US MARINE COMBAT VET, BUSINESS EXECUTIVE, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE
Lt Colonel Gurfein enlisted in the Marines at 17, completed Boot Camp at Parris Island and went on to become the Honor Graduate from Officer Candidate School, Meritoriously Augmented as a 2nd Lieutenant out of The Basic School, and served as a Marine Corps Infantry Officer.
With 25 years of service, he retired as a Lt Colonel after leading Marines operationally and in combat around the world – From a Rifle Platoon in the jungles of Panama; to a Mortar Platoon across the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; to a Rifle Security Company on the fence-line at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; to a team of Future Operations Planners in the mountains of Afghanistan; to a Special Operations Task Force during the initial assault into the cities of Iraq; and as a Congressional Liaison on Capitol Hill for both the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and the Marine Special Operations Command.
LtCol. Gurfein also has extensive business executive management experience in diverse highly-competitive industries. To include as the CEO for ArmorSmith, defense technology; SVP and Partner with Holden International, business development consultants; VP for The Venetian and The Palazzo, five-diamond resorts in Las Vegas; National Sales Manager for MV Sport/Weatherproof, emblazoned sports apparel; COO for TeleVend, e-commerce start-up; and Associate with Goldman, Sachs & Co, Wall Street investment bank.
In 2016, LtCol. Gurfein ran for U.S. Congress in NY’s 4th District and was endorsed by 5 parties (Republican, Conservative, Independence, Tax Revolt, and Reform). Although he lost, with over 40% of the vote (120k votes) he did far better than most expected he would as a first-time candidate in a predominantly Liberal Democratic district.
LtCol. Gurfein received his MBA from Harvard Business School and BS in Speech Communication and Political Science from Syracuse University.
LtCol Gurfein is happily married to his best friend Beth, has a young Daughter, Avery, and two yellow labs, Murphy and Scout.
Note: LtCol. Gurfein prevented Jack Nicholson from assaulting Tom Cruise in the movie, “A FEW GOOD MEN.”