WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Disabled Veterans Expands to Eighth School

With thousands of service men and women returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Small Business Administration is welcoming them home with programs and initiatives to help them start, grow and expand their businesses.

“Around Veterans Day, our thoughts turn to the men and women who are serving or have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to all who have made sacrifices and served our country in the armed forces,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “When you consider the leadership and management skills our veterans develop while on active and reserve duty, it’s no wonder we see so many of them choose a path as entrepreneurs and small business owners.”

SBA provides veterans access to much needed business counseling and training, capital and business development opportunities through government contracts.

Those products and programs include:

Entrepreneurial Development

SBA and Syracuse University are expanding the successful Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program to an eighth school, Cornell University. The growing partnership between SBA and Syracuse University, now in its third year, provides training on how they can start and grow a small business with programs targeted to service-disabled veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and their family caregivers, women veterans, and National Guard and Reserve members and their families.

The “boot camp” was created and delivered by a network of some of the best business schools in the country. Last year, the first year SBA partnered with Syracuse University, 129 service-disabled veterans participated in the program.

Since the program’s inception, more than 320 wounded warriors have graduated and more than 150 businesses have been launched by graduates. Participating schools include: Syracuse University, University of Connecticut, UCLA, Florida State University, Texas A&M University, Purdue University, Louisiana State University, and Cornell University.

SBA is also providing $2.6 million through a cooperative agreement over three years for two new programs supporting veteran entrepreneurs.

The first, Women Veterans Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), focuses on training, networking and mentorship for women veterans. The three-day, off-site training program, online training and network support structures are delivered in several locations around the nation, and anticipates serving up to 1,400 female veterans over a 36-month period.

The second, Operation Endure & Grow, targets National Guard and Reserve Component members, their families and partners. The goal of this program is to mitigate the small business economic hardship of deployed members and their families. The eight-week online course focuses on the fundamentals of launching and/or growing a small business for those who will sustain the business when the service member is deployed, injured or killed. Initially, 550 individuals are expected to participate. Together, V-WISE and Operation Endure & Grow are expected to serve over 1,950 individuals and their families over three years.

Access to Capital

SBA had a near record year lending to veteran-owned small businesses in fiscal year 2011. SBA lending to veterans in fiscal year 2011 amounted to more than 4,300 loans totaling $1.5 billion in its flagship 7(a) and 504 programs. Since 2007, SBA’s Patriot Express loan pilot initiative alone has guaranteed loans of more than $667 million to nearly 8,100 veterans, reservists and their spouses to establish or expand their small businesses. The initiative, extended through 2013, provided more than 1,560 loans totaling $142 million in fiscal year 2011. Patriot Express is offered by SBA’s network of participating lenders nationwide and features one of SBA’s fastest turnaround times for loan approvals.

Government Contracting

SBA worked with both contracting officers and veteran-owned small businesses to deliver the highest-ever percentage of federal contracts to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses in FY2010, totaling $10.4 billion. Also, through parity legislation, SBA reestablished a level playing field for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses that compete with other small businesses for set-aside contracts.

The Office of Veteran’s Business Development provided Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business procurement training to more than 3,000 SDVOSB’s in 2011 to help achieve the 3 percent SDVOSB goal. The SBA is expanding its outreach to service-disabled veterans with an online contracting tutorial to help veterans and military spouses who own small businesses identify and take advantage of federal contracting opportunities.

Task Force Report

SBA chairs the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development focused on improving and expanding opportunities for veteran business owners. The Task Force recently issued its first Report to the President and included 18 recommendations to increase access to capital, improve business development opportunities, and meet federal contracting goals for veteran-owned small businesses and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. You can read the whole report here.

SBA reaches out to veterans through its 68 SBA district offices, 15 Veterans Business Outreach Centers nationwide, more than 1,000 Small Business Development Centers, 110 Women’s Business Centers and some 12,000 SCORE volunteers. SBA also has numerous programs creating government contracting opportunities for veteran-owned small businesses. For more information, visit www.sba.gov/vets and www.sba.gov/reservists .

