans.

Legacy Land Foundation Team

Board of Directors

Treasurer, Director

Shaun Limbers

Shaun Limbers is a founding partner of The McIntyre Companies, LLC, where he focuses on strategic and corporate initiatives in the alternative investment space, including private equity and real estate. He is a registered representative with McIntyre’s SEC-registered broker-dealer entity, McIntyre Capital Partners, LLC, a member of FINRA and SIPC. He holds both Series 7 and Series 63 licenses. Shaun has worked as a principal and provided management and strategic advisory services in capitalization to well-known private equity firms, financial institutions, real estate firms, venture capital firms, private funds, and public companies.

Prior to his work in the alternative investment space, he served as a special assistant to a United States Senator who sat on both the Senate Finance and Intelligence Committees. He proudly serves on the board of the Legacy Land Foundation and as Associate Director of the Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. In this role, he oversees numerous initiatives for Baylor Entrepreneurship—one of the most tenured and highly acclaimed entrepreneurship programs in the United States.

Shaun earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Secretary, Director

Tom Higginbotham

Director

Johnny Kieckhefer

John “Johnny” Kieckhefer was born and raised on the historic K4 Ranch, 40 miles north of Prescott, Arizona. Working cattle alongside his brother and some of the state’s best cowboys, he developed a lifelong commitment to ranching. In high school, he launched a successful rodeo career, qualifying for the National High School Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling and earning membership in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, where he competed professionally for 14 years.

Johnny earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arizona, where he also won the title of Grand Canyon Region Champion Steer Wrestler as a member of the U of A rodeo team.

After college, he returned to the K4 Ranch to work alongside his father and brother, helping expand the operation into one of Arizona’s premier producers of antibiotic- and hormone-free cattle. Today, he manages ranching operations across Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Since 2012, Johnny has taken on leadership roles in manufacturing, finance, and the defense industry, bringing the practical insight of a lifetime in agriculture to a broader range of ventures. He has also developed strong relationships within the U.S. Special Operations community and is an active supporter of veteran-focused charities.

He serves on numerous nonprofit boards, including the J.W. Kieckhefer Foundation, Williamson Valley School District, 1888 Buckle Club, the University of Arizona School of Veterinary Science’s Future Council, and the Legacy Land Foundation.

Director

Al Buford

Al Buford is the President, a board member, and co-owner of Patriot Group International, Inc. (PGI), a mission support services company serving U.S. government and commercial customers. PGI has been repeatedly recognized by Virginia Business Magazine as one of the Best Places to Work in Virginia, based on employee survey feedback.

He brings over twenty years of military experience, including service as a U.S. Army infantry NCO in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and seven years of operational service in a special mission unit. His final military assignment was as an Army ROTC instructor at Central Washington University, where he was named the U.S. Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 2003. During this time, he also earned a Master of Science degree in Organization Development.

In 2020, Al was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame. He serves on the board of the Legacy Land Foundation and volunteers as a mentor to transitioning Army Rangers through the Three Rangers Foundation. His volunteer work has also included leading successful evacuations of targeted and at-risk Afghan families.

Board of Advisors

Advisor

Corey Bird

Corey Bird brings over 20 years of experience in capital markets and financial management within the middle market, working with industry-leading firms and specialized family offices. His work has focused on managing portfolios and advising landowners, particularly in cattle and agricultural operations.

In addition to his civilian career, Corey has served for 22 years in the U.S. Army Reserve and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has deployed multiple times to the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the Indo-Pacific (INDOPACOM), where he led programs centered on multinational economic development and infrastructure investment while embedded with Special Operations Forces.

Outside of work, Corey spends his time on horseback and actively supports causes dedicated to helping children and veterans, including as an advisor to the Legacy Land Foundation.

Advisor

Peter Donovan

Advisor

Dave Madsen

Advisor

Scott Higginbotham