Understanding Veteran-Owned Business Certifications

BusinessDisabilityGovernment
LinkedIn

Terms like 8a, SDVOSB, VOSB, and CVE can be confusing for many veterans related to what they might be eligible to use and what the status means to their company.

Why should I get a Veteran certification?

If you are selling to the government or if you are selling to major companies that do business with the government, a Veteran certification gives you more tools in your marketing toolbox—it may give you leverage in some contract bidding. Each year, the federal government is required to buy a certain percentage of their purchases from small businesses and businesses that have minority or presumed disadvantaged status.

Sometimes the government reaches its goals through bid preferences. In a bid preference, if a non-certified company and a certified company both bid $100,000, the certified preference company bid might be viewed as $95,000, thereby giving them the winning bid.

In other cases, the procuring agent might decide that only a certain classification of businesses could bid on a particular contract. This is referred to as a “set aside” solicitation. In the set aside scenario, a procurement officer may decide to only open the bidding process to a minority or preference class of business. Any company that did not have the required certification would not be able to bid on the project. One limitation to this setting is that if there are not at least two businesses of this classification bidding, the bid may have to be reissued and opened to a wider group. In some cases, a procurement officer may be able to justify a sole source contract, but that is the exception, not the rule.

What are the types of Veterans certifications available?

Currently, the federal Veteran status certifications and the agencies that confirm them are:

  • Small Business Administration (SBA) 8a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small business (SDVOSB). The SBA 8a SDVOSB requires an application process to validate the certified status. For the certified SBA’s 8a SDVOSB, only Veterans who are service-connected disabled Veterans can apply.
  • Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB). This status is self-certified by the business owner in the System for Award Management (SAM) Website.
  • Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). This status is self-certified by the business owner in the SAM Website.
  • Veteran Administration (VA) Certified Veteran Enterprise (CVE) Veteran Owned Small Business. The VA CVE is primarily used for the VA’s Vets First program. It is not a substitute for the SBA 8a certification.
  • VA CVE SDVOSB. As noted above, the CVE is mainly for doing business with the VA.

Am I Eligible?

The question of eligibility is where things get to be a little murky at first. Any Veteran, honorably discharged from military service can self-certify as a VOSB in SAM if they meet the following conditions:

  • The Veteran or Veterans must own a minimum of 51 percent of the business.
  • The Veteran or Veterans owning the business must show control of the day-to-day operations of the business and must be the highest-ranking officer of the company. In some cases, where a Veteran is severely disabled, some of that operational control may be handled by a spouse or other family member.
  • To qualify for the Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), the disability must be a service connected disability and must be shown on the DD214 document issued when discharged from the service.

For the three certifications issued by the SBA or the VA, the same requirements listed above apply, but must all be supported by documentation to prove ownership and control. Although the documentation may at times seem cumbersome, it is used to verify that the business is indeed owned and operated by the Veteran. This protects the true Veteran-owned businesses and allows them to compete competitively.

Source: Florida SBDC at University of South Florida

Veterans Business Battle seeks entrepreneurs for 2021 competition

Business
LinkedIn
man with microphone pitching his business idea

Rice University’s business competition geared for military veterans has new benefits for entrepreneurs who apply for a spot in the 2021 event.

Applications are open for Veterans Business Battle, an event that gives military veterans an opportunity to pitch their business plans to a panel of investors for a chance at investments, business partnerships, and prize money. In the last seven years, more than $3.5 million of investments have been funded through the program, with more from the 2020 virtual event still in negotiations. Early-stage businesses and existing companies needing growth capital are both encouraged to apply.

This year, Veterans Business Battle has partnered with NextSeed Securities, a registered broker dealer and FINRA member that works with startups and small businesses to raise capital through an online investment platform (nextseed.com). Businesses invited to present at the 2021 Veterans Business Battle will undergo due diligence screening by NextSeed. Vetted companies will be featured on a dedicated online platform allowing individuals from the general public to make investments in those companies.

“Last year’s online-only event gave us an opportunity to think of ways to engage new investors and expand our audience. We’re excited to increase opportunities for our finalists and grow our network of investors,” event co-chair Matt Wilson said.

