(Credit: Courtesy Region II VBOC, 2022)
The federal Small Business Administration is looking to increase the number of Veterans Business Outreach Centers from 22 nationwide to 34, and they are putting $4.1 million behind the effort, a press release from the SBA says. They are looking to private organizations and companies, nonprofit organizations or educational institutions and state, local or tribal governmental agencies to apply for grants of up to $400,000 to start a VBOC and “provide critical training and counseling to aspiring and existing veteran small business owners.”
All VBOCs are financially supported by the SBA, but are attached to a host organization of some type, often a nonprofit organization, a college or other group, said Amy Amoroso, the director of the Region II VBOC in Watervliet. That Region covers all of New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The McNulty Veterans Business Center plays host to that VBOC.
“I think it’s good news all around,” Amoroso said of the expansion. “Adding 12, of course, that’s going to encroach on some of our regions.”
Puerto Rico is likely to find a group that will apply to host a VBOC, she said.
“They’ve been wanting their own VBOC for quite some time,” she said, adding that per capita, Puerto Rico has the highest population of veterans in the country. If they apply and win the grant, the island and the U.S. Virgin Islands would fall under a new VBOC there.
“The [Region II] VBOC will stay with McNulty Center,” Amoroso said.
The McNulty Center will have to apply for a new round of funding early next year since the current, five-year-long round ends April 30. However, they are in a “noncompete” region meaning the SBA will not consider grant applications from other host organizations that want to move the VBOC from the McNulty Center, according to Amoroso and the SBA.
[Read more of our Veterans Business News, including about the VBOC, here.]
The SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development expects the need for VBOCs to continue to grow, the press release says.
“The additional locations aim to enhance the experience for veteran small business owners by reducing appointment wait times, increasing local presence, providing additional local training opportunities, meeting the needs of Boots to Business participants, and ensuring that all VBOCs have the necessary resources to perform required counseling and training functions,” said Larry Stubblefield, the associate administrator for the SBA’s OVBD, in the press release.
Boots to Business and the Boots to Business Reboot are two of the popular, hands-on, intensive business training courses offered to veterans and their families through the VBOC.
The announcement comes just as the SBA will celebrate National Veterans Small Business Week, Oct. 31 to Nov. 4. The Region II VBOC and McNulty Center have a few related events lined up, and they are listed (with registration links) on their events page.
They include:
- 11/1 – webinar: How to Register at Sam.gov
- 11/2 – In-person Boots to Business Reboot class in Binghamton, NY
- 11/3 – webinar: How to Write Your Capabilities Statement & Define Your Government Target Market
- 11/8 – webinar: How to Respond to an RFP