GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS Georgia Nonprofit Agency Helps Veterans Become Their Own Bosses By Stephen Prudhomme
O
stensibly, veterans make great business owners, possessing qualities such as leadership, discipline, performance under pressure, willingness to sacrifice and working as a team. Due to various economic and social challenges, however, the number of veteran-owned businesses has dropped dramatically in the past 20 years. In Georgia, a nonprofit agency— Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC)—is helping veterans become their own bosses and doing its part to, perhaps, return the country to the halcyon days of post World War II for veteran-owned businesses. Fresh off a winning campaign, World War II veterans returned home and eventually made up nearly half of the nation’s business owners. Veterans from Sept. 11, 2001 to the present, numbering some 3.6 million, own only 4.5 percent of the country’s businesses. The precipitous decline is attributed to drastic changes in the economy and the loss of manufacturing jobs that previously served as a bridge between the military and civilian sectors; fewer resources, such as the World War II GI Bill that provided access to low-interest loans; and, due to the lack of veteran owned businesses, fewer employment and networking opportunities. Enter the Georgia Veterans Education Career Transition Resource (VECTR) Center, which was established by the state to help veterans and their families through career counseling, educational coaching, and workforce training. Funded by the state, it’s the only one of its kind in the country and attracts students worldwide and officials from across the country interested in opening a similar facility in their home states. The VECTR Center’s services include helping to translate military and civilian transcripts toward certificates, diplomas and degrees and offering accelerated training programs, via Central Georgia Technical College, in high-demand careers at little or no cost for Georgia residents or those transitioning from active duty. Three years ago, VBOC for Georgia and South Carolina opened in the Georgia VECTR Center and provides one-on-one counseling, start-up assistance and Small Business
Boots To Business Success Stories Army Veteran Relizes Dream of Private Chef Business Among those who have benefited from the veterans’ programs in Warner Robins is Scottie Johnson. A 27-year Army veteran who served as a cannon crew member in a field artillery unit and had five deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia, Johnson is an award-winning chef and author who has a private chef business—Blessed and Highly Flavored. A key ingredient in Johnson’s recipe for success was the Boots to Business program. 16
“The class helped me figure out my product services cost and how to make it valuable in the market,” said the Warner Robins resident. “If it’s not of value, it will not sell. I learned that business ownership carries a lot of responsibility and hard work. Since there are many other similar type businesses out there, you have to set yourself apart while at the same time giving people who you are—a brand.” Retired Marine Opens Community Art Studio Keisha Renee Dennis is an artist and owner of K Dennis Art Studio in Fort Valley, Ga. She served on active duty in the Marines from 2004 to 2015 and in the reserves from 2015 to 2018. During her last tour she worked as administrative chief and
www.PoolerMagazine.com | July/August 2021
legal chief for the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Ca. Although she had talent, Renee Dennis didn’t truly pursue art until 2016, when she and her children painted flowers for Mother’s Day. Soon, the neighborhood children got involved with creating themed paintings for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and the idea to open a community art studio was born. Calling on her service ties, Renee Dennis took the Boots to Business program in 2018 and said it helped make her art studio a success.