The 2021 event will also feature educational panels from another new partner organization, Warrior Rising. The non-profit supports veterans and veteran families achieve business success through education, training, and one-on-one mentorship. Cash prizes will be awarded, with $15,000 prize for first place, $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third place.

The event is hosted by Rice Business Veterans Association, a student organization for military veterans at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business.

To apply, applicants must submit a business plan on the competition website, vetbizbattle.org, by Feb. 5. Businesses must have an honorably discharged veteran or active duty founder and equity holder who is running the venture.

Finalists will be invited to make their business pitch April 23-24 at Rice University. Those interested in competing should visit vetbizbattle.org.

Veterans Business Battle was established in 2015 by a group of Houston entrepreneurs and the Rice Business Veterans Association. The competition aims to foster entrepreneurship among veterans, grow veteran-owned businesses and give back to veterans seeking to make a difference in the business world. For more information, visit vetbizbattle.org.

Free Legal Answers now offers help to veterans

Government
LinkedIn
Veteran looking up something on his smartphone

The American Bar Association online program ABA Free Legal Answers, which lets qualifying users ask civil legal questions to volunteer attorneys, has expanded to offer help on immigration and veterans’ questions.

The project, called Federal Free Legal Answers, fills a critical need for legal help during the pandemic, when many lawyers cannot meet clients in person and many Americans are suffering through the recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a collaboration of the ABA Commission on Immigration, the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel, the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono & Public Service, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

The new service started this month at abafederal.freelegalanswers.org.

“Many veterans, immigrants and asylum-seekers have problems that can’t be solved easily without a lawyer’s help,” ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said. “Fortunately, they can now turn to a trusted source for help. Many volunteer lawyers are standing by, ready to assist.”

For immigrants and asylum-seekers, lawyers at Free Legal Answers can answer questions about such subjects as deportation, green cards, DACA and naturalization. For veterans, eligible dependents and survivors, lawyers can answer questions about VA benefits, discharge upgrades and other issues.

Users are pre-screened for financial eligibility and can ask up to three questions a year, or up to five during the pandemic, when needs are greater. Legal guidance takes place online and is limited to civil matters. Users cannot be serving a criminal sentence and cannot ask questions about criminal matters.

Free Legal Answers began in 2016 with a single website in Tennessee and has since expanded to 45 states and territories. To date, it has received more than 136,000 inquiries and more than 8,600 lawyers have volunteered to answer questions.

“The Free Legal Answers website is a great resource to the public,” said Jocelyn Dyer, AILA’s senior pro bono counsel. “It’s so important for people who are seeking advice to be able to get accurate answers to their questions, especially during the pandemic, when legal service providers might have more restricted hours, intake and availability.”

Attorneys can volunteer at  www.ABAFreeLegalAnswers.org and selecting “Volunteer Attorney Registration.”

The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.

Source: American Bar Association

Feeding an army in D.C.: Chef José Andrés steps in to help feed huge influx of National Guard

Government
LinkedIn
National guard wearing a black protective face mask takes a plate a food from a food booth outside Capitol Hill

By Kevin Rector LA Times

Early Saturday afternoon on a partially cordoned-off street in Washington, D.C., Peter Baca pushed a big stack of boxes containing thousands of cookies toward the doors of Jaleo, a Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant that famed chef and humanitarian José Andrés opened in 1993.

Inside, workers with World Central Kitchen — Andrés’ emergency response nonprofit — were busy assembling meals for thousands of troops guarding the city in anticipation of President-elect Biden’s inauguration Wednesday and in reaction to the pro-Trump mob that on Jan. 6 stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Baca, of the veteran-focused Dog Tag Bakery in Georgetown, said his cookie gift was “a small token to say how much we appreciate their service to our country.”

Federal officials are scrambling to catch those responsible for the deadly attacks — five people, including a Capitol police officer, died — and prevent future violence by turning downtown Washington into a fortress, with more than 20,000 National Guard troops and thousands more police officers and federal agents manning roadblocks and checkpoints.

The swiftness of the mobilization resulted in less-than-perfect circumstances for the soldiers, with hundreds of Guard members forced to rest on the marble floors of the U.S. Capitol in between shifts.

