Calling all VeteraNoles!

David Booth, CEO of
Combat Veterans to Careers (CVC)

Time flies when you are having fun! I think I can speak for all of the EBV staff and most of the participants when I say this year’s program absolutely flew by. It seems like just yesterday, our 2012 class was leaving Tallahassee a day early due to an oncoming tropical storm. They didn’t even get a Graduation/Closing Ceremony, unless your name is David Booth that is. Booth, a 2012 graduate, came back to our program this year to present as a guest entrepreneur, and speak during our Closing Ceremony. He was very excited to finally attend a Closing Ceremony even if it wasn’t his own.

Now, back to the main event…this year’s class. 2013 was comprised of 22 veterans traveling from 11 different states. Some of our farthest participants came from Colorado, Maryland, and Ohio. Seven participants drove to Tallahassee from different parts of Florida. We also had men and women representing a variety of branches including the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. Each participant brought fantastic business ideas to the table, some of which were mere ideas, others being businesses already up and running. Business ideas varied from lawn maintenance, website design, counseling, and decorative concrete companies. 

The week went fairly smooth with the Registration and Orientation kicking things off on Tuesday, June 4^th. It was a dreary, wet day (not unusual for EBV week apparently) which made it harder for our participants to travel to Tallahassee. Several planes were delayed and drivers were extra cautious about getting here carefully. 

 

Our Opening Dinner was an intimate ceremony which took place shortly after our participants arrived and received information about the week ahead of them. We didn’t keep the participants out too late to ensure they receive a good night’s rest before their first day of classes. Tired from traveling, the 2013 class called it a night and woke up refreshed and eager to learn on Wednesday morning, the official start of bootcamp classes. The first couple of classes entailed Director of the program, Dr. Randy Blass, speaking on the Entrepreneurial Experience. Themed classes continued throughout the week with several guest entrepreneurs sharing personal experiences from starting and running their own business. FSU professors and speakers flew in from around the US to share their expertise in specific fields.  

It never fails that about half-way through the program, the participants start getting tired. 

Overwhelmed with their newly acquired knowledge and work put into their business plans, the days seem to drag on. We’ve done this program enough times to know that around this time of the week, a night of relaxation is much appreciated. This year the participants took a tour of the football facilities, as well as the President’s Box, where they ate dinner overlooking the football field. This night is a very special occasion where everyone can come together, enjoy good food, and relish the fact that they get the night off from working on their business plan and presentations.

With only 3 days left of the program, our participants got back at it the next morning and crunch time was called for at the night sessions while trying to finish up their venture pitch presentations. Student volunteers attended each night of the program and the participants made sure to utilize their knowledge. 

As I stated in the beginning of this blog, time flies when you are having fun. Tuesday, June 11^th, arrived quickly and each participant looked smashing while presenting their business idea to a panel of judges. The presentations were fantastic and each veteran conquered this challenge like it was nothing! With some free time on their hands and the chance to take a deep breath knowing they just finished the last requirement of the program, our participants took the rest of the afternoon to prepare for the Closing/Graduation Ceremony and just enjoy each other’s company before heading back home on Wednesday.

Our program came to an end with the Closing Ceremony, an emotional event each year and this year proved to be no different. Our EBV classes arrive as strangers, yet leave as family. After receiving their diplomas, everyone took plenty of pictures and exchanged numbers and Facebook information knowing it would be a while before seeing each other again. Wednesday morning all of our participants traveled back home to start putting to use the knowledge they gained while in Tallahassee. We are now proud to say we have officially welcomed 22 new members into our VeteraNole family! Congratulations, again, 2013 FSU EBV graduates. Be proud of all you have accomplished while attending the Florida State University!

   

EBV welcomes 23 new members to the VeteraNole family!!

It has been almost an entire month since our 5^th annual EBV program has come to an end and our graduates are putting what they’ve learned to good use. This class has been very tech savvy and up to speed on social media since the start of the program! With that being said, they keep our FSU EBV Facebook site thriving with new stories about their businesses and words of encouragement each day! The 2012 class is an outstanding group of men and women and we could not have asked for a better group to celebrate our 5^th year of EBV! A special thanks to all who came out and made this such an incredible event!

Some may wonder...how was this year any different from the others?

Well let me just say, I am so glad you asked!

