VBOC Client Keeps Heads in the Clouds
by Amanda Wynn
In October, the VBOC team met with several of Statesboro and Savannah’s local Veteran business owners to provide valuable advice and feedback alongside local SCORE resource partners. VBOC and SCORE advisors strive to develop and maintain an ongoing relationship with their clientele. Outside of the local area, VBOC Director Jeremy Horstman attended the VECTR Financial Resource Fair in Warner Robins, GA providing educational information on the services VBOC offers to the Veteran community. Meanwhile, VBOC Advisor Jeff Smith attended Fort Jackson’s Hiring our Heroes offering entrepreneurial advice and assistance to Veterans and their spouses.
For our November VBOC business for the month, we highlight Cameron Jones with Southeastern Balloon Services in Statesboro, Georgia. Cameron is an Air Force Veteran and Georgia Southern Alumnus that works as a Georgia Southern maintenance foreman by night and a certified balloon pilot by day.
Southeastern Balloon Services was founded by Cameron’s father in the 1980s. Ballooning has always been a part of his family history and his life. Continuing the family tradition, Cameron provides hot air balloon rides to the Statesboro and surrounding areas in his balloon the “Pink Pachyderm” with the assistance of his two daughters. In addition to balloon rides, he offers jumpers the opportunity to skydive from heights of around 5,000 to 6,000 feet!
VBOC Courses in November include the Veteran Small Business Matchmaker course and the Starting a Home-Based Business for Military Spouses in Columbia, South Carolina. The VBOC team will also attend and participate in several Boots to Business courses throughout the month. For more information on VBOC services, events, or information on scheduling a ride with Southeastern Balloon Services, please contact our office at 912-478-7781.
The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) is an SBA-funded resource available to service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members and military spouses with an interest in starting or expanding upon a small business. With over 20 locations across the United States, VBOC advisors provide entrepreneurial development assistance, mentoring and training in areas such as international trade, franchising, internet marketing and accounting.
In addition to personalized training and development, the Georgia VBOC attends, conducts and provides support for Boots to Business courses located in South Carolina and Georgia’s military installations. The Boots to Business program is a two-day program available to transitioning service members in any branch of the military and their spouses. During this program, service members learn the steps for evaluating business concepts, the foundational knowledge required to develop a business plan, and information on the resources available to help access start-up capital and technical assistance.
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