Enterprising Veteran Award

In the Year of No Excuses, Ted Garcia’s story stands out. During his first active duty tour, he trained as a medic. He transitioned to civilian life, became a volunteer EMT in his community and joined a local construction firm for his day job. In 1998, he was injured on duty, after falling off a bridge. His employer abruptly released him. Ted said to the owner, “You’re doing me a favor. I’m going to open my own business.” He did. He paid his bills by working for a local framing business during the day. Evenings and weekends, he built his small construction firm, Bexar Repairs. His philosophy – no job is too small if it improves the life of a veteran. Eventually, he got a ½ day project at FAA, his first Federal work. He was making enough to pay his bills, but not much more. Then, September 11, 2001 happened. As a volunteer Search and Rescue worker for the State of Utah, Ted and his team traveled to New York City to assist the FEMA team. He has painful memories of that important work. Later, his reserve unit was activated. Ted was assigned to 26-man Special Operations Unit as a Combat Medic. He experienced some “pretty hard” combat in Iraq, Kuwait and Syria. Ted Garcia applied the knowledge he gained as a business owner to negotiate equipment and personnel for his unit. In this capacity, he was a hero among the heroes. One day when providing lifesaving care to a critically injured Iraqi child, he himself was badly injured. He returned to the States in April 2004 and was released back to civilian status. He business was gone. He had no money coming in. He had a new baby and no health insurance for his family. He was unable to walk. In his words, he was ‘broken by depression.” He suffered from flashbacks. For one month, he was unable to leave his bed. Then, he said “Get up and get moving. Your family needs you.” He went to the VA hospital to get rehab treatment for his leg and treatment for PTSD. He got fitted for a brace. He went home and started working from bed, using a laptop, cell phone, and fax machine. He put his business back together. Fourteen months later, Bexar Repairs has a $2 Million project at Buckley AFB and a $1 Million design-build project for the USAF Academy. That, by itself, should warrant the Enterprising Veteran award.

Ted Garcia needed to do more. He now donates his time at the Salt Lake City VA medical center to help recently wounded veterans through their recovery. He founded “Garcia’s Boys,” a group of volunteers who visit wounded veterans within 24 hours of their admission. He was invited to serve on the Board of Advisors of the Midvale Project by the local VA to develop similar groups around the country. Mrs. Garcia volunteers with the Spouses’ Support Group. Last month, he was awarded the Bronze Star by Senator Orrin Hatch. In the Year of No Excuses, Ted Garcia of Bexar Repairs has had many opportunities to blame the world for what happened to him. Instead, he turned hardship into a positive challenge. He has improved the lives of his family members. He has also improved the lives of America’s veterans who need an example that injuries can be overcome with determination and a drive to succeed.

Transition Assitance Champions

Fellujah. Many Americans have heard of it. A few have experienced it. Sgt. Jerry Ezell enlisted in the US Army in 1993. He went to airborne school at Fort Benning and eventually became an airborne meteorologist. He transitioned from active duty to reserve status. His unit was deployed to Iraq in January 2004. Three weeks later, while riding convoy, his vehicle was hit by an IED and the convoy began taking small arms fire. Sgt. Ezell was struck by shrapnel in the head, back, hands and arms. He was medically retired in September. In December, while at the Road to Recovery Conference in Florida, Sgt. Ezell met with a representative from VA’s Center for Veterans Enterprise about how to open a business that would provide improved armor plating so others in harm’s way might avoid serious injury. On May 4, he realized that vision and opened SFS Fabrication in Tulsa, OK. This is a remarkably short timeframe from concept to opening. It is primarily due to Sgt. Ezell’s personal initiative. It is also due, in large part, to the network of support organizations created under the Federal Veterans Entrepreneurship Act to assist transitioning personnel. Sue Floyd of the Tahlequah, OK, Small Business Development Center was the first referral from VA’s CVE. Ms. Floyd met weekly with Sgt. Ezell to ensure his pathway to ownership was smooth and quick. She worked with the Small Business Administration’s lenders and with Janis Balsters of VA’s Muskogee, OK, Regional Office to assist Sgt. Ezell with start-up capital. VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program contributed $55,000 for equipment. Start-up working capital was arranged through SBA’s Small Business loan guaranty program. Once Sgt. Ezell was in business, John Hessler of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center stepped in to map procurement opportunities for this new machinist. Our Nation’s veterans refuse to fail themselves and their comrades. Our dedicated program specialists refuse to fail our veterans. Sgt. Ezell, the Transition Assistance Business Start-Up Team and SFS Fabrication are proof that Veterans in Business are Still Serving America and America’s citizens are still supporting them!

CORPORATE AWARDS

Anteon

Last year, Anteon Corporation spent more than $11 million to purchase services and supplies. In 2004, Anteon achieved what no other Federal prime contractor had previously accomplished. They exceeded the 3% procurement goal for Service-Disabled Veterans. This is an historic milestone for Anteon and for the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program.