It started like any normal EBV, 23 participants came from all over the country to take part in FSU’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. They arrived in Tallahassee on Tuesday, June 19^th, to start their nine day bootcamp. Arrival day is always exciting because up until this point the veterans have had online communication, but have yet to meet any of their classmates face-to-face. Our 2012 Opening was a highly anticipated event as J.R. Martinez, a 2008 FSU EBV Graduate, as well as, an actor and Dancing with the Stars Champion, was the keynote speaker. His motivational speech was exactly what the veterans needed to hear as their weeklong bootcamp was starting the next day whether they were ready or not! The night's festivities quickly came to an end and the veterans were on their way back to the hotel to get a good night’s rest.

Wednesday, June 20^th, marked the first day of classes and we were up and running! Our speakers were flying and driving in to share their knowledge about business. Every aspect of business was discussed during the week. Some major topics included Marketing, HR, Government Contracts, and Financing. Classes started at 8:30 and ended around 5:00 each day; and, every night, each participant could be found busy at work on their business plan and presentations they would be giving on the final day of EBV.

Each day had a similar schedule but with different speakers, so let's fast forward to Saturday night. The veterans had a welcome change when they learned they did not have to work on their business plan but instead had the opportunity of a lifetime! Everyone piled onto a bus but had no idea where they were heading. The excitement was building as the bus drove around campus and finally stopped at Doak Campbell Stadium where several student athletes awaited. After throwing footballs around and just hanging out with some of the athletes, it was time to head out...to the President’s Box that is for a delicious dinner overlooking the field. The Tailgate gave our participants a chance to unwind, relax, and enjoy the reality of being at FSU with some people that they would soon call friends for life!

Sunday morning came too early for some but it was time to get back to work. However, the day dragged on as it proved to be a very rainy one. We were facing the fact that there was a tropical storm heading in our direction. All staff members worked hard on figuring out a plan of action if the storm kept coming towards us. On Monday, we had to move classes from Turnbull Conference Center to the hotel to keep everyone dry while outside the torrential downpour continued. It wasn't looking good and we had to have a back-up plan implemented ASAP. As the path of Tropical Storm Debby was directed right at Tallahassee, we decided for the safety of the participants, we would cancel the Closing/Graduation Ceremony and get everyone out of Tallahassee and back home as soon as possible.

It was an unfortunate event, but a necessary one. Tuesday morning the veterans gave their Venture Pitch presentation to a panel of judges. Upon completion, they were given their certificate and several headed home which concluded our 2012 EBV Program.

As you can see, our 5^th year had a few twists and turns, but all in all, it was an unforgettable 8 days! It flew by and it's still hard to believe that another year of FSU EBV is in the books. We are so grateful for the veterans who participated and the friends that we have all made! Not to mention, we are so proud of our VeteraNoles as they have been excelling in their business ventures and being recognized for it! Several of our graduates have already been featured in articles from local press. If you would like to read any of these pieces, check them out below!! Once again, congratulations to all of our graduates this year...you did it and we are proud to have 23 new members of our VeteraNole family!

Article on Trisha Hartman: http://www.libertytribune.com/community_living/article_b1b31f61-af4c-532d-94aa-3905bf22de48.html

Article on Mark Cosby and Tammy Foster-Knight: http://www.wtsp.com/rss/article/260440/19/Ex-soldiers-take-on-a-boot-camp-for-their-brains

2012 FSU EBV-F Program

It’s been a while since my last blog which only means one thing…a lot has happened since we last spoke and there are several new updates! Let’s start with EBV-F which took place April 10^th – 18^th!

Our very first EBV-F class has officially graduated from Florida State. The participants included 14 women and 1 man. These caregivers came from several different states and represented all branches of the military. It was a packed week full of classes, work, and presentations about their business ideas.

The backbone of EBV-F is quite similar to EBV which means the scheduling, pace, and classes all revolve around the same information as EBV with minor changes directed towards being a caregiver to a disabled veteran instead of being a disabled veteran. With this being said, the week began with an Opening Ceremony which was located at the Residence Inn Marriott with several guests who support our program. This evening was an intimate event where the ladies and gentleman had the opportunity to talk to their fellow classmates and get to know one another. The Opening was a relaxing night filled with good food and good conversation before the real work began the following day.

The participants hit the ground running with classes starting early that morning and continuing throughout the day and into the night. Guest speakers spoke on different specific topics pertaining to the caregivers. Once nightfall hit, each participant was working hard on their Commercialization Plan and the Venture Pitch they would present to a panel of judges on their last day of bootcamp.

With all the hard work being accomplished, we knew it was time to let the participants have a well-deserved break for one night. We surprised them with a Spa Night at Aveda where each participant received a manicure or pedicure, as well as, a massage or facial. They were beyond thrilled and in much need of a relaxing night. Even the one male participant decided to take one for the team and join the women at the spa. All in all, this night was a huge success and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. We would like to thank Aveda for helping us create such an experience for the participants and for completely donating their services that night. Aveda’s support is greatly appreciated and we couldn’t have done it without them!

