Penn State has received a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to establish a Veterans Business Outreach Center.
The center, which will be among 31 VBOCs nationwide, will provide training and counseling for veteran and military spouse small business owners throughout Pennsylvania, according to a news release. Penn State was among three organizations, including one in Ohio and one in Puerto Rico, to receive a combined $1 million in grants for the programs.
Veterans own more than 55,000 businesses in Pennsylvania, according to the SBA.
“We selected Penn State as a Veterans Business Outreach Center due to their existing connection to the veteran community and their robust entrepreneurial support across the state,” SBA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development Robert Yannuzzi said in a statement. “The VBOC at Penn State will further the mission of all SBA VBOCs: to be a one-stop shop for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs, no matter what stage of business ownership they’re in.”
VBOCs offer services including business planning, assistance accessing capital, government contract guidance, marketing and outreach and training. Flagship entrepreneurship programs include Boots to Business (B2B), part of the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program, as well as Boots to Business Reboot and the Military Spouse Pathway to Business program.
The VBOC at Penn State will participate in all B2B programs in Pennsylvania, including quarterly classes held at the U.S. Army Carlisle Barracks.
“Penn State is proud to be an institution that recognizes the contributions of our veterans to our nation, honors their service and sacrifice, and supports them in their education and continued success,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said. “The establishment of this new Veterans Business Outreach Center will continue Penn State’s longstanding commitment to both supporting entrepreneurs and to serving our veterans.”
The center will be housed in the Penn State Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization and will be located at Innovation Park.
Annie Hughes, statewide coordinator of the Invent Penn State LaunchBox & Innovation Network, will serve as the interim director for the VBOC until the role is filled on a permanent basis.
“VBOC will be integrated into Pennsylvania’s ecosystem of entrepreneurial support resources, including the Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, SCORE, and Penn State’s statewide network of entrepreneurial resources coordinated through the Invent Penn State initiative,” according to a news release.
The university credited U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson and Chrissy Houlahan and Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman for supporting the grant award.
Details about the official opening of the center will be announced in the near future.
In celebration of National Veteran Small Business Week, the Penn State Small Business Development Center will host the Boots to Business Reboot program as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week Penn State from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 in room 612 of the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub. Details and registration are available online .