 

SUPPORT SECTOR AWARDS

International Franchise Association

Dina Dwyer-Owens

John Reynolds  

In 2002, Dina Dwyer-Owens gained the support of the International Franchise Association to create the second generation of the VetFran Program. The original program, offering discounted franchising fees to veterans, was introduced after

Gulf War 1 in the early 1990’s. The second VetFran program now has more than 300 franchisees and more than 150 franchisors participating in it. Additionally,

John Reynolds created the VetFran Scholarship Program, a way for franchisors to continue returning respect for our veteran’s sacrifices by funding their college education. This program was introduced last year. IFA is a sterling example of how we as citizens can support veterans in business.

 

FEDERAL AGENCY CHAMPIONS

General Services Administration

Stephen Perry, Administrator

Last May, Administrator Perry initiated a national campaign, Project Fast Break, to assist veterans in obtaining Federal Supply Schedules. He began the campaign, right here in Washington, DC with one of the largest conferences for veterans held to date. He then followed through with web site support and a series of educational conferences across the country. Earlier this year, Mr. Perry delivered on a previous commitment to the service-disabled veterans’ business community, announcing a requirement for a Government-Wide Acquisition Contract for IT services, estimated at $5 Billion over a 10-year period with up to 40 awards anticipated. This is true and decisive leadership in an environment where many agency officials say “it cannot be done.” GSA is doing great things.

Office of Federal Procurement Policy

David Safavian, Administrator

If there is anyone who does not know about Executive Order 13360, the President’s call to improve accomplishments with service-disabled veterans, it is not because Mr. Safavian has not worked diligently to get the word out. What is remarkable about his work supporting the Executive Order is the speed with which the President’s order has been carried out. Today, thanks to Mr. Safavian, agency strategies and accountable officials are easily viewed on the Internet. This creates an unprecedented era of openness and information sharing. Mr. Safavian has worked with agency officials since issuance of the order to identify ways to further improve the program. Rest assured, he is working, as we speak, on the next generation of improvements so that Veterans in Business receive their fair share of Federal Procurement Opportunities.

 

VA CHAMPIONS

 

FY 2004 Achievements

VA sets a 3% prime contract dollar goal for Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and a 7% prime contract dollar goal for Veteran-owned Small Businesses (VOSBs). These contracting activities proved that VA’s goals are achievable. They are setting the course for the rest of VA to follow in supporting veterans in business!

VISN 5 , VISN 7 , VISN 12 , VISN 17 , VISN18

Austin Automation Center , OAMM/IT Austin, Office of Facilities Management

Office of Human Resources

 

Sustained Service Award

Marcus Clayton

VISN 15 Small Business Specialist

 

Mr. Clayton is an extraordinary advocate for veterans in business. Many years ago, he volunteered for assignment as a medical center Small Business Specialist. He volunteered to speak at conferences on behalf of OSDBU. When VHA created their regional networks, he volunteered to serve as the Network Small Business Specialist. He volunteered to work with the CVE in developing the Vendor Information Pages database. He volunteered to test that database and to test our new Assistance Program Pages. He volunteered to test provisional entries by VA employees in the VIP database. We have never asked for help and been turned down by this gentleman, who, in his other full-time position, is a senior level contracting officer with a demanding workload. Last Fall, when GSA conducted its first regional conference for veterans, mail and phone calls poured in afterwards extolling the professionalism and helpfulness that Mr. Clayton offered to the business owners. For this, we are awarding him, not just a Sustained Service award, but the highly sought-after CVE oxford shirt!

 

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Chris Hale

Veterans Business Journal

Last year, Chris Hale decided running one very successful magazine wasn’t enough of a challenge. His GI Jobs monthly is recognized as a tremendous resource matching employers and veterans seeking employment. He identified a void in getting public attention for the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program. He created the “Veterans Business Journal,” a bi-monthly publication of national quality. This magazine is rapidly becoming the industry standard for veterans in business for the breadth, depth and quality of its coverage. But Chris didn’t stop there. Now, VBJ is working with public agencies to host business outreach conferences. We look forward to the August 25 program in Annapolis, home to the U.S. Naval Academy, and to future offerings by VBJ.

 

Brad Scott

GSA, Heartland Region Director

Brad Scott is GSA’s Oversight Official for Executive Order 13360, improving opportunities for service-disabled veterans. With Administrator Perry, he was personally instrumental in gathering support from Federal agency officials to host the first conference for VOSBs in Washington, DC, last May, a session attended by 500 participants. He obtained support from Bob Dole for a Public Service Announcement promoting the program. He coordinated a series of national conferences throughout all GSA’s regions to open doors of opportunity for veterans. This is an individual committed to creating new ways to support veterans in business.

