Success Stories
We don’t succeed unless our members do. The stories below fill us with the amount of pride that we need to continue working towards our goal of a nationwide organization of success.
Accolades from Dr. Charles Drebing, PhD
Having the support and endorsement of a renowned Doctor who is a clinical psychologist and researcher in the field of vocational services and an administrator in VA mental health programming is high praise. Recently Dr. Drebing wrote about how feels that the VBOI has...
First Graduates of the Worcester Business Gym
Congratulations to the first graduates of the Worcester Business Gym! A great success story which will continue on to help other Worcester area veterans and their families who are interested in learning the basics of being an Entrepreneur! Several of these graduates...
Secretary Urena speaks about the VBOI
At the Boston Intercollegiate Veterans Networking Event at Babson College Secretary Francisco Urena spoke about the benefits of the VBOI in helping veterans to become business owners. The VBOI has graduated over 500 students and created over 20,000 job since its...
Home Helpers of Londonderry receives “Provider of Choice” award
Members of the Manchester VBOI Chapter Nancy and Tom Geske opened their Home Helpers location in 2018 and have already been awarded for their efforts with the Provider of Choice Award. Congratulations!
Worcester Chapter Up and Running
The first meeting of the Worcester VBOI Chapter was held on March 4th with 7 new Business Gym members in attendance and more scheduled to attend the next meeting. Congrats Worcester! Learn more by clicking on the Locations button!
Worcester VBOI Chapter Starting March 4th, 2019
The VBOI is growing! Beginning March 4th a new Chapter will begin by holding its first Business Gym class at the Worcester Vet Center at 255 Park Ave., Ste. 900. Worcester area veterans who are interested in being entrepreneurs and starting their own businesses...
Alba Med Spa Grand Opening
Alba Welcomed by Community - Read by clicking Alba Med Spa LLC. Grand opening celebration 11/15-11/29/18, ribbon cutting 11/29. Veterans receive 15% discount year round. Ribbon Cutting at Grand Opening Jamie Kirby, his wife Tammie Kirby, Elizabeth Riley, Jerry Pinsky...
Coming Soon 2 New Chapters
Oct. 2018 - Plans are in the works for the VBOI to start up two new Chapters! Essex County will meet at a to be determined location near Gloucester, MA and the second Chapter will be meeting soon in a to be determined Worcester, MA location. The VBOI will be...
Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream Does It Again
Oct. 2018 - Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream again voted Best Dessert of Greater Nashua by the readers of the Nashua Telegraph. Congratulations! We're very proud!
Kathy Kuzmick – Zaedyus Therapeutic Massage
Aug. 2016 - Kathy Kuzmick, owner and manager of Zaedyus Therapeutic Massage LLC, is a US Navy Disabled Veteran. She has been NH licensed in Massage Therapy for 13 years and offers an opportunity to help people heal and improve their health and wellness.
Tansey Electric Speaking in NH
June 25, 2016 - Owner Albert Tansey was invited to the Opening Doors to Economic Opportunity For Our Veterans and Their Families Through Entrepreneurship hearing by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, where Al spoke of the benefits of the Veteran Business Owners Initiative...
2017 Entrepreneur of the Year
2017 Entrepreneur of the Year Congratulations Michael Bernier, Rhapsody’s Victorian Coffee House
Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream Wins 2018 SCORE Champions Award
May 2018 - Congratulations to Mark and Rita McCabe for winning the SCORE Small American Business Champion award through their continuing efforts to help veterans and their community. Also they have won the Center for Women in Enterprise Success Story in March 2018,...
2018 Board Elected
Managing Director - Mark McCabe Board Secretary - Andrea Gayle-Bennett Director-At-Large - Rita McCabe Brockton - Elizabeth Riley Manchester - Paul Lanouette Boston - Charles Connelly Bedford - Lenny Graves
2015 Board of Directors Election Results
June 2015: We are happy to announce the following results: VBOI's 5th President Albert Tansey Bedford Director Andrea Gayle-Bennett, re-elected Brockton Director Dan Tereshko, re-elected Manchester Director Kathy Kuzmick Jamaica Plain Director Sambath Pho Director at...
Congressional Bill S.1866 introduced to establish the veterans' business outreach center program, improve SBA programs for vets.... Congressional Bill S.1866 introduced
Jerry Pinsky speaks about the VBOI on the WBZ Charity Combine
Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt Wins Award
November 2015- Congratulations to Mark and Rita McCabe for winning The Telegraph "Best of Greater Nashua 2015" award for their Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt shops in Nashua, New Hampshire! For more information: SubZero Ice Cream in New England, Mark and Rita McCabe ...