World Central Kitchen’s CEO Nate Mook said when he and Andrés saw viral images of the sleeping troops, they felt like they had to do something.

“This is a situation that nobody’s had to face before; it’s being figured out minute by minute,” Mook said. “And we know — because we see this in all types of crises and emergencies — that food can sometimes be an afterthought, and sometimes people are left working long shifts without food.”

So, they reached out to government leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and offered to tap their expertise in feeding large groups of people at a moment’s notice, as they did after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.

The officials took them up on their offer. They started handing out meals Friday night. By Saturday evening, the organization had distributed about 4,000 meals. They planned to repeat the effort Sunday, and don’t plan on halting the special mobilization until Inauguration Day, he said.

In a show of thanks, Pelosi joined Andrés on Saturday in passing out meals and thanking the troops, who seemed surprised and elated to be getting a free lunch from a famed chef instead of a pre-packaged military meal.

“This is a really difficult time; folks are working long shifts,” Mook said. “They were so happy to get some fresh food to eat.”

Photo Credit: LA Times

Read the full article on LA Times.

Hiring Veterans With TBI And PTSD—Do’s And Don’ts For Employers And Hiring Managers

Disability
LinkedIn
American soldier in uniform and civil man in suit shaking hands with adequate national flag on background - United States of America

Do learn where to find and recruit veterans with TBI or PTSD. Don’t assume that veterans with TBI or PTSD are unemployable.

Do learn how to communicate with persons who have TBI or PTSD.

Don’t assume that veterans with TBIor PTSD lack the necessary education, training or skills for employment.

Do ensure that your applications and other company forms do not ask disability-related questions and that they are in formats that are accessible to all persons.

Don’t assume that veterans with TBI or PTSD do not want to work.

Do consider having written job descriptions that identify the essential functions of the job.

Don’t ask if a person has a disability or injury during an employment interview.

Do ensure that requirements for medical examinations comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Don’t assume that certain jobs are more suited to persons with TBI or PTSD.

Do relax and make the applicant feel comfortable.

Don’t hire a person with a disability who is not qualified to perform the essential functions of the job—even with a reasonable accommodation.

Do provide reasonable accommodations that the qualified applicant will need to compete for the job.

Don’t assume that you have to retain an unqualified employee with a disability.

Do treat an individual with TBI or PTSD the same way you would treat any applicant or employee:with dignity and respect.

Don’t assume that your current management will need special training to learn how to work with people with TBI or PTSD.

Do know that among those protected by the ADA are qualified individuals who have TBI or PTSD.

Don’t assume that the cost of accident insurance will increase as a result of hiring a person with TBI or PTSD.

Do understand that access includes not only environmental access, but also making forms accessible to people with cognitive or psychological disabilities.

Don’t assume that the work environment will be unsafe if an employee has a disability.

Do develop procedures for maintaining and protecting confidential medical records.

Don’t assume that reasonable accommodations are expensive.

Do train supervisors on making reasonable accommodations.

Don’t speculate or try to imagine how you would perform a specific job if you had the applicant’s disability.

Do understand that a person with TBI or PTSD is on a course of recovery and reintegration with the community.

Don’t assume that you don’t have any jobs that a person with TBI or PTSD can do.

Do expect, with proper access to treatment and support resources, that the person with TBI or PTSD will regain significant functioning in their work and personal endeavors.

Don’t make medical judgments.

Don’t assume that a person with TBI or PTSD can’t do a job due to apparent and non-apparent disabilities.

Don’t assume that your workplace is accessible.

Source: AmericasHeroesAtWork.gov

Operation Coming Home Gifts War Veteran with Mattamy Home

DisabilityGovernment
LinkedIn
Service-disabled war veteran stands with family and friends in side the livingroom of his new home

The recipient of Hero Home 23, Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew Polizzi was surprised with the ultimate gift, just in time for Christmas.

Polizzi and his family have been selected to receive a brand new Mattamy home for free through Operation Coming Home.

Polizzi served for fourteen years, deployed four times, and received the Purple Heart from an injury in Afghanistan. Together, Polizzi and his wife have three children, all under the age of 10. For the past 10 years, they have constantly moved, having lived in eight different homes during the time span.