 

Dennis DeMolet

President, DeMolet Consulting

Dennis DeMolet is a management consultant whose home is Dayton, Ohio. He is also one of the most widely traveled advocates for veterans in business. He was one of the first business owners appointed by SBA Administrator Hector Barretto to the Advisory Board on Veterans Business Development. Anything going on within the community, Dennis knows about and has an opinion to express! A Vietnam Veteran who overcame serious battle injuries, Dennis shares the story of his recovery and success with veterans who are struggling as owners or as individuals considering business ownership. Mr. DeMolet could certainly have made a whole lot more money had he chosen to concentrate on his business and not travel the country helping veterans. However, as he will tell you, life is rich in many ways. This program is enriched by his dedication, his enthusiasm and his willingness to contribute to the future generations of veterans in business.

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Corporate Achievements

Computer Sciences Corporation

Federal Agency Achievements

GSA 2 Regions, DOL

 

VA Contracting Activity FY 2004 Achievements

VISN 1 Activity SDVOSB

White River Junction, VT
Boston , MA
Manchester , NH
Leeds , MA

VISN 4 Activity

Clarksburg , WV
Coatesville , PA
Erie , PA
Wilkes Barre, PA

VISN 5 Activity

Martinsburg , WV
Washington , DC

VISN 7 Activity

Consolidated Contracting Activity

VISN 10 Activity

Chillicothe , OH
Cincinnati , OH
Columbus , OH

VISN 11 Activity

Battle Creek , MI

VISN 16 Activity

Fayetteville , AR
Houston , TX
Jackson , MS

VISN 17 Activity

Dallas , TX
Temple , TX

VISN 18 Activity

Tucson , AZ 1
El Paso , TX

VISN 19 Activity

Fort Harrison , MT
Cheyenne , WY
Grand Junction , CO
Sheridan , WY

VISN 20 Activity

Anchorage , AK
Spokane , WA
Walla Walla , WA
Southern Oregon

VISN 23 Activity

Sioux Falls , SD
Ft Meade, SD
St. Cloud , MN

Other Activities

Employee Education Service

 

Sustained Service

 

Chris Figg

Office of Acquisition and Materiel Management

Chris Figg is retiring the end of June after a career spent supporting veterans. In his former capacity as Director, Acquisition Operations Service for the Office of Acquisition and Materiel Management, and his present position as Senior Advisor to the Procurement Executive, Mr. Figg has invested two decades working collegially with other key VA leaders. Washington can often be a brutal town that wears down even the best-hearted souls. For more than 20 years, Chris Figg has demonstrated concern for veterans and concern for employees through his daily work. He is well-known for his courtesy, accessibility, vision, quick thinking, and wit. He is just an all-around great guy. Veterans have been well-served by this consummate professional. The people of Arizona are gaining a tremendous new citizen.

 

Department of Defense Honorees

 

Dept of the Army ACA, AMA

Sandra Sieber

Suellen Jeffress

 

Accepting on behalf of Fort Jackson, Fort Belvoir, Fort AP Hill, the Military Academy, Arlington Cemtetery and the NDU (?), Ms. Sieber and Ms. Jeffress staffs at these facilities collectively spent almost $15 Million with service disabled veteran-owned small businesses in FY 2004. Each achieved at least 3% of their total procurement dollars with these owners. Arlington Cemetery achieved 5.7%, Fort Jackson, 7.1% and NDU more than 10%!

 

Dept of the Army, Army Materiel Command

Scott Crosson

Benjamin Griffin

The Blue Grass facility spent 3.6% of their procurement dollars with service-disabled veterans. That is $180,588 in FY 2004.

 

Dept of the Army, NGB

Steven Blum

Colin Molzen

The NGBs in Washington, DC, Oklahoma and Washington State collectively spent more than $3.6 Million dollars with service-disabled veterans in FY 2004. Achieving 4.6%, 6% and 14% each!

 

Dept of the Army, Army Corps of Engineers

Clark Strock

Judith Blake

The Army Corps of Engineers delivers! In FY 2004, the Humphrey Center, the CRDC-CERL, San Francisco, Sacramento and Jacksonville spent $28.6 Million dollars with service-disabled veterans. That’s a tremendous collective effort with each organization exceeding the 3% goal!

 

Dept of the Navy, ROICC

RADM Michael Loose

The ROICC offices in New Orleans, Charleston and Atlanta spent $3.3 Million in FY 2004. New Orleans achieved 5.4%. Charleston achieved 8% and Atlanta hit a home run with 28.2% of their dollars going to service-disabled veterans. Keep up the good work!

 

Dept of the Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center

Joseph Giaqunto

The Naval Surface Warfare Center is a repeat honoree, returning from 2003. Last year, they spent 3.25% with service disabled veterans, putting more than $10 Million into these businesses. My hat’s off to everyone who worked to achieve this tremendous accomplishment.