Contact: Dennis Byrne (202) 205-6567 Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

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This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   Veteran Owned Business is in no way affiliated with the above organization(s). We do not in any way endorse the above business/organization or guarantee the above offer.  VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are simply providing information we feel is of interest to veterans, active duty military, reservists, service disabled veterans, veteran owned businesses, service disabled veteran owned businesses, families of veterans, families of our armed forces and any other person or persons directly or indirectly involved with the United States military.

If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled  veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

(Columbus, Ohio) It has been a little more than a month since announcing the creation of the Veterans Affairs Committee for Columbus City Council and already the chair of the committee, Councilmember Hearcel F. Craig, is proposing a significant change to the Columbus City Code that will assist veteran-owned businesses compete for city contracts.  Craig, a Vietnam era U.S. Army veteran himself, says the legislation will add veteran-owned businesses to those enterprises certified and tracked by the Equal Business Opportunity Commission Office (EBOCO).

The change, announced at the annual Veteran’s Stand Down event held at Veteran’s Memorial, will allow those businesses to better compete for city contracts in the same manner as minority or female owned businesses currently participate in the bid process.   The change also provides veteran-owned businesses with bid counseling and start-up assistance from EBOCO.

“By increasing our services for veteran-owned businesses, the City of Columbus once again is demonstrating its commitment to helping those who protected the very freedoms we enjoy as Americans,” said Craig.   “This is a business friendly initiative that will help position these firms to expand their opportunities to do work for the city.”

Craig has also committed to exploring the feasibility of awarding credits against cost for bids submitted by certified veteran-owned businesses.  This policy would mirror existing credits for local workforce and local businesses.

Columbus City Council recently passed ordinance 1325-2011, legislation that extends for another year military leave with pay to City employees currently serving on active duty, including the health and life insurance benefits for their family members.  City Council also supports the Mayor’s Veterans Advisory Committee and takes part in numerous activities thought the year supporting our servicemen and women.

View Press Release

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This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   Veteran Owned Business is in no way affiliated with the above organization(s). We do not in any way endorse the above business/organization or guarantee the above offer.  VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are simply providing information we feel is of interest to veterans, active duty military, reservists, service disabled veterans, veteran owned businesses, service disabled veteran owned businesses, families of veterans, families of our armed forces and any other person or persons directly or indirectly involved with the United States military.

If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled  veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

June 27th is PTSD Awareness Day.  The VA’s National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is working to increase PTSD awareness.  The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers this list ten ways you can help those suffering with PTSD:

Ten ways community members can help:

1. Understand that anyone can experience trauma, such as accidents, assault, war, or disasters.
2. Think broadly. When trauma happens, the survivor’s family, friends, coworkers, and community are affected.
3. Learn about common reactions to trauma and readjustment to life outside a war zone.
4. Be aware of where get help for trauma survivors, Veterans, and people with PTSD.
5. Expand your understanding of how PTSD is identified and treated.
6. Know that treatment for PTSD works.
7. Ask a Veteran or trauma survivor if talking would help, but do not push if someone is not ready to discuss things.
8. Realize that stigma is a barrier to getting treatment. Getting people to talk or seek help is not always easy. Your encouragement matters.
9. Know the facts. More than half of US adults will experience trauma in their lifetime. About 7% of adults will deal with PTSD at some point. For Veterans and male and female sexual assault survivors, the figure is higher.
10. Connect with self-help resources, apps, and videos about PTSD.

Stay informed about PTSD through the VA’s PTSD Monthly Update.

This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   To learn more about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), ways to identify those who may be suffering from PTSD and the various options available to those who may be suffering from PTSD, please visit the VA’s National Center for PTSD at: http://www.ptsd.va.gov.  You can also call the PTSD Information Line at (802) 296-6300.

Here is a list of PTSD Resources including organizations and departments who are all working together to create awareness of PTSD and find effective treatments that can help.

If you are in crisis, please call 911, go to your nearest Emergency Room, or call 1-800-273-8255 (TALK)(Spanish/Español 1-888-628-9454). NOTE: Veterans, press “1″ after you call — or Veterans can chat live with a crisis counselor at any time of day or night.

