Nov. 11 is Veterans Day — a day set aside to honor veterans of the U.S. armed forces. On this day, we show our appreciation to all veterans for their service and sacrifice. The Small Business Administration staff is proud to support those who gave so much for our country.
There are approximately 5 million veteran-owned businesses in the U.S. and over 400,000 service-disabled small business veterans. North Carolina is home to over 100,000 veteran-owned businesses.
These men and women have many resources available to get help starting or growing a business. A new Veterans Business Outreach Center has been created at Fayetteville State University. At the VBOC they can find counseling, training and mentoring.
Email, telephone and face-to-face meetings make the VBOC accessible to all of our veterans in North Carolina. Director Robert Rehder and his professional staff can answer questions about running their business, working with them to create a business plan and helping them explore financing options like SBA’s Patriot Express loan.
The VBOC’s Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans offers practical hands-on training in entrepreneurship and small-business management. Veterans can call the center at 910-672-1107 or email rrehder@uncfsu.edu.
To find out more about SBA programs for vets, visit www.sba.gov/vets or contact April Gonzalez at 704-344-6811 or april.gonzalez@sba.gov.
— Lynn Douthett
SBA District Director
Asheville
