I think it would be cheaper in terms of costs and time/effort to go with an umbrella policy and basically accomplish some of the same things as the LLCs would.But again, I do think some areas are far easier/cheaper to stand up and maintain LLCs so thats truly a bit of a tricky question.

@Guy Gimenez Those are great areas to focus on, and I plan on accomplishing that as I move forward into the RE realm.

I think you might have a very tough time accomplishing that.  

If you offer to help them with whatever they are not able to accomplish due to lack of time, they could be willing to let you be a part of their team in some capacity.

What is the minimum amount of money needed to accomplish this goal?

They can let their employees show pride in their accomplishments and be rewarded for it by publicizing it.I don't see much different for REI :) Maybe if REI was more like Coke (i.e there's some super secret special recipe that is behind the success), I'd be all over secrecy; the truth is, REI is not like that at all.

As a beginner real estate investor I wanted to build a trustworthy team around me that would help me accomplish my goals, however I have discovered I don’t know much about what a winning team should look like.

If they are plugging in space heaters that's fine, the worst that SHOULD happen is a tripped branch circuit breaker. 15A (bedrooms, lighting circuits, living area, lighting) breakers do not like space heaters. 20A (kitchen GFI outlets, bathroom GFIs, most dining rooms) will take the "abuse" a lot better.The way I see it here, you need to make sure your heaters cannot be fed by 120v if they are 240v, this is accomplished by handle ties or a breaker built for the purpose, they are less than $10.Second, f they want to pay for the inefficient heat of space heaters them let them, but advise them not to plug into anything but a 20A circuit, which isn't always ideal short of running extension cords.Fixed electric heat is the cheapest option if you don't have to pay for the electricity. 

I completely agree with in regards to putting in the effort to accomplish the goal an individual has.

So if this comes off as a promotion, I dont apologize, because what BP can accomplish is far reaching.