- 770.776.7299
- [email protected]
Chris Picou is an entrepreneur, business leader, husband, father of four, and proud grandfather of six. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to one mission: empowering Americans through education, responsibility, and the safe exercise of their Second Amendment rights.
As the founder of Concealed Coalition, Chris built what has become one of the nation’s largest concealed carry training organizations. Since 2018, the organization has helped educate more than one million Americans through firearm safety and concealed carry training, making responsible firearm ownership accessible to families across the country.
Chris has long believed that education is the foundation of firearm safety. His leadership has driven numerous initiatives focused on helping individuals and families become safer, more confident, and more responsible firearm owners. From innovative training programs to nationwide educational partnerships, his work has consistently centered on preventing negligence through knowledge rather than fear.
That same passion inspired him to found the Less Shots Fired Foundation. Recognizing that children represent the future of responsible firearm ownership, Chris envisioned a nonprofit dedicated to equipping families with practical tools, engaging educational programs, and life-saving conversations that begin at home.
Through the foundation’s flagship initiative, Sam the Safety Squirrel, Chris is helping parents teach children age-appropriate firearm safety in a positive, memorable, and empowering way. His vision is to create a generation of families who understand that firearm safety begins with education, responsible storage, and open communication.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Chris is deeply passionate about leadership and personal growth. He believes that strong leaders build strong families, and that investing in people through education creates lasting change for generations to come.
Today, Chris continues to champion initiatives that support responsible firearm ownership while expanding access to free firearm safety education for families across America. His commitment remains steadfast: to help create safer homes, stronger families, and communities where education serves as the first line of defense.
“Every family deserves the knowledge and confidence to safely protect what matters most. Through education, we can build a future where responsibility, preparedness, and safety become a lasting legacy for the next generation.”
Timothy Riché is an educator, community leader, husband, and father who has dedicated more than two decades to investing in young people and strengthening families. With over 25 years in education, Tim has built a career around mentoring students, developing innovative educational programs, and creating opportunities that prepare young people for success both inside and outside the classroom.
Throughout his career with Madera Unified School District, Tim has taught English, journalism, television production, and digital photography while helping launch new educational initiatives that continue to benefit students today. His passion for education extends beyond the classroom, where he has served in leadership roles focused on workforce development, community engagement, and mentoring the next generation.
As a leader with the Less ShotsFired Foundation, Tim believes that education is one of the most powerful tools for protecting children and strengthening families. He is passionate about the Foundation’s Sam the Safety Squirrel program because it equips parents and children with practical, age-appropriate firearm safety education that can help prevent avoidable tragedies. He believes meaningful conversations, responsible habits, and engaged parents are essential to creating safer homes and stronger communities.
Tim’s commitment to serving others reaches beyond education. He has served in numerous community leadership roles and has been actively involved in initiatives that support families, workforce development, and civic engagement throughout Madera. His desire to make a positive impact has earned him the trust and respect of students, parents, and community leaders alike.
Together with his wife, Christina, Tim is raising three children, and his experiences as a father continue to shape his passion for helping families navigate important conversations about responsibility, safety, and leadership. He believes every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a home where education comes first and where parents are equipped with the tools to protect what matters most.
“When we invest in educating children and empowering parents, we create stronger families, safer communities, and a brighter future for the next generation.”
Melissa Pellichino serves as Vice President of Operations for Lido Labs, where she oversees Accounting, Human Resources, Fulfillment, Compliance, Legal Administration, and Operational Strategy across multiple portfolio companies. She is responsible for building scalable operational infrastructure, driving process improvement, managing organizational risk, and supporting the company’s growth through strategic planning and acquisition readiness.
Melissa brings more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning operations, finance, human resources, compliance, technology implementation, and organizational development. Throughout her career, she has developed a reputation for building high-performing teams, implementing scalable systems, and aligning operational execution with long-term business objectives.
Since joining Lido Labs in 2020, Melissa has played a key role in supporting the company’s growth and operational maturity. She has led initiatives involving ERP evaluation and future-state planning, telehealth compliance programs, payment processing optimization, financial controls, human resources administration, customer experience improvements, and cross-functional operational integration.
Prior to joining Lido Labs, Melissa served as Director of Operations for Advantage Financial Services, where she spent more than a decade overseeing business operations, strategic planning, human resources, regulatory compliance, software development initiatives, contract negotiations, budgeting, and acquisition evaluations. During her tenure, she worked closely with executive leadership to drive business growth, improve operational efficiency, and implement technology solutions that supported company expansion.
Earlier in her career, Melissa held leadership positions with Baton Rouge Community College, where she served as Interim Associate Dean of Records and Registrar, Financial Aid Counselor, and Admissions Counselor. In these roles, she managed departmental budgets, supervised administrative teams, led process automation initiatives, and supported student services and enrollment management.
Melissa holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and has built her career around operational excellence, organizational development, and strategic growth initiatives. Her expertise spans operational leadership, compliance management, process optimization, financial oversight, organizational development and building culture.
Melissa’s leadership philosophy centers on continuous improvement, accountability, employee development, and creating scalable systems that enable sustainable growth. She is passionate about building organizations that can successfully scale, integrate acquisitions, and create long-term value for employees, customers, and stakeholders.
Melissa currently serves as Secretary and Treasurer of the Less Shots Fired Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on youth firearm safety education and community outreach. She is also a member of her local School Board Parent Advisory Council In addition, Melissa is a two-time participant in the Breast Cancer “Bling a Pair to Save a Pair” fundraising event, helping raise awareness and support for breast cancer research and patient services.
Melissa resides in Loranger, Louisiana, with her husband, Barry, to whom she has been married for more than 20 years. Together they have three children: Anthony, Isabella, and Corrina. Melissa values family, community involvement, and developing future leaders both professionally and personally.
Jody Picou is a husband, father of five, business owner, and lifelong advocate for responsible firearm ownership and family safety. His greatest passion isn’t just teaching people how to safely own firearms—it’s helping families build habits that can prevent tragedy before it ever happens.
Over the past 6 years, Jody has trained more than 50,000 students in firearm safety and concealed carry education. As a key leader in building one of the nation’s largest concealed carry training organizations, he has helped educate responsible firearm owners across the United States while promoting safe, lawful, and confident firearm ownership.
While Jody has spent much of his career teaching adults, becoming a father changed his perspective. As the parent of five children, he recognized that one of the greatest opportunities to reduce child firearm accidents begins long before a child ever touches a firearm—with education, honest conversations, and responsible storage in the home.
That realization led to the creation of the Less Shots Fired flagship program, Sam the Safety Squirrel. The program was designed to give parents practical tools to teach children what to do if they encounter a firearm while encouraging families to build a culture of responsibility, communication, and safe storage.
Beyond his professional work, Jody serves as a leader in the men’s ministry at his church, where he is passionate about helping men become stronger husbands, fathers, and leaders in their homes and communities. He believes that leadership begins with serving others and that protecting our families starts with intentional parenting and personal responsibility.
When he’s not working, you’ll most likely find Jody traveling with his family, enjoying time on the water fishing, or creating new ways to expand the reach of the Less Shots Fired Foundation. His vision is simple:
To ensure every family has access to free firearm safety education, every parent has the confidence to start the conversation, and every child has the knowledge to make safe decisions around firearms.
“One conversation can save a life.”