Here is a growing list of Organizations, VA Departments and U.S. Government Agencies who are all working together to create awareness of PTSD and find effective treatments that can help:

Department of Veterans Affairs

To provide a wealth of resources to our US Veterans, VA is made up of three branches, Veterans Health (VHA), Veterans Benefits (VBA), and Cemetery.

• Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
  This VHA site provides access to apply for health benefits. Read real stories from Inside Veterans Health, or access the MyHealthIVet portal.
• VA Office of Mental Health Services
  Provides a range of information on depression, substance abuse, and other mental health problems, to improve the health and well-being of Veterans through excellence in health care, social services, education, and research.
• VA Military Sexual Trauma Support Team
  Military sexual trauma (MST) is the term that VA uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while the Veteran was in the military. Both women and men can experience MST during their service. Learn more about what VA is doing to help.
• VA MIRECCs
  The Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) generates new knowledge about the causes and treatments of mental disorders, applies new findings to model clinical programs, and widely disseminates new findings through education to improve the quality of Veterans’ lives and their daily functioning in their recovering from mental illness.

Collaborators

• afterdeployment.org
  A mental wellness resource for Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families.
• BraveHeart Welcome Back Veterans Southeast Initiative
  Our mission is to offer veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan war and their families: education about PTSD, self-assessment and support resources, and assistance in accessing treatment services in the southeast.
• Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury
  Provides authoritative information and resources 24/7 to Service Members, Veterans, and families, and those who support them.
  Contact: resources@dcoeoutreach.org or 1-866-966-1020.
• Home Base Program
  The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program provides clinical care and support services in New England area to veterans of the current conflicts, who experience combat stress and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI); counseling for families including parents and children; education for clinicians and other community members; and research in the understanding and treatment of PTSD and TBI.
• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
  ISTSS is an international, interdisciplinary professional organization that promotes advancement and exchange of knowledge about traumatic stress. This knowledge includes: Understanding the scope and consequences of traumatic exposure, preventing traumatic events and ameliorating their consequences and advocating for the field of traumatic stress.
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network
  A Center to improve access to care, treatment, and services for children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events and to encourage and promote collaboration between service providers in the field.
• National Resource Directory
  A tri-agency Web portal that connects wounded warriors, Service members, Veterans, their families and caregivers with those who support them. Links to 10,000+ resources.
• Office of Recovery Act Coordination U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  Recovery Act-funded programs are being invested in improving health and human services, including areas such as community health services, research, prevention and wellness.
• Real Warriors Campaign
  The Real Warriors Campaign is a multimedia public education campaign sponsored by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury to encourage help-seeking behavior among service members and veterans with invisible wounds.
• Veterans on Deck
  This is a 501c3 nonprofit designed by VA PTSD clinicians and researchers to compliment evidence based psychotherapy with opportunities for social interaction and community reintegration of PTSD and MST Veterans through team sailing with PTSD clinicians.
• Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
  The VVA is a congressionally chartered not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to improving the condition of Vietnam-era Veterans and their families.
• WarriorCare.mil
  A blog that provides wounded, ill, injured and transitioning Service members and their families with information on programs and initiatives that affect them.

If you work with and/or know of another organization actively involved with PTSD, please email us for inclusion on this PTSD Resource List at info@VeteranOwnedBusiness.com.

This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   To learn more about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), ways to identify those who may be suffering from PTSD and the various options available to those who may be suffering from PTSD, please visit the VA’s National Center for PTSD at: http://www.ptsd.va.gov.  You can also call the PTSD Information Line at (802) 296-6300.

Here is a list of organizations and departments who are all working together to create awareness of PTSD and effective treatments that can help.

If you are in crisis, please call 911, go to your nearest Emergency Room, or call 1-800-273-8255 (TALK)(Spanish/Español 1-888-628-9454). NOTE: Veterans, press “1″ after you call — or Veterans can chat live with a crisis counselor at any time of day or night.

