Watch Senator Rosen’s questioning HERE.
WASHINGTON, DC – During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) spoke with Colonel Tim Green, Acting Associate Administrator in the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Veterans Business Development, about how the new Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) in Nevada will benefit veterans looking to start a small business and existing veteran-owned small businesses alike.
Despite being home to over 200,000 veterans and more than 23,000 veteran-owned small businesses, Nevada has been without a dedicated, in-state VBOC. Earlier this year, following her push, Rosen announced that the SBA authorized funding to establish the first-ever in-state VBOC in Nevada.
Senator Rosen has been a leader in the Senate supporting Nevada’s veterans and servicemembers as they transition to civilian life. Earlier this month, she helped introduce the bipartisan Hire Student Veterans Act to incentivize employers to hire student veterans for part-time work and paid internships. Rosen has also introduced bipartisan legislation to create a new startup tax credit to help veterans who establish small businesses in underserved communities. Additionally, Senator Rosen has introduced bipartisan legislation to create, maintain, and operate Student Veteran Centers at universities and colleges across the nation to help student veterans transition from military to civilian life.
Below is an excerpt of the exchange:
Senator Rosen: [Nevada’s] home to more than 200,000 veterans, [and] over 23,000 veteran-owned small businesses –that’s actually one in eight small businesses in our state, which 99 percent of businesses are small businesses.
Despite this, we’ve been without a dedicated in-state Veterans Business Outreach Center that’s just for Nevada. The absence of an in-state VBOC, a one-stop shop providing support to veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and their families has really meant limited information and resources for Nevada veterans looking to start or grow a business.
Earlier this year, I called on the SBA to establish a VBOC in Nevada to ensure that tailored support is provided to our veterans and transitioning service members to address their unique needs and concerns. And I am so thrilled to report to the committee here today that in April, the SBA authorized the establishment of a VBOC in Nevada. There’ll be multiple locations, one northern Nevada, one southern Nevada.
So, Colonel Green, can you speak to the importance of the Veterans Business Outreach Centers in helping to ease the transition from active duty to civilian life for veterans who want to start a small business? And how can the VBOCs support the existing veteran businesses and help them grow?
Colonel Green: Senator, thank you for the question. I know we’re excited about the Nevada VBOC. We did open one in Colorado as well, so we’re excited about those opportunities.
They were chosen because of data, when we looked at areas where there was, you know, a lot of installations, or there was a lot of tap classes, there was, you know, historically boots to business.
So, there was a very thorough, data-driven decision there to put one in Nevada. Because there are lots of veterans and veteran-owned small businesses, it will make a big impact in there.
Again, I think we have one Nevada office with a satellite office in Reno and they’re going to be able to expand their reach into some of the rural areas. But again, you know, they’re going to be providing training and counseling and partnerships is going to be critical for them with the Small Business Development Centers. Our district offices are already there so they have a great opportunity and their primary role for a VBOC, their number one role is teaching the Boots to Business program. And at the installations at the National Guard and Reserve bases and other areas.
So, we’re really excited to have one there. I think the administrator is excited about it. She’ll be out [there] as well.
Senator Rosen: I’m very excited. We’re going to be doing that soon.
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