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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Conch Republic Marine Army

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 824673083
FL · NTEE M99
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Brian Vest, Executive Director / CEO ($60,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 338 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 75th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Brian Vest — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

338 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 338 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$8 total compensation of comparable organizations → $324,515 $60,000
$1,12310th
$3,69125th
$16,304Median
$61,24975th
$93,67490th
$60,000This org · 75th
p10$1,123
p25$3,691
p50$16,304
p75$61,249
p90$93,674
$60,000

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to FL cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Saxis Volunteer Fire Company I VA$391,443 Treasurer $1,200 $1,233 2024
New Jersey Emergency Preparedness NJ$391,510 Executive Di $13,188 $12,905 2023
Butler Volunteer Fire Department WI$392,331 President/chief $9,990 $11,434 2023
Fairmont Fire Department Relief Assoc MN$386,302 President $550 $595 2023
Mountain Top Fire Company Inc PA$393,046 Vice President $7,134 $7,573 2024
Hospital Foundation Of Decatur Coun IN$385,935 Director $25,446 $28,565 2024
Gardner Lake Volunteer Fire Company Inc CT$393,064 Treasurer $9,000 $9,248 2023
Permian Road Safety Coalition TX$393,416 Executive Director $88,718 $97,258 2023
Damascus Fire Dept Inc OH$394,995 Trustee-at-l $12,735 $13,988 2025
Thinkfirst Foundation IL$395,152 Executive Director $104,454 $109,312 2024
Derry Twp Vol Fire Dept Of Bradenville PA$383,797 Treasurer $500 $531 2024
Arklatex Safety Council Inc LA$395,212 Executive Director $50,000 $60,338 2023
Ramsey Firefighters Relief Association MN$395,522 President $1,000 $1,052 2024
Deep Branch Volunteer Fire Department Inc NC$382,825 Member $6,158 $6,973 2023
Community Center Of St Bernard LA$397,956 Executive Dir. $62,500 $75,423 2023
Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department Inc TN$380,760 Chairman/operation Chief $37,265 $41,697 2024
Rebuild Bay County Inc Fka Bay County Long Term Disaster Recov FL$398,977 Executive Director $118,000 $121,485 2023
Hauppauge Volunteer Exempt Firemans Benevolent Association Inc NY$379,962 Treasurer $6,500 $6,091 2025
Traffic Safety Plus NE$379,677 Executive Director $95,864 $109,756 2024
Cedar Grove Fire Department Inc NC$379,270 Fire Chief $67,083 $73,784 2024
Mcmechen Volunteer Fire Department WV$378,943 Chief $1,305 $1,504 2024
Northampton Township Volunteer Fire Relief Association PA$378,327 Treasurer $2,275 $2,415 2024
Moon Twp Volunteer Fire Co PA$401,749 Treasurer $4,150 $4,405 2024
Valley Splash Aquatics Inc CA$401,774 Ceo $108,843 $100,047 2024
Haysi Rescue Squad VA$376,683 Chief/pres./ $27,840 $28,614 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to FL cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to FL cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default75th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)75th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted76th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted71st

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Brian Vest) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 338 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (M), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $60,000 is reasonable (approximately the 75th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.