Event helps veteran business owners engage, market

American Legion representatives provided assistance to veteran small business owners during a DC Metro Small Business Resource Event Oct. 19.

The collaborative efforts of local industry and business experts Vets GSA, GCO Consulting, Federal Marketing Strategies LLC and Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, afforded attendees opportunities to learn digital age-driven strategies to market their businesses to the federal government and other potential clients.

The event's theme, “Experts and Resources for Small Business Growth,” went hand-in-hand with the informative seminars and webinars presented by leaders from the top businesses and firms across the nation. Professionals like Steve Mytinger, vice president of PR Newswire’s Mid-Atlantic region, shared knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics such as legal and financial requirements, best recruiting/staffing practices and marketing strategies.

“The strategy to bring this intimate event down to a grassroots level really provided these veterans with an opportunity to understand what they can do as business owners to expand their capabilities and show people what their business is all about,” Mytinger said.

Vets GSA President Scott Davidson, a member of The American Legion’s Small Business Task Force, said his goal for the event was to provide an experience for veterans that was unparalleled to similar events previously held by Vets GSA in Washington, D.C., and other major U.S. cities.

“Our partnerships with organizations like The American Legion are vital in regards to helping veterans grow their businesses," Davidson said. "The Legion has been instrumental in helping us provide these business owners with resources they can tap into to help grow their companies."

Eric Sortor, co-founder and business manager of Skanes Technology Group, said he really benefitted from Mytinger’s presentation on earned media opportunities. “We are all about working smarter, not harder. Our main goal has been learning how to brand our company and learn how to strategically market to people in a way that would make them want to come to us,” he said. “This has been very enlightening.”

Mytinger stressed how crucial marketing and engagement can be for small business owners and those competing in the service-disabled veteran owned small business (SDVOSB) arena. “It is important that they learn how to tell their story to the right people, at the right time and place,” he said.

Andre Benefield, president and CEO of Bellfore Consulting Group LLC, noted how much he benefitted from interacting with Legion representatives to find out about the small business programs and workshops offered by The American Legion. The Army veteran also talked about how active his father is at his post in Maryland, and how that piqued his interest in the Legion.