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 Honey Rogers
Honey Rodgers served in the U.S. Army for eight years and left in 2005 with the rank of sergeant. A mother of four, she had high ambitions for a landscaping business she started with her husband and is also pursuing another passion: photography. Launched in March 2009 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, their business, Premier Backyards, experienced some success in their first season, despite a challenging economy. Honey attended EBV in the summer of 2009 at Texas A&M to strengthen her business acumen through lessons immediately applicable to her day-to-day operations.
Honey says the most vital thing she learned at EBV was that for a venture to succeed, the entrepreneur must have a huge passion for the business—a passion she did not feel for the landscaping business, which is her husband’s area of expertise. Her passion—and her degree—is in photography. So, after encouragement from an EBV mentor, she is now pursuing opening her own portrait franchise. In the meantime, she’s employing her photographic skills to capture images for the landscaping business’s marketing materials
 Brian Iglesias
Brian, age 32, served 14 years in the United States Marine Corps, including two combat tours in Iraq. He has produced independent films and music videos, all resulting in successful and profitable outcomes. He attended the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) in July of 2008 to gain the knowledge and skills to make his business goals a reality.
Eight months after graduating the EBV program, Brian put his skills to work and started a film and media production company, Veterans Inc, based in New York City. Veterans Inc now has one full-time and two part-time employees (two employees are combat vets). Their current film Chosin, a documentary film about a battle during the Korean War, has been featured in newspapers, online, and on radio and television in both the U.S. and South Korea. Chosin has proudly employed several combat wounded veterans as independent contractors during principle photography. The film will be screened at various film festivals prior to its official release in June of 2010. www.frozenchosin.com
 Stephen Redmon
Stephen, age 50, served in the U.S. Army for 20 years. As an Army JAG (Lawyer) who was the Legal Advisor for the 75th Ranger Regiment (75RR), Stephen struggles with the physical wear and tear of military service. Complicating this struggle is that, for Stephen, like many veterans, finding traditional employment is a challenge. Even with a law degree and a master’s degree in strategic intelligence, Stephen joined a growing number of veterans from his generation and decided to employ himself.
To pursue his entrepreneurial dream, Stephen attended the EBV program at the Whitman School. After graduating, he decided to start NOMDER, LLC, which will provide all people with disabilities with customized state-of-the-art assistive technology and performance solutions to improve their quality of life.
Before joining the military, Stephen was an active community volunteer in Harlem and attended Convent Avenue Baptist Church. He is just one example of post-9/11 ‘vetpreneurs’ who have a service-related disability and finding empowering ways to redefine their futures and contribute to the US economies.
 Andres (Andy) Chavez Jr. and Shawn James
Andy, age 28, and Shawn, age 33, both from San Diegoare former U.S. Marine Corps sergeants who have formed a strategic business partnership since attending the 2008 EBV program. Their business venture, Semper Fi Industrial Supply, is a full-line wholesale industrial/commercial supply distribution company located in San Diego and distributes products consisting of, but not limited to: Adhesives, electrical, fasteners, HVACR, janitorial and painting, hand tools, hardware, lighting, material handling, motors, office furniture and supplies, plumbing, power tools and metalworking, pumps, raw materials, safety, Security, and test instruments to name a few.
Since the EBV program they have been awarded $352 thousand in contracts with the federal government and are self certified with the government as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and with the California Department of General Services as a Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise, certification #56659.
“We owe much of our early success to the EBV program and all who made it happen and are continuing to follow-up with us.”
 Toni Williams
Toni, age 34, served eight years in the United States Marine Corps. She now teaches eighth grade history to special education students in Dallas, Texas. "Special needs students are my passion," she says. Her dream of opening a childcare facility and school for special needs children for economically disadvantaged families is why she went through the rigors of the EBV program. Toni says that her non-profit business, Helping Empower Little People, Inc. (HELP) will provide a place for these children to learn, feel comfortable, be successful, and find ways to plug into the community.