The days following were just like the first filled with hard work and nerves beginning to run high as everyone started realizing how fast Venture Pitch day was approaching. The presentations were presented one by one and every participant’s nerves diminished knowing that the hardest part of the week was over. When it was all said and done, they could breathe a sigh of relieve knowing that they had just survived a week of intense entrepreneurial bootcamp.

The Closing Ceremony took place after Venture Pitches and was the perfect way to celebrate the week! It was located at the Alumni Center where all the caregivers participated in a graduation ceremony.  Kimberly Hill, 2012 EBV-F graduate, spoke at the ceremony about the program and the experience she was engulfed in while attending. As the night came to an end, everyone said their goodbyes knowing that the following morning the newly graduated EBV-F class of 2012 would find themselves on their way back home to put their newly gained knowledge to work.

The 2012 inaugural EBV-F Program was a great success and we would like to thank all of the participants, supporters, sponsors, and donors for helping make this program a reality.  We would also like to thank all of the restaurants which either donated or provided food during EBV-F. A special shout-out goes to Momo’s, Harry’s, and The Cake Shop for fully donating their services! We are grateful for your support.

Last but not least, EBV is just a little over a month away and we are in full swing getting ready as the online portion begins on the 21^st. Make sure you keep a look out on our Facebook pages as we continually update you with information about the 2012 program.  

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year bloggers! It is finally 2012 and there is no time like the present to be setting those New Year’s resolutions and hopefully not breaking them! From all of us here at the Center for Veteran Outreach, we hope you had a relaxing and family-filled holiday season. Speaking as a student, it was extremely nice to be able to relax, not stress about classes, and enjoy time with family and friends. However, that time is over and it is time to get back into the full swing of things. This week starts the first official whole week of classes and the professors are taking no time to get straight into teaching all kinds of different materials. As this New Year starts, I am energized and ready to take on that challenge!

Let’s dive right in to what’s going on here at the CVO. We are taking this time now to get everything prepared and ready for EBV-F -- which is only a few months away. Schedules are being prepared, speakers will be decided soon, and applications are coming in as I type. It’s an exciting time for us as we see the event come together. We are gathering volunteers to help and holding meetings to get everything organized. Before we know it, EBV-F will be up and running!

As time goes by, I will have more to update you on. I will be blogging as much as possible in order to give you a behind the scenes glance of what the volunteers and organizers see when putting together such a large event. Trust me…you won’t want to miss this! 

As always, tell all your friends about us and I hope to see you all back soon!

What's to come in 2012?

Good Afternoon my fellow bloggers!

I trust that you all had an excellent Thanksgiving! As a student here at FSU, three days of Thanksgiving break was such a tease! Thankfully Christmas break is approaching quite rapidly. We only have two weeks of classes left before the dreaded week of finals arrives. It’s hard to believe that another semester is coming to a close and a brand new year is on the horizon. I’m looking forward to what 2012 will bring…

One exciting event taking place in 2012 is our brand new program here at the College of Business…EBV-F! The Florida State University is the second university to offer this program and we are thrilled to announce that it will take place on the FSU campus here in Tallahassee. EBV-F is a program which provides small business ownership training to military family members who are now caregivers to a wounded warrior – or for the surviving spouse of a military member who gave his or her life in service to our country. We are now accepting applications which can be found at http://www.cob.fsu.edu/Academic-Programs/Departments/Management/Alumni-and-Community/Centers-Institutes/Center-for-Veteran-Outreach/EBV-F/How-to-Apply.  EBV-F follows the same structure of EBV and contains both an online portion, as well as, an in-residency. The online part will take place in March which gives them a taste of what is to come with the in-residency. The dates for in-residency are scheduled for April 10^th-18^th. Please visit our website for more information or, as always, feel free to contact us at (850) 644-6154.

Following EBV-F, we will start working on our EBV program which will take place over the summer, but don’t worry; I will keep you updated as that date gets closer. Also, more information about this program can be found on our website.

I will leave you guys with a question pertaining to the Holiday season coming up. If you could leave your answer as a comment on our social media sights that would be awesome! The first person to answer gets bragging rights! Good Luck!

What Christmas food is made from “marsh-whorts?”

2011 EBV National Conference...take a look inside!

Hello bloggers!

I’m backkk! I hope that everyone has been doing well since my last post. I have quite a lot to update everybody on. So, let’s get started, shall we?

