North Carolina Veterans Business Association President Wants to Help Veterans Become Successful Entrepreneurs

Written by Paul Woolverton | City View Senior Reporter

The new president of North Carolina Veterans Business Association hopes to quadruple its membership over the next two years and provide services that will persuade members to stay with the association for the long term.

Charlotte veteran and business owner Tanya Jones begins her two-year term as president. North Carolina Vet Biz, as the association advertises itself, in January. She is the first Black person to serve as president of NC VetBiz, and hopes her presence will allay the misconception some people have that NC VetBiz is primarily aimed at white men.

NC VetBiz is a statewide nonprofit organization founded in 2008 that supports North Carolina veterans and veteran spouses by providing education, networking, and other resources as they start and operate their businesses. Jones said the goal is to

Open to veterans and spouses of veterans from all branches of the military, including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, and National Guard.

“We want people to feel like this is a place where they feel at home and that friendships don't have to end when they become ETS or retire,” Jones said. said.

(ETS stands for “expiration period” and refers to when someone leaves the military.)

The association also offers membership to people, agencies and organizations who want to support veteran businesses, she said.

Veterans, spouses of veterans, and anyone else interested in learning more about NC VetBiz are invited to participate. Meet and Greet at the Fayetteville-Cumberland Regional Entrepreneur & Business Hub on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Located in the Bronco Midtown (formerly Bronco Square) shopping center at 1073 Murchison Road, across from Fayetteville State University's main campus.

Big plans for acquiring new members

NC VetBiz has 235 members, Jones said. In the first year she wants to increase this to 500 cases, and in the second year she wants to increase it to 1,000 cases.

She finds more creative ways to bring in more young and new veterans and help businesses connect with commerce, helping NC VetBiz not only in its startup phase but throughout its lifespan. We would like to be able to provide services that support this. she said.

Jones said NC VetBiz has an ongoing relationship with the federal Small Business Administration and helps its members access information and assistance from the agency. SBA and North Carolina VetBiz will help veterans obtain official certification to certify their business as veteran-owned, thereby qualifying for contracts and programs that favor veteran-owned businesses. , she said.

The organization connects new and experienced entrepreneurs to provide mentorship, and its corporate network helps find partnerships and other ventures, she said. The association also holds educational sessions on other business topics.

NC VetBiz resources helped new president's business

owned by jones interactive advocacyprovides training, speaking engagements, and other programs and resources to help businesses, government agencies, schools, and organizations prevent sexual harassment, sexual assault, bullying, violence, and other inappropriate or illegal behavior among their employees. We are a Charlotte area company that provides…

The training will also help victims learn how to advocate for themselves and seek help, she said. The campaign encourages people who witness inappropriate behavior to help victims, in the hope that it will encourage those who do wrong to stop.

Ms. Jones founded Interactive Advocacy in 2019 and joined NC VetBiz in 2021. She said that was a big help.

“One of the things I'm most grateful for is the connections I've made and the resources it provides. And really, it's been like a boot camp for me in terms of growing my business. It was something,” she said.

That's because Jones is the SBA. North Carolina Military Business Center, she said. The Military Business Center is a state agency headquartered in Fayetteville whose mission is to promote business opportunities with the military and the federal government.

Veterans are also welcome

Jones said she hopes her role as NC VetBiz president, as a Black woman, sends a signal to veterans of color that all veterans are welcome to join the association.

During a recent interactive advocacy event where Jones presented, she said she met Black veterans who thought differently.

“One thing I shared is that I am the new president of NC VetBiz,” she said. After her talk, some attendees met her.

“One of them told me that he had heard about this organization but thought it was primarily white men,” Jones said. “And I told them that, no, we now have advisory board members who are not only women, but women from different ethnic backgrounds on the board.

“So I think visibility and representation is important,” Jones told CityView on Friday. “I think it's important for people to look out and make sure their voices are being heard and think, 'I identify with this because I see myself in this organization.' think.”

According to the U.S. Census, there are approximately 16.2 million veterans in the United States. Of these, approximately 2 million (12.3%) said they were black and had no other race or ethnicity. Approximately 1.4 million people (8.6%) identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino of any racial background. Approximately 11.7 million people report that they are white and of no other race or Latino ethnic background. The remaining approximately 1 million U.S. veterans identify as having other racial or ethnic backgrounds or having mixed racial or ethnic backgrounds.

Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710. [email protected].

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