Operation Coming Home has been building Hero Homes since 2008 in Wake County through a partnership with the Home Builders Association of Raleigh and Wake County and the US Veterans Corps.

“Since Operation Coming Home began in 2008, our team has had the privilege to support and contribute to this exceptional cause,” said Bob Wiggins, President of Mattamy’s Raleigh Division. “Operation Coming Home is a project that the Mattamy team in Raleigh is very passionate about. It is an amazing feeling being able to give something as special as a home to individuals who have risked their lives to protect our freedom.”

Mattamy Homes will build Hero Home 23, located in one of the Division’s newest communities, Oak Park in Garner, North Carolina. This is the second home donated by Mattamy Homes and the 10th from the Royal Oaks team, which was acquired by Mattamy Homes in 2017.

“The Polizzi family’s new home will be conveniently located in the desirable area of White Oak,” said Donna Kemp, Vice President of Sales for Mattamy Homes. “We’ve chosen a beautiful home site for the family, and they get to come in and choose all design selections and personalize the home just for them. It’s humbling and extremely rewarding to give back, especially to a deserving veteran and his family. To be able to provide a life changing gift such as a home is an amazing feeling.”

Polizzi and his unit were on a security patrol in Afghanistan in 2010 when they came under heavy enemy fire. Polizzi quickly created and detonated a bomb that saved his entire unit, allowing them to pass only later to come under fire again. Polizzi was shot in the leg. He was treated for five weeks at an airbase, then finished his deployment.

The Polizzi family’s new home is anticipated to begin construction in February 2021 and be ready for move-in during the summer of 2021.

About Operation Coming Home

Operation Coming Home (OCH) is a partnership between members of the Triangle Veterans Association (TVA) and the Home Builders Association of Raleigh/Wake County. Made up of Veterans and non-Veterans, this team is honoring the sacrifices of the severely wounded Veterans of recent Middle Eastern Wars by building custom homes for them, at no charge.

About Mattamy Homes

Mattamy Homes is the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, with 40-plus years of history across the United States and Canada. Every year, Mattamy helps more than 8,000 families realize their dream of home ownership. In the United States, the company is represented in 11 markets – Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh, Phoenix, Tucson, Jacksonville, Orlando (where its US head office is located), Tampa, Sarasota, Naples and Southeast Florida – and in Canada, its communities stretch across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. Visit www.mattamyhomes.com for more information.

Retired US Army Officer Says Background Will Aid Success in New Career With the #1 Home Inspection Company

Business
LinkedIn
veteran stands in front of his work truck vehicle outside

As a retired Army officer, Apache helicopter pilot and an aviation inspector, Jim Mulvehill is more than prepared for his next venture as one of the newest franchise owners with Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®, the No. 1 home inspection company in North America.

The Palm Coast resident serves homebuyers and sellers throughout Flagler, St Johns and Putnam counties, in Florida and works in Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Beverly Beach, Crescent City, Palatka, Bunnell and St Augustine.

Mulvehill, who previously spent 24 years as an Army aviator and aviation inspector and then worked oversees with US military allies in training and standardization, expects that experience to play an important role in his new position as a small business owner with the most respected brand in the home inspection industry. “My previous experience in the inspection of aviation facilities and supervising inspection teams will be beneficial to me in my role with Pillar To Post Home Inspectors as I help new homebuyers in understanding what to look for in purchasing a new home,” Mulvehill said.

According to Pillar To Post Home Inspectors President and CEO Dan Steward, “We are rolling out some pretty amazing technologies that will be in full swing by spring 2021 for all Pillar To Post Home Inspections. One of these will be the PTP360 tour. It will also be available with a floor plan. It is a great new innovation – fast-tracked to completion for COVID-19 response – but in the long term, a huge help for busy, professional Realtors; saving time, better serving their seller and giving prospective buyers a far better experience. Buyers can view anytime they wish, stay if they like, share with friends and family, share with contractors to get an estimate and even get a measured floor plan to help with furniture planning, etc. This is a brilliant experience.”