True from the very first day we launched VeteranOwnedBusiness.com… there is still absolutely no cost to list a business and there is absolutely no cost to search for a business!  We have received numerous phone calls (some days more than 200 calls in a day) and thousands of emails of praise from proud Americans from all over the world thanking us and letting us know they’ve used VeteranOwnedBusiness.com to find a business.  We’ve also received a ton of calls and emails from businesses listed letting us know how much they appreciate their membership and how their free listing has helped them bring in business–and for many–help keep their doors open during these very trying economic times.

Other notable achievements:

• Nearly 7 million (7,000,000) pages viewed since going live on Veteran’s Day 2008
• Nearly 6 hundred thousand (600,000) visitors since going live
• Have nearly 200 profiles of non profits who directly help veterans, active duty military and their respective families
• Have received several testimonials (some on company letterhead) from members who told us their business profile has brought in at least one customer/client.

Our entire staff continues to work hard to further the development of VeteranOwnedBusiness.com.  We have many new features and functionalities planned for release in the 2nd half of 2010.  One of our biggest goals is to continue to grow our veteran owned business directory by reaching our goal of 5,000 businesses profiled by the end of 2010.   Having added over 500 new, free members in a little over a month puts us far ahead of this goal of reaching 5,000 by year’s end.

We know we have miles to go as far as having some of the development work done; however, our goal all along has been to create a comprehensive, user friendly place for procurement people, prime contractors, fellow veteran owned businesses and of course the every day consumer to go to easily find and conduct business with businesses owned by our country’s military heroes!  Because this number has grown so rapidly, we have actually had to spend more time on the sign up area than other areas.  Please be patient as we continue to work toward an even more comprehensive directory.

Please be sure to help us spread the word about VeteranOwnedBusiness.com by sharing it with everyone you know. You can simply email the link or you can visit our badge page and download a banner or badge for use on your site.  You can also become a Fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/veteranownedbusiness and Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/veteranowned.

Thank you for your continued support!

VOB Development Team
VeteranOwnedBusiness.com
Owned and Operated by U.S. Military Veterans
(877) VOB-List

True from the very first day we launched VeteranOwnedBusiness.com… there is still absolutely no cost to list a business and there is absolutely no cost to search for a business!  We have received numerous phone calls (some days more than 100 calls in a day) and thousands of emails of praise from proud Americans from all over the world thanking us and letting us know they’ve used VeteranOwnedBusiness.com to find a business.  We’ve also received a ton of calls and emails from businesses listed letting us know how much they appreciate their membership and how their free listing has helped them bring in business–and for many–help keep their doors open during these very trying economic times.

Other notable achievements:

• Nearly 6 million (6,000,000) pages viewed since going live on Veteran’s Day 2008
• Over half a million (500,000) visitors since going live
• Have nearly 200 profiles of non profits who directly help veterans, active duty military and their respective families

Our entire staff continues to work hard (practically around the clock) to further the development of VeteranOwnedBusiness.com.  We have many new features and functionalities planned for release in 2010.  One of our biggest goals is to continue to grow our veteran owned business directory by reaching our goal of 5,000 businesses profiled by the end of 2010.  We know we have miles to go as far as having some of the development work done; however, our goal all along has been to create a comprehensive, user friendly place for procurement people, prime contractors, fellow veteran owned businesses and of course the every day consumer to go to easily find and conduct business with businesses owned by our country’s military heroes!  Because this number has grown so rapidly, we have actually had to spend more time on the sign up area than other areas.  Please be patient as we continue to work toward an even more comprehensive directory.

Please be sure to help us spread the word about VeteranOwnedBusiness.com by sharing it with everyone you know. You can simply email the link or you can visit our badge page and download a banner or badge for use on your site.

Thank You!

