This week, as we celebrate Alexandria Honors Veterans Week, the City publicly recognizes the value that veterans bring to our community at large. Here at the Alexandria Small Business Development Center, we recognize that veteran entrepreneurs enhance our business community as well. This recognition is part of what led to the formation of the Alexandria Veterans Business Enterprise Center (AVBEC), which has co-hosted several events for veterans in business this week. Whether you are looking to start a business, grow your business, network with other veterans in business, or explore career opportunities, AVBEC is available to support and guide veterans at any stage in the process.
In addition to the activities this week, last week was National Veterans Small Business Week. In support of this, several articles and blog posts were published to highlight why veterans excel as entrepreneurs. Additionally, there were several articles written on the current trends in the veteran business world. We’ve rounded up a few of these articles to share with you below:
- Five Reasons Why Veterans Make Excellent Entrepreneurs
- Veterans are Natural Born Entrepreneurs
- Start-up Success: Veteran-Owned Businesses are Gaining Traction with Investors
- VetCap Workshops Connect Military Veteran Entrepreneurs to Investors and Lenders
Emily McMahan, the director of the AVBEC, was also featured in an article this week. This article, which appeared in technical.ly DC, explains an exciting new addition to the AVBEC program. The Bunker, a Chicago-based incubator for veterans, has chosen the AVBEC as its expansion location in Washington, D.C. The Bunker also announced that it will be expanding to six other cities, including Philadelphia, Tacoma, Los Angeles, and Austin. AVBEC is anticipating welcoming its first class of veteran entrepreneurs in early 2015.
We would like to thank all of our veteran clients for their service and for the contributions they have made to our Alexandria business community. We are also thankful for the veterans who lead our economic development organizations. Many people my be surprised to know that Bill Reagan, Executive Director of the Alexandria SBDC, and Val Hawkins, President and CEO of AEDP, are both veterans. They, along with Emily McMahan, are pictured in the image that accompanies this post, and we are grateful for their leadership and the skills they bring from their time in the military.
As we wrap up the events of Alexandria Honors Veterans week, we look forward to continuing to work with our veteran business owners and to supporting the first class of veteran entrepreneurs at The Bunker.