First of all, a couple weekends ago, October 13^th-15^th, we had our 2011 EBV National Conference in Orlando, FL, at the Swan and Dolphin. This was our first year having a conference. What all does an EBV Conference include? So glad you asked…

The conference started Thursday night with a cocktail reception which allowed all of the attending graduates from each EBV Program that has graduated except for this past year’s graduates… This included Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, University of Connecticut School of Business, LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute E.J. Ourso College of Business, and The Florida State University College of Business. During this hour, veterans were able to find other veterans from their graduating school and classes or walk around and introduce themselves to others putting their networking skills to work. After the reception, dinner was served and the opening ceremony began.

The opening ceremony included an introduction from Mr. Tim Holcomb, an extraordinary speech from Mr. Erik Weihenmayer, and a musical performance by Mr. Michael Peterson. This was an amazing way to start of the conference. The next day was full of classes with special keynote speakers and guests who were experts in their field. When lunch time arrived, everyone was gathered for another special event. We had the honor of listening to Mr. Bobby Henline, a veteran comedian. He made sure the room was filled with laughter! After lunch, it was back to class for the rest of the afternoon.

The morning of the 15^th included a few more classes and lunch/closing ceremony. This was a bittersweet time because everyone would once again be going their separate ways. All in all, the 2011 EBV National Conference was a HUGE success! The veterans, speakers, and staff all had an amazing time! We are already looking forward to the 2^nd National conference.  Such a great opportunity for veterans to rediscover different ideas for their businesses and work on their networking skills as they get to see what other vets have been up to since graduation, as well as, speak with experts!

What’s next for the Center for Outreach? Hold on…we’re getting there!

In just 5 short months, we will be hosting EBV-F at our Panama City Campus. EBV-F is a program that provides both practical training in the tools and skills of new venture creation and growth integrated with family and caregiver issues, and also provide to support structure for graduates of the program. More information about this program will come as it gets closer. If you have any questions concerning EBV-F, please take a look at our website (http://www.cob.fsu.edu/Academic-Programs/Departments/Management/Alumni-and-Community/Centers-Institutes/Center-for-Veteran-Outreach/EBV-F/Program-and-Schedule) or don’t hesitate to call us at (850) 644-6154.

As you can tell, we have a lot going on here at the Center for Veteran Outreach which reminds me…I better get back to work! If you have any suggestions of what should be included in the next post or have any type of shout-out you would like to have mentioned, just let me know! Have a great day everyone and don’t forget to smile!

~Brittany Tharp

There's so much to look forward to!!

Welcome back, fellow bloggers! I trust that everyone has been doing well and enjoying their summer! Here at The Florida State University, we are only about one month away from starting the fall semester. Everyone knows what that means…students will be coming back to campus, classes will be taking place, AND, last but not least, football season will be starting. I hope everybody is ready to show their Seminole pride!! I know I sure am!

However, those are not the only upcoming events that we have going on around here. In October, there will be a 2011 EBV National Conference in Orlando, Florida, at the Swan and Dolphin Resort. For those of you who do not know what the National Conference is…here is a brief run-down. EBV graduates of all years, except for 2011, and of all participating schools are able to attend this conference in which we will have guest speakers hold classes that will reinforce everything that was taught to these veterans during EBV. It’s not just another EBV though. Our goal at this National Conference is to give graduates opportunities to network with each other and the various guests that will be in attendance. Also, we have organized these courses in a manner that will update every participant on changes that have happened within the economy. This two day conference will definitely be something you won’t want to miss!

Another exciting event coming up will be our EBV-F Program which will be held in February at our FSU Panama City Campus. EBV-F is a brand new extension of EBV to our FSU location and we are both proud and thrilled to spread the word about this new program. EBV-F gives military family members who are now caregivers to a wounded warrior – or for the surviving spouse of a military member who gave his or her life in service to our country the knowledge of how to launch and grow a small business in a way that is complementary or enhancing to other family responsibilities. This program is one of a kind and here at the Center for Veteran Outreach, we cannot wait to get things started for this special program.

Although these two events will be the main focus of these next two semesters that does not mean that those are the only things going on. We will be organizing several speaker sessions where a professional in a certain area will come in and speak of a certain topic. Dates are not yet confirmed, but this speaker series will be taking place during the semester. I will post any and all information as the semester gets closer and new veterans begin to arrive. And as always, if you are ever in the College of Business area take a moment to stop by and see us! We will be happy to share with you any information about our programs that you may be interested in finding out.

I will be blogging again soon…so don’t forget to check back often to get the latest scoop from the Center! Enjoy the rest of your summer and don’t forget to smile! :)