A 'validation of our efforts'

A 'validation of our efforts'

As a speaker at the Small Business Administration’s Mission: Veteran Entrepreneurs Nov. 2 at Rutgers University’s School of Business, Legionnaire Bob Looby said he felt a sense of validation – not personally, but on behalf of The American Legion and its veterans employment and transition efforts.

Looby, a past department commander and chairman of the department’s Employment and Education Committee, was asked to participate in the event to discuss the Legion’s’ entreprenurial support. The Department of New Jersey has conducted dozens of veteran employment and resource events over the past six years and, earlier this year, started putting on Boots to Business workshops at New Jersey Legion posts to provide entrepreneurship training for veterans who want to start, expand or purchase a small business.

“It wasn’t me,” Looby said. “The Legion sold itself because of what we’ve been doing for veterans employment. We’ve created a great relationship with the SBA, and this was a chance to increase that inaction, as well as share with others what the Legion is doing to help our veterans transition out of the military into employment.”

Among the areas covered during the event, which also was hosted by the New Jersey Network of America’s Small Business Development Centers, was financing a small business, federal procurement and business continuity.

Looby discussed how the department inititally started conducting job fairs but then expanded them to include women veterans services and homeless veterans assistance. When the department realized there was a need to include small business ownership training for veterans, it began the Boots to Business workshops. Looby said at least 50 Legion posts have signed up to host future workshops.

“Getting a chance to speak at an event like this was a validation of our efforts in entrepreneurship going forward,” Looby said. “You have to change if you are going to continue to be able to help people, and we’ve tried to change here in New Jersey to help meet the needs of the guys getting out now. We’ve really tried to focus on education and employment, and we’ll continiue to do so.”

Another New Jersey Boots to Business workshop is scheduled for Nov. 7 in Lincoln Park. Looby, meanwhile, spent the day after the Rutgers event handling registration at a veterans stand down event in Morristown, N.J.