She is grateful for the training she received through the EBV at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. "It has given me the educational background I need to be successful," she said, crediting the program with helping her take an idea from her heart and head, and putting it on paper to make it happen.
Since participating in the EBV in August 2008, Toni has laid much of the foundation for her business. She's created a comprehensive business plan, appointed a board of directors, filed for her articles of incorporation and 501c3 status, and determined the site for the school. She says the next step in her venture is fundraising. As soon as the non-profit status is secure, Toni and her board will set out to raise $400,000, which will pay for facility renovation and operating costs for their first year.
"The EBV equipped me with all the tools," Toni said, commenting on the most important lesson she learned through the program.
John Raftery
John, age 30, served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is an OIF veteran. After graduating from the EBV in August 2007, John formed Patriot Contractors, a commercial construction company.
Since 2007, Patriot has successfully performed on contracts as both a prime and subcontractor to the U. S. government and now has office locations in Dallas-Fort Worth and El Paso.
For John, the EBV represented an opportunity to take a big step forward in making his dream of business ownership a reality. Attending the EBV allowed John to experience the nuts and bolts of business ownership which guided him to through the development of a solid business plan. EBV also gave John the tools to continue to manage growth in his business as well as the knowledge to bring together the right team to build Patriot.
“The most important realization I took from the EBV was an appreciation for how important it is to create a business plan before starting a business,” says John. “And the importance of surrounding myself with people that have the knowledge and skills to help me make my business dream a reality.”
Frank Shaw
Frank Shaw, age 62, served in the Army and Army Reserves for 38 years, including a tour of duty in Iraq. He left the service in February 2009. No rookie to business, the Louisiana-native has an undergraduate degree in business from Tulane University, an MBA from Cambridge University, and soon he’ll have a PhD in organizational management, also from Tulane.
In addition to his military service, Frank has been a college professor, a police chief, and a private investigator. He was running a successful venture providing investigative services to businesses, when he was called back into the service in 2004. While he was overseas, he lost his home and business to Hurricane Katrina. He’s now working on rebuilding that business in his new locale, Plano, Texas. Currently, he is looking for ways to restart the business without taking on any debt, exploring grant options instead. He says the network he’s found through EBV has been extremely helpful as he moves forward, especially the mentoring provided by EBV instructors that have taken a personal interest in his business.
 Charles Blackwell
Charles, age 45, served 21 years in the United States Army. After leaving the Army, Charles was motivated to accomplish his lifelong aspiration: be an entrepreneur. Charles credits the EBV program with providing focus, and helped foster a belief that his dream was attainable. After completing the EBV in 2007, he took action, and Blackwell Entertainment was born.
In forming Blackwell Entertainment, Charles turned his passion for music into a viable business. His company specializes in customized musical solutions, uniquely designed around an event’s theme. Charles offers his customers a portfolio of event related services, including mobile DJs, photography, and professional videography. From his experience at EBV, Charles learned that personal service and professionalism are paramount in a service business. He took that lesson to heart, and today his business is growing so fast that he recently hired his first employees.
 Rusten May
Rusten, age 24, served four years as a sniper in the United States Army. He continues to serve in the Louisiana National Guard, and leads the Louisiana State Sniper Section.
Rusten graduated from the EBV in 2007, and shortly thereafter received his BS in business administration from Nicholls State University (NSU). Rusten hopes to attend law school in Fall 2008, but ultimately he has an entrepreneurial mission that is less about making money, and more about “finding meaning.” Rusten’s entrepreneurial focus has been on assisting veterans in his state.
“The EBV provided me with essential information and experience to enact several policy changes at NSU such as: priority class scheduling for veterans, waived admission requirements upon presentation of an honorable discharge, and the creation of a veteran support group made up of high ranking university faculty,” says Rusten. “In addition, I helped bring the local community together with the community of veterans by facilitating the donation of free, university athletic event tickets to local veterans and their families.”
Each athletic event will also recognize a veteran for their service to our country. Currently, Rusten is working to raise $40K to build a 9/11 monument to be erected in his local community. |
