VBOC holds grand opening at research park
Contact: Zack Plair
![The Veterans Business Outreach Center in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park held a grand opening and ribbon cutting on Friday [Aug. 28]. The center helps veterans and their spouses either start a business or grow an existing business. From left are Bob Seitz, VBOC counselor; Sharon Oswald, dean of MSUās College of Business; Mark Scott, VBOC director; Janita Stewart, director of the Small Business Administrationās Mississippi office; Trent Kelly, congressman for Mississippiās 1st district; Ļć½¶Ö±²„President Mark E. Keenum; Rodney Pearson, Ļć½¶Ö±²„business professor and VBOC board member; and Mike Pornovets, head of the VBOCās satellite office at The Innovation Center in Biloxi. (Photo by Mitch Phillips)](/sites/www.msstate.edu/files/inline-images/VBOC_GrandOpening_20150828_MSP0183.jpg "VBOC opening")
STARKVILLE, Miss.āA ribbon-cutting and open house formally welcomed to the Ļć½¶Ö±²„ campus a new resource for military veteran entrepreneurs.
The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) hosted distinguished guests and members of the public for a grand opening ceremony Friday morning [Aug. 28] at its location in Suite 105D, 60 Technology Blvd., in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Park. In partnership with the College of Businessā Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the G.V. āSonnyā Montgomery Center for Americaās Veterans, the VBOC is providing guidance for veterans, and their spouses, who either want to start a small business or grow their existing business.
Ā āEntrepreneurship and support for startups are among our strengths,ā said Sharon Oswald, dean of MSUās College of Business. āThe VBOC is a natural extension of what we are already good at. Weāve assembled a great team, and they are already working hard to help veterans.ā
Ļć½¶Ö±²„received an $825,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to start its VBOC, which will serve veterans and their spouses in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee. MSUās VBOC is one of 15 nationwide.
Trent Kelly, 1st district congressman for Mississippi and a colonel in the Mississippi National Guard, commended Ļć½¶Ö±²„for its commitment to veterans during Fridayās ceremony. He said veterans typically have a servantās heart, a high level of intelligence and an innate ability to ānot accept failure.ā These traits, he added, often translate into business success.
āOur veterans are so important to this nation,ā said Kelly, who serves on the House Small Business Committee. āThis is a wonderful opportunity for them to become entrepreneurs and small business owners because they have what it takes.ā
The VBOC officially became operational in May and has already served dozens of clients. Center Director Mark Scott said he and his staff field calls daily requesting consultations. Its free services range from developing ideas into businesses, identifying a businessā customer base and helping veterans form a business plan.
Further, Scott noted the VBOC has set up a satellite office in The Innovation Center in Biloxi to help better serve the four-state region.
A land-grant institution established in 1878 with the U.S. Military Academy as a model, Mississippi State has a long history of service and commitment to veterans. In 2013, U.S. News and World Report ranked the university 29th on its elite list of the 52 best national higher education organizations for veterans, service members, dependents and survivors.
On Friday, Ļć½¶Ö±²„President Mark E. Keenum said more than 450 veterans are enrolled at MSU, and more than 2,100 students are directly connected to veterans as dependents or spouses.
āWe have a long history of engagement and involvement with veterans,ā he said.
Since October 2012, VBOCs have helped more than 136,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs nationwide, said Mississippi SBA Director Janita Stewart. For more information on MSUās VBOC, visitĀ . The telephone number is 662-325-4990; the email address,Ā vboc@business.msstate.edu.
Ļć½¶Ö±²„is Mississippiās flagship research university, available online at .