VBOI featured in Veterans Magazine
To enjoy the article please go to http://www.newengland.va.gov/news/summer2015/
Guest speaker: David Pease from NH-PTAP
David will give a presentation at the 6pm Business Gym class held at the VA center in Manchester, NH, and will be there at 5pm for the VBOA business meeting as well. Dave Pease has managed the New Hampshire Procurement Technical Assistance Program (NH-PTAP) since 2008...
Guest Speaker: Tricia White on July 13
Tricia White....Social Media Expert VP of Creative Marketing (and Former SBA Senior Advisor) Mentors Vets Come and learn the ins and outs of social media for your business! Tricia will be starting at 5:30pm at the Business Gym class held at the VA center in...
Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
To enjoy article please go here: http://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=bf012b0e-d68b-470c-aff2-46498f35bb3f
Angela B. Martin from Devine Millimet
Angela will give a presentation on May 11, 2015 at the 6pm Manchester, NH Business Gym class, held at the VA center in Manchester, NH. Angela co-chairs the firm's Startup Team, and will be discussing legal entity choices for small businesses.
VBOA Adds New Location – Jamaica Plain, MA
January 5, 2015 - The VBOA is proud to announce a new Business Gym campus located at the Jamaica Plain VA. Classroom times will take place on Wednesday 10:00am – 12:00pm in room C3-8. If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact us.
VBOI Business Gym in NH Business Review
Read this feature article "Entrepreneurship Lures New Hampshire Veterans" by Bob Sanders http://www.nhbr.com/November-14-2014/Entrepreneurship-lures-New-Hampshire-veterans/
Fitzgerald Re-Elected as VBOA President
After a strong year of VBOA growth and leadership, Mike Fitzgerald has been re-elected as the Veteran Business Owners Association President.
Lauren’s Greeting Cards Spread Joy
This success story is a bit different from the rest because this feature couple did not find the Veteran Business Owners Initiative, the organization found them! Lauren Fitzpatrick with the help of her husband Michael is the founder of Lauren’s Greeting Cards...
Bedford Open House
Social Work Department’s Bedford VA’s Open House on June 6, 2014 was a great opportunity for the Veteran Business Owners Initiative to show off 22 businesses. Trucks with advertising wraps for ServPro and College Hunks Hauling Junk demonstrate the growth and success...
IRS Awards VBOI 501C3 Status
June 23, 2014 - After 7 years of planning and IRS applications, the Veteran Business Owners Initiative (VBOI) has been granted status as “public non-profit charity” (501 C3). This entitles financial donors to make charitable tax reducing gifts to further the purposes...
Lavender Laundry Opens in Taunton, MA
A comprehensive understanding of the hurtles that business owners face is a quality of the Veterans Business Owners Initiative that rookie business owner Josh Read has come to appreciate the most. After meeting members of the VBOI at a Yellow Ribbon Event, Josh knew...
Former Battle Captain and BlackHawk Pilot Now Leading Own Project Management Firm
From U.S Army National Guard veteran to new business owner, Stephen Wood has always found himself in very competitive situations. He joined the U.S. Army National Guard in 1998 and earned a scholarship through ROTC which paid for his college education at the...
Wounded Veteran Sees Success in Carpentry Market
TJ Kearney would never have imagined that after serving 8 years in the United States Marine Corps he would be a successful business owner. The progression from wounded veteran to entrepreneur was not an easy feat for TJ, but luckily for him, he was able to beat the...
Brandon Montella Opens Health Studio and Boxing Clinic for All!
“Every goal has a way.” An inspiring motto for anyone, but this particular motto belongs to the new boxing conditioning gym, The Way L.L.C.. On February 1st of this year, Brandon Montella, the 2012 Heavyweight New England Golden Gloves champion, will officially open...
Coast Guard Veteran Cleaning House!
United States Coast Guard Veteran Melanie Deschene learned a lot during her time in the military, but one value she has managed to replicate in her post-military career is her persistent effort to go above and beyond the call of duty in any work she commits to. In...
College Hunks Hauling Junk
“From my first Business Gym class I could tell there was something special about the VBOI; the leadership, the vision, the caring, the education, the network, the support structure, and being surrounded by my fellow veterans.” – Dan Tereshko (College Hunks Hauling...
News Archive 2013-2013
The VBOA, “Ten Years Later …” October 30, 2013 - Jerry Pinsky and group will be presenting the story of the VBOA, “Ten Years Later …” sharing the history and success of the organization for a workshop on October 30th. The talk includes the success of the program...