Arkansas military veterans and their families now have a new one-stop resource on the web for all things related to benefits and assistance programs. The web portal, http://arkansasveteran.com/ was unveiled Saturday, January 10th in four locations around the state as part of the 30 Day Reintegration Program for the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Brigade Combat Team just returning from its second tour in Iraq. I was over in Russellville visiting with over 150 National Guard soldiers and their families from the 1st Battalion 206th FA welcoming them back and telling them about the new portal. The web portal was developed by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center network through a grant provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Veterans Assistance and Service Program as a partnership effort between the ASBTDC, SBA, and the Arkansas National Guard. What makes this portal so unique is that it brings together, in one place veteran related resources, news, information and agency contacts for active-duty, reserve and national guard, as well as prior service and retired veterans.
Although the site was paid for through a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration and obviously has a lot of content to provide assistance to military veterans and their families who are either small business owners or considering starting a business, the site provides resources to all veterans, regardless of whether they are business owners or not. The web portal provides links and information about veteran benefits, educational and employment opportunities, health care assistance, disabilities assistance, housing, family matters and legal issues in addition to assistance to small businesses. There are many governmental agencies and non-profit organizations that provide assistance to veterans; this portal was designed to help the veteran locate the resources needed by going to one site. It was also designed to be interactive, not just a webpage with links. Veterans or their families can subscribe to veteran related news feeds and join forum discussion groups about topics of interest or concern to them. By making it an interactive web portal, Arkansas veterans now have access to a centralized source for all of their needs.
It is also intended to provide information and assistance to those veterans or their families we call “Vet-repreneurs” who either own a small business or are considering starting a business. Through our links, news feeds, on-line forums and on-line training opportunities, these Vet-repreneurs have access to information, consulting and training to grow their businesses all at no charge.
We owe a tremendous debt to our state’s veterans and their families for their service to this great nation. This web portal is one small way that the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center network is doing its part to show them our support. If you are a veteran or family member of a veteran I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the assistance available through the portal. If you know a veteran, please pass this on to them and let them know about it.
I am often asked why I spend so much of my time working with veteran owned businesses and those veterans who are considering opening their own business since they make up such a small percentage of the total population. My response, as a retired military officer and father of a young Army captain currently on active duty, is that not only is it the right thing to do, but it makes good economic sense.
I have been working with small businesses and entrepreneurs for over 12 years at the ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center. When I meet these individuals I have learned to look much further than the quality of their business plan. I look in their eyes because I am looking to see if they have what it takes to make the business a success. When I am assessing whether an individual has the real commitment to starting a business I look for determination, a willingness to sacrifice, the ability to endure difficult times, and the ability to subordinate their immediate wants for the long-term good of the business. What I have found out over the years is that those attributes I am looking for in the would-be entrepreneur are the exact qualities that I see every day when I talk to our veterans, especially those young soldiers in the Arkansas National Guard and Reserves. Those young men and women, through their service especially over the past five years of war, demonstrate all those traits that are necessary to make their business idea successful. So not only is it “the right thing to do”, it makes good sense because as a group these soldiers are much more likely to see their plan through and make the business a success.
If you are a veteran, go to the web portal and get involved. If you know a veteran, pass this information on to them. They will thank you for it. And when you meet a veteran, especially one of our young men or women who are part of the Arkansas National Guard and Reserves, thank them from the bottom of your heart because they have made a commitment to serve this country so your children can grow up in a country where they have the right to chose.
Sincerely,
Herb Lawrence
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