This month, The National Veterans Business Development Council (NVBDC) celebrates 5 years since we certified our very first veteran owned business. And are we ever proud of what we’ve accomplished on behalf of veteran business owners in such a short time. Here’s a snapshot.
The National Veterans Business Development Council (NVBDC) initiated the Veteran certification process 6 years ago by addressing the growing need of corporations to identify certified Service Disabled and Veteran Owned Businesses (SD/VOBs). NVBDC provides a certification that is recognized and accepted by industry with access for SD/VOBs to diversity spend opportunities within procurement practices. This was reinforced by the acceptance of the NVBDC as the only veteran certification organization to meet the Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR) audit standards and match their mission to drive supplier diversity excellence. $80 billion is the estimated spend of Corporate America with Veteran and Disabled Veteran Businesses. NVBDC certification contributed to strengthening these opportunities for SD/VOBs to achieve business connections with Supplier Diversity Professionals and ultimately grow their business. The proof is in our accomplishments.
“Since our certification, many exciting opportunities have already come about. Literally in just the first month, suppliers have now allowed Fulmer to begin bidding on services. These organizations include the likes of Kellogg’s, Dana Business Holdings, Flex N Gate and Whirlpool, just to name a few. These are organizations that bring potentially huge opportunities and I cannot express my excitement enough to finally be in a position to compete for some of this business!” said Jessica M.
In 2018 our growth was attributed to our networking events, educational sessions, 1:1 matchmaking, Veteran Business Mentoring Program, and on-site training. If you are a service disabled or veteran owned business, you should learn more about gaining access to corporate contracts using your veteran status, and why becoming certified opens doors for your business.