The company has achieved the highest standings in various rankings of “Best in Category,” “Top 20 Franchises to Buy,” “Top 10 Global Franchises” and “Top Franchises for Veterans” in addition to achieving 5-Star status with VetFran, a program offered by the International Franchise Association that provides discounted franchise fees to veterans. A professional evaluation both inside and outside the home is at the core of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors’ service. Pillar To Post Home Inspectors input data and digital photos into a computerized report. All information is provided to clients in a customized binder for easy reference, allowing homebuyers or sellers to make confident, informed decisions.

About Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®
Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the largest home inspection company in North America with home offices in Toronto and Tampa. There are nearly 600 franchises located in 49 states and nine Canadian provinces. The company has been named as Best in Category in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise500® ranking for 9 years in a row and appeared in the ranking for 24 years. Long-term plans include adding 500 to 600 new franchisees over the next five years. For further information, please visit www.pillartopostfranchise.com.

Ray Chavez, Oldest Pearl Harbor Vet, Will Get Post Office Dedicated in His Honor

Government
LinkedIn
Ray Chavez, oldest Pearl Harbor vet, smiles at 106th birhday party wearing a lei

By Brenda Gregorio-Nieto and NBC 7 Staff

Ray Chavez, the oldest veteran survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor will have a San Diego post office dedicated in his honor after congress passed a bill introduced last year by Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52).

The bill, H.R. 3005, was proposed to rename the Poway Post Office on 13308 Midland Rd. as the “Ray Chavez Post Office Building” in honor of the American hero who died in 2018 at the age of 106.

The bill was recently signed by President Trump after it passed in both the House and Senate without amendment, and with unanimous consent.

“When I found out he was the oldest [Pearl Harbor] survivor in the country, passed away in November [2018], I thought, what a fine tribute this would be not just to him and his family and his community, but to all the veterans who served,” Peters said last year.

Chavez’s daughter, U.S. Navy veteran Kathleen Chavez, said her father would have been humbled by the honor, just as he was in life when he received attention for his service.

Read the full article onNBC Los Angeles.

Photo Credit: NBC LA

How this single mom went from serving overseas to opening her own gelato shop

Business
LinkedIn
Thereasa Black in military uniform holds her young daughter in her arms with the Pentagon sign in the background

By Dan Toomey

This gelato shop isn’t only known for its healthy take on the popular dessert. It’s also owned by a female Black veteran.

Thereasa Black is the founder and CEO of Amore Congelato, a Virginia-based gelato shop that prides itself on using healthy ingredients. Inside its doors, date sweetener and coconut sugar replace cane sugar, some flavors are packed with 24 grams of protein and oat milk is offered.

Black, who plans to change the name of her business to Bon Appésweet, opened shop last December just before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the United States. While thousands of local businesses were forced to close down, she stayed optimistic.

“Honestly, I’m not afraid at all. It’s crazy to say, right?” she told “Good Morning America.” “Because my product, people love it and people are going to buy it.”

Being a small business owner during the pandemic is hardly the first challenge Black has faced. As a single mother, Black woman, Navy veteran, author and law school graduate, she is all too familiar with overcoming challenges.

Black grew up in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where she said she experienced discrimination at a young age. She remembers elementary school teachers excluding her from advanced classes despite her good grades, being the only girl on the football team and getting chased down the street by two white men in a pickup truck one night.

“My drive comes from a place of pain — a place where I cannot let other people define who I’m going to be,” she said. “When your whole life is people telling you that you’re not enough, you have to prove everybody wrong.”

Black went to college and joined the Navy. After a few tours of service, she enrolled at George Washington Law School to become a public defender.

Black became pregnant with her daughter during her third year at George Washington. She said the father didn’t want to be in the picture, but Black still had Isabella and finished school in 2017, documenting her progress through a series of YouTube videos called “Single, Pregnant & in Law School.”

Then, the week after completing her bar exam, she was called back into service and had to leave Isabella at home with her cousin, Vaughn Black. She packed her bags, baked her daughter an ice cream cake for her birthday and kissed Isabella goodbye.

She had heard of how hard distant military parenting can be and braced for being oceans away from her 2-year-old.