 

 

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS

Clyde Burch

General Dynamics

One man can make a difference. Two years ago, Clyde Burch, Small Business Liaison Officer for General Dynamics in Florida, decided he would organize all 86 General Dynamics facilities to ensure veterans had equitable access to decisionmakers. He flew to Washington, DC and coordinated the planning and operations with VA’s Center for Veterans Enterprise. Then, he did something that very few event organizers do. After the event, he followed through with the program managers, SBLOs and the owners. He tracked outcomes. He then improved what VA believed was an outstanding model and committed to an even better program in 2005. As a direct result of his personal commitment to veterans, General Dynamics invested more than $16 Million with veteran-owned small businesses during that single day. Their model has been adopted by other Federal contractors. Mr. Burch has offered his company’s experiences to other prime contractors, mentoring them through teleconferences. The General Dynamics’ model is under consideration by the Defense Contract Management Agency for “best practices” in subcontracting support. Mr. Burch said, “I am here to tell you that General Dynamics supports veterans.” After two years, he and the company are an outstanding example of sustained attention and leadership in Veterans Entrepreneurship opportunities.

 

Michelle Stratton

US ACE, Sacramento, CA

Staff in the CVE have been campaigning for Michelle Stratton to receive an Individual Champion award since she organized the first Western District Veteran-owned Small Business Conference in 2002 on the USS Hornet. Michelle is recognized within the advocates’ community for her organization, energy and conscientious dedication to veterans. Most importantly, she is known for opening doors of opportunity within the Army Corps of Engineers. This Spring, she hosted the fourth annual veterans’ business conference. Owners often by-pass other outreach events to attend her programs. They are simply that good. Our program is fortunate that Ms. Stratton has focused her expertise on veterans in business. We are not alone in our high regard for Ms. Stratton. Last month, she was recognized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce as the 2005 Veterans Business Advocate of the Year. Congratulations, on receiving both of these hard-earned and well-deserved honors.

 

Lynette Ward

USAF OPO, San Antonio, TX

Many of us have read about members of the press corps being embedded with units in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lynette Ward took this model and applied it to veterans’ business outreach. In February 2004, she assembled a group of volunteers from SBA, VA and the Air Force. She offered to organize a series of short, 4-hour road shows across the country on key Air Force bases with large procurement budgets. In these sessions, she would directly reach program managers and inform them about small business programs, with special emphasis on HUB Zone and Veterans Business Opportunities. She was true to her word. CVE’s Intergovernmental Affairs Officer reported in March. In November at the first meeting of the Interagency Working Group on EO 13360, he identified himself as a VA employee on loan to the Air Force! The participants clamored for copies of her Small Business Pocket Guide which she also made available online for their convenience. The Road Show project ended in November. By that time, the Road Show had traveled to 17 Air Force bases, the Air Force Academy and trained almost 2,000 program specialists. These personnel control procurement decisions for $12 Billion annually. Not one for down time, she volunteered to work on the Joint Military Services Regional Veterans’ Business Conferences with Jim Blanco of the Army. What a great lady with a great story!

 

Dr. Alain Hunter

USAF OSDBU, Washington, DC

In November 2000, Scott Denniston approached Federal agencies seeking volunteers to work with veterans in business. Dr. Alain Hunter was among the first to answer the call. Since then, Dr. Hunter has remained a steadfast advocate for procurement opportunities at Air Force bases. Additionally, he invited VA to join the USAF faculty on shared outreach programs and employee training programs. As a founding member of the Government Advocates for Veterans Enterprise, he has established a reputation for sage advice to policymakers, procurement officers, and business owners. Most recently, Dr. Hunter’s office was paramount in coordinating the Joint Services Veterans’ Business Conferences held throughout the country. VA’s Center for Veterans Enterprise is deeply indebted to the USAF Small Business Office for their assistance throughout the life of our organization and to remarkably talented professionals like Dr. Hunter.

 

LTC James Blanco

Dept of the Army, OSDBU, Washington, DC

When LTC Jim Blanco visited VA early in his term in the Army’s Small Business Office, we said “You’ve got a difficult task in front of you. Your are replacing Col. James Lloyd, one of our most active Veterans Business Advocates.” Then Major Blanco said “Watch me.” This was in 2003. Since then, he re-designed Army’s web site to provide fingertip information to veteran business owners. He initiated the Joint Services Conferences with Glenn Delgado, Lynette Ward and Alain Hunter. He followed through on his vision for a National Veterans Business Program. We stand here today thankful for the energy and dedication he has invested in veterans. In addition to planning this national program, LTC Blanco played a vital role in developing the EO 13360 strategy for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. This plan creates a multi-year roadmap that will benefit veterans across America. Job well done, LTC Blanco!

 

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