The Official Voice of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ® An organization chartered by the U.S. Congress September/October 2002 LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE       The Veterans Corporation: Business Advocacy For Veterans   Retired Maj. Gen. Charles (Chuck) R. Henry heads the National Veterans Business Development Corporation. Henry, who spoke at the Leadership Conference Awards Luncheon, was the CEO of a large environmental services company and brings a wealth of business experience to his present position. He serves as president of a nine-member Board of Directors appointed by the President of the United States. The corporation is a public-private venture established in 1999 to promote entrepreneurial ventures by disabled veterans. The corporation has a mandate from the federal government to be a self-supporting entity in three years. The government funded the corporation with $12 million in seed money. The first goal of the corporation was to gather data and establish a database of veterans’ businesses in order to understand what was required. The Small Business Administration and the Defense Department contributed what they had in this area.  The purpose of the corporation is to help veterans-especially disabled veterans-establish businesses. The corporation will help veterans join the ever-expanding electronic Global Business Net by providing access to capital and markets through the corporation’s web site. It also provides training and mentoring. The Kauffman Foundation has provided $250,000 to teach veterans FasTrack business training courses in Washington, D.C., Riverdale, California, and Portland, Maine. Gateway Computers had pledged to provide all course graduates with a computer and will provide space for the training. Training in small business dealing with the federal government is provided in a program called Procurement Technical Assistance. Veterans needing assistance with business startups can contact the National Veterans Business Development Corporation at http://veteranscorp.org  Chapters and State Councils can find money-saving sources of operating supplies by going to the web site to find small businesses operated by veterans.

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