Veteran-Led Creator of the 2011 Pistol Platform Deepens Its Commitment to the Warfighter Community Through Second Bend Labs' Charity Event Raising $200K for the Combat Control Foundation
MADISON COUNTY, FL / BROOKS COUNTY, GA — Second Bend Labs today announced that Staccato 2011, the Texas‑based creator of the legendary 2011 pistol platform and one of the most trusted names in American firearms, returned as a Patriot Sponsor of the second annual Guns, Golf & Gills (GGG) charity event with an expanded team presence, elite shooting instruction, and a deeper commitment to the warfighter community it has always proudly served. The event raised $200,000 for the Combat Control Foundation, the largest single‑event fundraising total in the Foundation's history.
"For us, this is about more than a sponsorship. It's an opportunity to show up for the men and women who protect this country and to put real resources behind an event that gives directly back to Combat Controllers and their families," said Justin Honea, Co-CEO of Staccato 2011. "What Second Bend Labs and the Combat Control Foundation have built here is something we believe in, and we see this as a long-term commitment to this community."
This year's event brought a significant expansion from the inaugural sponsorship, giving attendees an opportunity very few shooters ever get: direct instruction from Max Michel, one of the most decorated competitive pistol shooters in history and Vice President of Training & Competition for Staccato 2011. Michel, the IPSC World Champion, designed and led the event's signature rapid pistol competition on Second Bend Labs' DoW-specification range complex. His record includes 13 USPSA National Championships, seven Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting titles, a Guinness World Record, and more than 300 major championship victories, all built on ten years of service with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.
"Having Max Michel at Second Bend Labs was an incredible opportunity for every attendee to get shooting instruction from one of the greatest pistol shooters in the world," said Sam Kellett Jr., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Second Bend Labs. "The way Staccato shows up for their partners, sending the IPSC World Champion to help run our competition, tells you everything about who they are. From their leadership to the team they had on the ground, Staccato brought the same standard of excellence we build everything around at Second Bend Labs. We are proud to stand alongside Staccato in service of the warfighter community, and this is only the beginning."
"I am truly honored to be part of something this meaningful for the warfighter community," said Michel. "Helping people sharpen their firearms skills and watching them improve on the line is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do. What Sam and Second Bend Labs have built is extraordinary, and I am proud of how Staccato continues to show up for our heroes. Seeing teams engage these ranges under real operational conditions is exactly the purpose this platform was built to serve."
The sponsorship marks a deeper alliance between the two organizations, one that extends well beyond the charity event. Second Bend Labs holds a dual-state Federal Firearms License operating across Madison County, Florida and Brooks County, Georgia, and is proud to serve as a preferred Staccato 2011 retail partner, making Staccato's elite 2011 platform available directly through the facility. Working together creates a natural complement to Second Bend Labs' mission, putting the most capable handguns in the world into the hands of the military units, law enforcement agencies, and defense technology companies that train and test on its DoW-specification ranges, supported by world-class pneumatic steel target systems across known and unknown distances.