It was a good morning. The shower was warm, the coffee strong, the weather mild, the commute uneventful, the work mood productive. Then I checked my E-mail and read a quote from a former federal government procurement leader named Deidre Lee.

Ms. Lee was quoted in a March 24^th press release about MicroTech President Tony Jimenez as saying that, “Tony [Jimenez] has put small, veteran-owned businesses on the map by proving that those businesses can come in and do great-quality work.”

Prove?  Prove what?  Prove that we can “come in and do great-quality work?”  And prove to whom? 

First of all, to suggest that veterans have anything to prove to anybody in any capacity is a really risky statement. We proved ourselves by defending our nation and the freedoms which enable all businesses to prosper in the greatest country on Earth.

And “proof” of a veterans’ business acumen is well documented, so comments suggesting anything else is just plain ignorant. Military service is a breeding ground for entrepreneurship. The skills we build by facing and overcoming military-induced challenges that most civilians never face prepares veterans to become persistent, resourceful, confident entrepreneurs and business leaders. Census data shows that veterans are twice as likely to own a business as non-veterans. 

I don’t think Ms. Lee meant anything negative by her comment. She clearly intended to praise Mr. Jimenez, and with good reason. So I ask you not to vilify her. But to praise MicroTech with complete ignorance of the enormity of the perspective of those comments is where she went wrong, for the subtleties of words say a lot about inner perception. Most disturbing is that her comments may be symptomatic of a terribly inaccurate and condescending opinion of veteran-owned businesses in the federal government and prime contractor communities.

Veterans know their worth in business. And those outside of federal circles realize and appreciate veterans’ worth in business. But for those who live and work in and around the Washington, D.C. beltway, I urge you to see the rest of this great country.  While veteran-owned businesses may be a new (if eleven years is new) concept in federal circles, I think we’ve proven our business acumen at some point in the past 234 years. 

And with all due respect to fellow veteran, very successful business owner and former Vetrepreneur of the Year Tony Jimenez, he didn’t put veteran-owned businesses on the map. Tony would probably agree. So would a few folks named Ross Perot, Phil Knight, Fred Smith, Mike Ilitch, David Oreck, Truett Cathy and Dave Thomas. They preceded him. They did ok.

Thanks for serving.

Chris

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