Thurman Gardner is an expert in assisting other companies with IT solutions, but when it came to filing the necessary paperwork to become a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), he turned to Richard Portis, regional coordinator of the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) Region III, located at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.
“I really didn’t know where to start. He made it a whole lot easier,” said Gardner, owner of Gardner Management consulting, LLC.
A National Network
Currently, the VBOC at RMU is one of five of such centers across the nation and serves not only veterans in Pennsylvania, but Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The VBOC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Small Business Administration (SBA).
“We are distinguished in that we are 100 percent focused on assisting veterans to launch and grow their own businesses,” said Portis.
Portis works with veterans, current military personnel and their spouses, and pre-and post-deployed members of the National Guard and Reserve Forces through a variety of services in his efforts to help them become successful entrepreneurs like Gardner.
Assistance to Start and Grow
VBOC’s services start with assistance for the very beginning when the idea of a business may just be that – an idea, but also include assistance with a myriad of other needs including skill assessment, writing a business plan, finding potential funders, courses, finding technical support services and networking with other businesses, plus a host of other entrepreneurial issues. Portis defines the VBOC’s services as “managed care for veteran business owners.”
The VBOC, said Portis, offers one-on-one counseling, workshops, networking groups, and mentoring, but also services for those who may not be easily accessible to the Pittsburgh location.
“We use the Internet and email resources, of course, but we also have conference calls, email blasts, webinars and radio programs,” he said. He is quick to point out that the services assist with not only starting the business, but helping the veteran entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and remain successful. Many, like Gardner, are already in business by the time they contact the VBOC.
Staying Connected to the Movement
Monthly VBOC Pennsylvania Veteran-Owned Business Consortium meetings are also helpful for veteran entrepreneurs. The meetings feature guest speakers from various government agencies, potential funders and other successful business owners said Portis.
Portis not only serves as a resource for the veteran entrepreneurs, but as liaison between them and the government, keeping them informed and advocating services and bills for the veteran-owned businesses.
For Gardner, in addition to the assistance with the necessary required paperwork he needed to complete, he values the networking services of the VBOC.
“I opened my business two years ago in the height of the recession, but due to a combination of factors, it was the right time for me,” he said, “There is a lot happening in Pittsburgh and Richard helped me find other companies that were the right size for me to connect with.”
The veteran-to-veteran networking also helped Gardner. “Richard’s knowledge and expertise helped me open the Pandora’s Box of connections – in a very good way,” said Gardner. “The connections are invaluable.”
For more information about the Veterans Outreach Center Region III visit www.rmu.edu/vboc or 1-866-929-6243.
To find a Veteran Business Outreach Center near you visit www.vboc.org.
Changes Planned in the Veterans Business Outreach Center Program
The U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced plans to add eight additional VBOCs to support seven other existing sites. Dennis Byrne from the Office of Communication and Public Liaison for the SBA said $2.5 million in grants will be issued to both the new and existing centers. The Robert Morris University affiliated site will no longer be a designated VBOC site after September 30th.
For more information about the changes planned visit www.navoba.com/VBOC-changes.
To find a Veteran Business Outreach Center near you visit www.vboc.org.