Southwest Veterans' Business Resource Center Reed's Blog

Post Stand Down & Veterans Business Expo Debrief

Roger Reed — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:16:08 GMT

Hi to all, I am back to share with the readers all that happened since my last blog. I was able to capture a large amount of information of interest to Veterans and the Communities that serve Veterans while at the 22nd Annual Stand Down for Veterans here in San Diego as well as the Veterans Small Business Expo in Las Vegas. I was sad to see so many homeless Vets at the Stand Down run by Dr. Jon Nachison and Veterans Village of San Diego. It was inspiring to see so many volunteers and support organizations.

5th Annual National Veteran Small Business Conference and Expo

Roger Reed — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:33:50 GMT

So here we go again another conference and another opportunity to observe, collect valuable information and report back on what is being done and what is left to be done in the area or Service Disabled Veteran Business and the Government agencies and Private companies that rely on our segment of the work force

Keeping The Promise 2009

Roger Reed — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:12:57 GMT

Roger Reed here to report to all, that we Veterans and other interested citizens are remembering and putting into action President Lincoln's call to the Nation one month before his untimely death.
"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan."
This is the call to action for the California DVBE Alliance in their 17th annual DVBE Convention.
We see that now, more than ever, that promise needs to be kept!
Soon I will attend the 2009 Keeping The Promise DVBE convention to gather video resources and interview material that can be useful to Veteran organizers, policy makers and the general public that wishes to help America in "Keeping The Promise".
The conference allows Vetrepreneur to interact with Govt agencies, Prime contractors and other Veteran owned businesses for the purpose of contracting teaming and developing relationships that lead to a more prosperous future.
I will report back shortly after my return from the conference to detail what was done and share my views on what still needs too be addressed.
MAJOR UPDATE!!!:
Due to conflicts in scheduling and a lack of funding to offset the cost of attending the KTP 2009 I was forced to cancel plans to document the event.
I was very disappointed that I can not share with you all the details and events that are a part of KTP but I will seek out video and photos of the event and point our readers to the location.

NAB and Las Vegas

Roger Reed — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:41:42 GMT

Las Vegas and The NAB was great!
My wife Cece and I were recently in Las Vegas on a joint venture of The Blue Pyramid and SWVBRC. Were had been invited to the National Association of Broadcasters convention and had the great fortune of being hosted by one of SWVBRC's wonderful sponsors Platinum Interchange. This allowed us to focus on reaching out to those in the industry who had an interest and ability to sponsor or contribute in any way possible to helping our Veterans live a richer and more rewarding life. We had a very busy 3 days!
We met with others from the SWVBRC, Daniel Booth and his wife were there as was Frances Lowe the SWVBRC Corporate Community organizer. Frances was instrumental in organizing and interfacing with the exhibitors and attendees. The 3 of us, Frances, Daniel and myself were interviewed by Dave Gardy's TV Worldwide and streamed live from the convention floor. Frances and Daniel got to meet with the New Las Vegas learner Steve Sanson, an signed him up on the convention floor!!
Long time supporter of SWVBRC and our good friend Maureen Halpert showed up and was a part of the support network, providing her on air talents conducting interviews and even working as one of our photographers to assist SWVBRC that made the whole trip worthwhile and immensely enjoyable. We have plans to post the video and photos of the trip very soon so stay in touch and watch the great stuff happening for our Veterans. Again we cannot thank Platinum Interchange enough for their generosity in hosting the Learners from the Southwest Veterans Business Resource Center and more importantly in supporting Veterans in achieving a future that reflects their sacrifice and service to country.

Signing, Orientation and Media Workshop

Roger Reed — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:33:23 GMT

Hi and happy to be back to blogging about my experiences with SWVBRC.
I have been really busy with the daily life tasks, business, family and many other additional efforts to bring about awareness and positive change for our Veterans. Recently San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn's Communication Director John Culea, conducted 3 communications workshops and seminars. As part of being a Learner I was able to participant in this valuable 3 part workshop on effective communications in business and the community. This series of workshops were videotaped by my wife Cece and I, they will be posted soon and other Veterans needing the training but unable to attend will hopefully benefit from the taping and web streaming of the workshops.
Special Note: John Culea is not only a NAVY Vet but a great guy that takes interest in Veterans Affairs and is frequently seen announcing the San Diego County Veterans Day Parade and delivering Proclamations on behalf of County Supervisor Horn. We value his contributions and look forward to having more workshops led by John.

Pre-Orientation

Roger Reed — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:04:48 GMT

Hi I am Roger Reed a new leaner at the Southwest Veterans Business Resource Center. I joined the center after helping out with some video and photo support for Albert Renteria hoping that my small contribution could be used to advance the cause of helping veterans today and to aid in ending veteran homelessness in the very near future.

As a result of my exposure to the center it's staff, supporters and the learners I became convinced that although I was an already Vetrepreneur in place with the Federal Govt and the State of California, I could learn to become more effective not only in my business and profession but in my efforts to help out my fellow veterans that are still struggling and searching for support and assistance.
I start my story only a short 10 years ago when after working at a Veterans Hospital as an intern in Medical Media, I branched off into my own small business and with ongoing professional education, business community networking and building a body of accomplishments and satisfied customers I enjoyed a moderate success and a business that I love.

During the course of my occupational journeys I found that being a Veteran business owner, particularly in San Diego, I was a part of a large community that had so very many things in common not the least of which was our concern for our fellow vets. Working with the VA or non-profit organizations like the ASYMCA and the USO I was exposed to a group of veterans and active-duty troops and dependents, that were so in need of outreach, resource and support that i was amazed we did not hear more about it in the news and in general conversation.

So while I do have many major time commitments to my business and my new wife. I try to help and participate whenever I an able. I know the 14 levels of the SWVBRC learners curriculum are a needed structure to guide our path in this endeavor, I will keep plugging away at it with out cease to meet my goals and to refuse to fail.