“None of the roadblocks I’ve hit, and none of the hurdles I’ve had to go over, compared to what I did during that deployment,” she said.

Despite crying in bed every night, Black called home daily.

“There was a handful of days, and when I say handful, I mean you could count them on one hand, when Thereasa missed it,” said Vaughn Black. “The effort I saw from her, from another country, a lot of the times I see none of that from people that live right in the same neighborhood.”

After six months overseas, Black knew that returning to be a lawyer would only make her too busy to spend time with her daughter.

Whatever she would end up doing, it had to be about Isabella.

Interested in entrepreneurship, she bounced business ideas off family and friends before deciding on gelato — a reminder of the ice cream cake she made for Isabella.

Not only would she cook all of Isabella’s meals from scratch, given her daughter’s soy allergies, but she also baked cookies for her fellow sailors overseas.

Continue on to GMA to read the complete article.

Photo Credit: GMA

American Veterans Group: Banking on The Success of America’s Returning Military

Business
LinkedIn
Ben Biles and Keith Lisante at friends wedding smiling wearing military dress uniform

By Mark Kroeger

Ben Biles and Keith Lisante had big plans. Roommates at the U.S. Naval Academy, they had grown to become best friends and dreamed of working together on Wall Street when their military service was done.

But those dreams were shattered when Lisante, struggling with his transition back to civilian life, committed suicide just weeks after returning from deployment.

It was a tragedy that happens far too often in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 6,000 military veterans a year—that’s 17 veterans every day—take their own lives.

For Biles (pictured left), Lisante’s (pictured right) death was profoundly personal. He resolved to honor his friend’s legacy by fulfilling their shared vision for a career in finance, while at the same time providing meaningful philanthropic support for military veterans seeking to succeed in their return to civilian life.

Biles’ solution was American Veterans Group, an investment banking company he co-founded that dedicates 25 percent of its profits to career readiness programs for military veterans across the U.S.

Since establishing the company in 2018, and through the end of 2020, American Veterans Group will have donated $70,000 of its earnings to career readiness programs in New York City, Boston and Charlotte, N.C. The money—100 percent of it—has directly supported career training for up to 150 veterans as well as payed for training and salaries for a dozen career readiness coaches and instructors.

According to Biles, he and his team of 15 employees at American Veterans Group are just getting started.

“Our social-impact mission is what distinguishes us on Wall Street,” said Biles, “Our vision from the start has been to create a ripple effect through our philanthropic giving—an ever-widening circle—that impacts, and improves, the lives of as many returning military veterans and their families as possible. The best way to do that is to become a recognized leader in our industry, while never losing sight of the social mission that got us here.”

To fulfill that mission, Biles and his team structured American Veterans Group as a Public Benefit Corporation, which they bill as the only one of its kind on Wall Street. The investment banking firm has a parallel non-profit foundation—the AVG Foundation—that manages the company’s philanthropic giving.

American Veterans Group partners with national, military-focused charities to deliver social impact in the local communities where it does business.

“It’s important for us to serve our clients’ in their own backyards,” Biles said. “A lot of veterans who need this kind of support live in places other than New York City, and our clients recognize that. They see veterans in their own communities who are struggling. It goes a long way when we are able to show that our philanthropy is directly supporting those local needs.”

Being veteran-owned, American Veterans Group qualifies as a diversity supplier. Biles is building the company by networking and forging partnerships with high-profile names in the investment banking community; reaching out to corporate and municipal banking relationship managers; and telling his story to corporate executives who guide diversity supplier, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies.

“We make it a priority to hire and partner with veterans and veteran-owned companies, but our impact extends well beyond even those important benchmarks,” Biles said. “We’re able to demonstrate a direct, deeper and wider impact on veterans in local communities where we’ve done business. We can help corporate clients point to measurable social impact as it relates to veterans both locally and nationally by including us when they decide to access capital in the financial markets.”

Since its founding, American Veterans Group has supported nearly 70 financial transactions as a co-manager or selling group member, helping such states as Massachusetts and California, and municipalities such as Chicago and New York City, access the debt capital markets. The company also supports equity capital market transactions, preferred stock syndicates and secondary trading issues.

