Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, Head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, attends the grand opening of the Nevada Veterans Business Outreach Center Monday, Nov. 20, 2023.
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Entrepreneurs with ties to the military throughout Nevada have a new resource to help grow their business ventures and transition to civilian life.
Officials on Monday celebrated the grand opening of Nevada’s first Veterans Business Outreach Center, or VBOC, at the UNLV Technology Park in Spring Valley. It’s the 28th such center nationally.
The center is sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide business counseling services to help incorporate new businesses and expand existing ones.
The SBA announced in April it had secured federal funding to expand the VBOC program from 22 locations to 28, making the decision to put a VBOC in a state like Nevada — which is home to more than 200,000 veterans and over 23,000 veteran-owned small businesses — an obvious one, U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., told the crowd at Monday’s ribbon-cutting.
“That’s why I’ve been working with Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate to support these businesses,” said Rosen, who had been urging the SBA since January to include Nevada in this round of VBOC expansion. “(We’re) making it easier to start to start them, easier to operate them, and increasing access to capital to help them grow, to succeed, and churning through the red tape that is oftentimes a barrier for success.”
Virtually all of Nevada’s federal congressional delegation was on hand for Monday’s opening, save for Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, whose district covers Northern Nevada. U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat whose district now includes the VBOC, said she hoped veterans from all over the state would take advantage of the new resources at their disposal.
“I am thrilled to see that this will become a critical resource for our veterans as they transition to civilian life,” Lee said. “Men and women who serve our country so valiantly, who put their lives on the line for our freedoms so we can live in the greatest country on Earth should not have to fight another battle when they return from service.”
The center is at 8400 W. Sunset Road, Suite 400 and a satellite location will operate in Reno to service entrepreneurs in Northern Nevada, said Andy Pierson, director of the Nevada VBOC. Before Monday, the closest VBOC that serviced Nevada was in Sierra Vista, Ariz., more than 490 miles away from Las Vegas.
“This center is more than just a physical space,” Pierson said. “It represents a commitment to supporting our veterans by committing to talk about entrepreneurship, and a commitment to building a community where dreams are realized.”
Among the services available to either transitioning or active duty servicemembers, veterans, reserve members or military spouses include personalized counseling on accounting, financial planning and asset management, officials said. Entrepreneurs also can get help in securing capital, as well as assistance to access financing, loans and available grant programs.
That’s on top of marketing and outreach services, and a special VBOC program called Boots to Business, a boot camp that teaches basic principles for soon-to-be discharged servicemembers, at either Nellis Air Force Base, Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs or the Naval Air Station in Fallon.
And while it makes sense to send prospective veteran entrepreneurs to other startup services offered through chambers of commerce or local business incubators, it’s also important for veterans to have a close network of support for issues that uniquely affect the veteran community, Isabel Casillas Guzman, the SBA administrator, told the Sun.
“Oftentimes we use the entire ecosystem,” said Guzman, who attended the grand opening. “We at the SBA like to meet our businesses where they are. And with that, bringing that culturally competent veteran awareness to really support them in their journey.”