VOB Development Team
VeteranOwnedBusiness.com
Owned and Operated by U.S. Military Veterans
(877) VOB-List

Here are January’s numbers (rounded):

• 35,000+ = Site visitors in January 2010
• 460,000+ = Page views in January 2010
• 13+ = Number of pages viewed on average per visitor
• 12,000+ = Number of unique search terms used to find VeteranOwnedBusiness.com in various search engines
• 350,000+ = Total number of all pages in VeteranOwnedBusiness.com
• 22+ Minutes = Average time on site

We’d like to thank the thousands of websites out there who have taken the time to link their websites to VeteranOwnedBusiness.com.  It’s partially because of these great veteran owned business supporters that our daily visitor numbers continue to rise. If you would like to show your support for Veteran Owned Businesses and/or you own or work for a veteran owned business and would like to let the world know, please visit our “free banner” page to download one of several free banners you can put on your website, embed in emails, etc.: http://www.veteranownedbusiness.com/VOB_reciprocal_link.php.  Be sure to let us know if you added a link to receive special recognition.

Regards,

Project Services Department
VeteranOwnedBusiness.com
Directory of Veteran Owned Companies

Here are November’s numbers (rounded):
30,000+ = Site visitors in November 2009
300,000+ = Page views in November 2009
10 = Number of pages viewed on average per visitor
10,000+ = Number of unique search terms used to find VeteranOwnedBusiness.com in various search engines
300,000+ = Total number of all pages in VeteranOwnedBusiness.com

We are happy to see that our staff’s hard work continues to pay off.  We know this is working because we have received numerous emails and phone calls from businesses profiled letting us know they’ve been contacted by prospects and clients.  From a  storage facility in Ft. Myers, Florida to a rattlesnake removal company in Northern California, VeteranOwnedBusiness.com continues to be a great resource for helping businesses owned by veterans, active duty military, reservists and service disabled veterans grow their respective businesses in this very tough economy.

Lastly, we’d like to thank the thousands of websites out there who have taken the time to link their websites to VeteranOwnedBusiness.com.  It’s partially because of these organizations, people and businesses that our daily visitor numbers continue to rise.

If you would like to show your support for Veteran Owned Businesses and/or you own or work for a veteran owned business and would like to let the world know, please visit our “free banner” page to download one of several free banners you can put on your website, embed in emails, etc.: http://www.veteranownedbusiness.com/VOB_reciprocal_link.php.  Be sure to let us know if you added a link to receive special recognition.

Regards,

Project Services Department
VeteranOwnedBusiness.com
Directory of Veteran Owned Companies

AVET Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the needs of active-duty military and veterans of the United States of America. AVET Project has an ambitious goal to furnish, free of charge, every military member (approx 1.5 million) with a Empowerment Equipment Bag (EEB), which is a collection of personal care items and empowerment information. Donations are needed and appreciated so we can continue to expand this important mission.

Additionally, AVET Project is seeking donations to support our “Project Rest and Recuperation”, which affords returning service members and their spouses an opportunity to readjust and reconnect with their loved ones after leaving combat 24/7 for months,… even years. AVET Project believes our heroes deserve a safe, relaxing place on the East & West coasts to decompress, sleep well and recuperate… all for FREE.

Are you with a non profit organization?  If you are, be sure to get your organization’s free listing in the Veteran Owned Business Directory: http://www.veteranownedbusiness.com/signup.php?plan=4.

• Accident Insurance	Auto Insurance
  Boat Insurance	Business Liability Insurance
  Cancer and Disease Insurance	Casualty Insurance
  Dental Insurance	Fire Insurance Services
  Flood Insurance	Health Insurance
  Homeowners Insurance	Insurance Agencies
  Insurance Consulting	Life Insurance
  Long Term Care Insurance	Long Term Disability Insurance
  Medicare Insurance	Motorcycle Insurance
  Recreational Vehicle Insurance	Renter Insurance
  Short Term Disability Insurance	Vision Insurance

This new section offers a list of insurance companies around the United States that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by veterans, active duty military, reservists and service disabled veterans.

If your business offers insurance services and you are a veteran of the United States military, be sure to sign up today to get your business’ free profile in the most comprehensive, user friendly Veteran Owned Business Directory online.

Project Services Department
VeteranOwnedBusiness.com
Owned and Operated by U.S. Military Veterans!