Honoring Our Veterans
Today is Memorial Day, and you’re likely enjoying a long weekend, as well as some Bar-B-Q with your family, while remembering our nation’s fallen heroes.
Today we’ll talk about how you can honor our nations Veterans with something that you do nearly every day; shopping.
Veteran Owned Businesses
With two wars winding down, our military is going through a considerable downsizing right now. As our Veterans leave active duty, not only are they returning to the workforce, but they are blazing new trails and opening their own businesses.
There are several ways that you can find these businesses, (www.BuyVeteran.com; www.VeteranOwnedBusiness.com; www.navoba.com) if you are interested in patronizing Veteran Owned Businesses in your area.
Pending Law for Vetrepreneurs
Veterans seem to be natural entrepreneurs. Whether they gleaned leadership skills from service, or entered service because of their leadership qualities, is an endless chicken/egg analysis. Texas recognizes the recent surge in vetrepreneurs and this week our legislature has sent a Bill to Governor Perry to sign.
This Bill would require the Texas Veterans Commission to establish and implement the Veteran Entrepreneur Program to foster and promote entrepreneurship and business ownership for those who served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or the Texas National Guard.
Specifically, this program is intended to: perform outreach to improve veterans’ awareness of available federal and state benefits and services; assess veterans’ need for benefits and services; provide information about opportunities for veterans in the commission’s collaborative network of businesses and organizations; and provide guidance to veterans through conferences, seminars, and training workshops with federal, state, and private agencies.
—See S.B. 1476
Texas & Federal Small Business Associations
Because Veterans tend to be trailblazers, their businesses tend to qualify under the Small Business Association. In Texas, small businesses, especially veteran owned businesses, can apply for preference in obtaining government contracts.
The business has to register and qualify as a Veteran Owned Business, and then depending on the industry of the business, usually bid for these contracts.
See the Texas Small Business Association, and the Federal Small Business Association for more details on these programs.
Why Does This Matter to You?
If you know where the Veteran Owned Businesses are in your area, and patronize them, then you are helping to reduce our nation’s growing unemployed Veteran problem.
We all know Veterans that have big ideas and lofty dreams. If you know a Veteran with a small business, encourage them to seek certification through the SBA. If you know a Veteran that wants to own a small business, encourage them to speak with an attorney to plan their formation and to get legal counseling on how to protect their personal assets.
*UPDATE*
This bill was signed into law on June 14, 2013, and is effective immediately.
—See S.B. 1476 Legislative History
–Authored by Matthew L. Harris, Esq.,
Matthew Harris Law, PLLC – Business Law Division
1001 Main Street, Suite 200, Lubbock, Texas, 79401-3309
Tel: (806) 702-4852 | Fax: (800) 985-9479