Congrats to all the U.S. Small Business Administration 2020 Award Recipients recognized at the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, 2020 Salute to North Texas Small Business Awards event LIVE virtually for quests and onsite for honorees at 1010 Events Center, 1010 N. Collins Street, Arlington, TX 76011.
We are so proud to share our CEO’s accomplishments since the inception of the VWEC as well as her work during 2020 to ensure the needs of women veteran entrepreneurs were kept front and center as we work to recover, stablized and rebuild our economy, so our small businesses can truly thrive!
If you didn’t know, VR was one of six women that travel to the Capitol in Austin to testified for the original House Bill to make June 12, Women Veterans Day in Texas. This year, she led the launched of the first annual statewide Women Veterans Day Pitch Competition highlighting the innovations and economic impact of current/potential women veteran entrepreneurs. VR also participated in the “I Am Not Invisible” Campaign, a remarkable exhibit featuring 30 portraits of Texas women veterans proclaiming that all must recognize they are not invisible, but an crusial element of our military history’s past, present and future.
VR serves on the Advisory Committee for TWU’s Center for Women Entrepreneurs and is a fellow of SMU’s Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity—Inclusive Economy, Dallas Public Voices, the Bush Institute Stand-to-Veteran Leadership Program and is featured in Dallas Innovates 2020: The Future 50 North Texans. SBA’s DFW District 2020 Veteran Small Business Advocate of the Year, VR also serves on the 30th Congressional District Veteran Advisory Committee.
In alignment with the VWEC’s mission, VR just completed phase one of the Moments That Matter Research Project exclusively focused on women veteran owned businesses in the DFW metroplex in collaboration with the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank and has launched Moments that Matter phase two with SMU’s Hunt Institute, Global Development Lab to conduct a series of women veteran entrepreneur’s national focus groups.
Most importantly, VR is a Navy Veteran, proud stepdaughter, and sister to U.S. Army Retired Vietnam & Iraq Veterans, respectively. Living her personal slogan “Changing the way we see the world and do business,” VR is a motivational speakers, moderator, educator and dedicated advocate specifically for women veteran as well as women and small businesses in general—driving social and economic change across our nation.
In the mdst of a panndemic, she fell by example pivoting the services offer by the VWEC to a virtual platform to keep them informed and connected with the series “Monday Morning Message: COVID 19 Weekly Update” and “Trending Thursday Tips” and continued our Women Warriors Winning the Business Battle all upload to our VWEC YouTube platform for your editification.
She advocated for dedicated resources for women veteran entrepreneurs, launchng the Next Level Business Transformation Summer Master Class Series, providing fellows with a $5000 grants and 25 hours of critical technical assistance to not only survive COVID 19, but to literally transform their business to the next level and thrive. Learn more about these fellows and their business journey in their #GIVINGTUESDAY Newsletter.
VR turned a $20k grant American First National Bank to offer 4 mini micro loans of $5k each to women veterans entrepreneurs. Through a progressive partner with PeopleFund adding an additional $80k to create the VWEC Business Growth & Access to Capital Loan Fund, now more than double the number of loans available exclusively to women veteran entrepreneurs and female military spouses from $2500 to $10,000 at a fixed rate of 3% for a maximum of 12 months.
Committed to meeting the growing needs of women veteran entrepreneurs, the VWEC has new programs planned for 2021 that include:
• Next Level Business Transformation (NLBT): Fast Track to Contracts
• Technology Tactics: Using Technology to Grow Your Business
• Financial First: Building Business Credit
JOIN OUR FOUNDER/CEO EFFORTS AS A VOLUNTEER, PARTNER OR SPONSORS , WHETHER OFFICIALLY HOLDING THE TITLE OR NOT, VR IS COMMITTED TO ALWAYS CHAMPIONING THE NEEDS OF WOMEN VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS!
join our effort with a generous donation today at https://bit.ly/DONATENOWTOTHEVWEC