American Veterans Group’s high-profile investment banking and financial industry partners include Citi, Bank of America, Barclays and MetLife. The company’s sales team members average 20-plus years’ experience.

Biles co-founded the company with William Frazier, a financial industry leader with 45 years’ experience. Frazier was a partner at Oppenheimer & Company where he led the firm’s global fixed income division. Before American Veterans Group, Frazier founded and oversaw all aspects of Gates Capital Corporation, a boutique dealer specializing in fixed income trading support to independent registered investment advisors.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Keith and remember the plans that we made,” Biles said. “My hope is that he’d be so proud of what we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time. And it’s our mission in life, and in business, to make certain that we’re helping returning military veterans just like him find their pathways home.”

Husband and Wife are Retired US Army Colonels Bringing No. 1 Flooring Mobile Showroom to Homes

BusinessCareer
LinkedIn
Bill Mahoney and Marie Mahoney stand outdoors in front of their decorated work vehicle smiling

Analytics. Logistics. Planning. Strategy. Putting those four ideals into practice would provide a strong cornerstone for the success of almost any business.

Those are the skills that Bill and Marie Mahoney bring with them as they each launch second careers as new franchise owners with Floor Coverings International, visiting customers’ homes in a Mobile Flooring Showroom stocked with thousands of flooring samples from top manufacturers. Having launched operations in late September, Floor Coverings International Midlothian serves clients throughout the greater Midlothian, Bon Air, Moseley and Chesterfield County areas.

Bill and Marie – both 56 and residents of Chesterfield – are retired United States Army Colonels with Bill retiring in 2015 after serving 30 years and Marie following in April 2020 after a 34-year career. Each were deployed to Afghanistan for one year. Bill later served as Director of Planning for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. “It has been shown repeatedly that veterans make great small-business owners because of the skills and discipline learned in the military,” Bill said. “On top of that, women-owned businesses continue to grow at a rapid pace and Marie is excited to contribute to that growth.”

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), there is about one veteran-owned company for every 10 veterans and veteran-owned businesses employ 5.8 million individuals. In addition, the number of women-owned businesses has increased by 21 percent over the past five years, more than double the increase of nine percent for all businesses, according to the most recent State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. Approximately 42 percent of American businesses are owned by women. “We were looking for a post-military business opportunity, and given our backgrounds, we both felt we couldn’t have been better prepared to own a Floor Coverings International franchise,” Marie said. “Plus, our son, Max (20), is working part-time for us while our daughter, Maura (16), helps behind the scenes with our social media.”

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every part of our lives. However, Floor Coverings International utilizes a number of preventative safety precautions to keep both clients and franchise owners and their employees safe. “We are relatively pandemic-proof,” Bill said. “The desire for home improvements has actually grown tremendously this year as more consumers spend time in their homes and expend resources that might have otherwise been spent on travel and other activities.”

In Floor Coverings International, the Mahoneys found a company that has tripled in size since 2005 by putting a laser focus on consumer buying habits and expressed desires, its impressive operating model, growth ability, marketing, advertising and merchandising. Floor Coverings International further separates itself from the competition through its customer experience, made up of several simple and integrated steps that exceed customers’ expectations. “The Floor Coverings International business model is a one-stop shop that offers a higher level of customer service than many competitors,” Marie said. “Our Mobile Flooring Showroom provides our clients access to virtually unlimited flooring options.”

ABOUT FLOOR COVERINGS INTERNATIONAL

Norcross, GA-based Floor Coverings International has been ranked consistently as the No. 1 Mobile Flooring Franchise in North America by Entrepreneur Magazine. The 142 franchisees and their Design Associates offer a unique in-home experience with a mobile showroom that comes directly to the client’s door. More than 3,000 flooring choices are available to view in the home with and alongside existing lighting, paint, and furniture. The company will open several more locations throughout the U.S. and Canada through franchise expansion in 2021. For franchise information, please visit www.opportunities.flooring-franchise.com and to find your closest location go to www.floorcoveringsinternational.com.

 

 

Providing Business, DVBE. Employment & Educational Opportunities For Veterans

Central Michigan

American Family Insurance

American Family Insurance