The Los Angeles Regional Veterans Business Outreach Center is now open at Long Beach City College.
Isabel Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, made the announcement Thursday with the USS Iowa as a backdrop.
The regional center is the third to open in California and will provide services for veterans in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The other VBOC’s in California are in San Elijo in San Diego County and in Sacramento.
VBOC programs support transitioning service members, veterans, as well as military spouses, and families with resources to help them become entrepreneurs or small business owners. Some of the resources include workshops on topics like business planning and financing, mentorship opportunities, networking opportunities and expert advising sessions. The VBOC also connects veterans to funding programs, applications for government contract projects, and lenders.
Guzman said the center is a place veterans “can go to to get resources, to get capital so they can grow their businesses. They’re job creators and so it’s wonderful to be able to power them up as they continue to serve our country now in this new capacity as small business owners serving the economy.”
Guzman said VBOC programs can help veterans connect with opportunities like contracting work for projects like the one announced by President Joe Biden. In August, President Biden raised over $360 billion in infrastructure projects nationwide.
“This makes the third VBOC we have in the state of California that makes a difference in terms of those contractors’ ability to get that new bridge or road construction project under their belt or be able to connect to some of the private investments that are happening in America,” she said.
The resource center will also provide information for military spouses.
“As military spouses travel around, it’s harder for them to gain employment but they can create their own jobs and create jobs for other military spouses when they start a business,” Guzman said.
Through the VBOC program, military spouses can gain access to free information within the Small Business Administration about business ownership. The program can also help military spouses with information on funding opportunities and how to apply for them.
Herlinda Chico, president of Long Beach City College’s Board of Trustees, welcomed the VBOC to the college campus.
“We have 1,600 veterans that are enrolled at Long Beach City College so we already know that we have a strong group of veterans who can benefit from this,” she said.
Te Renna Marie Taylor, an army veteran who owns a financial literacy and coaching business, said having a VBOC can help others with things like setting up an LLC. As a small business owner, Taylor said she also hopes to pass on her knowledge to low income and underserved communities, including Black, Latino, Middle Eastern ,and Asian communities.
“It’s difficult because when you go into the military, most of the time we’re young and we leave our community, so you don’t make contact,” Taylor said.
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