TRIAD Spring 2006 Conference

It’s All About Communication

What Will We Do Today?

• Champions

• “Count on Me Campaign”

• VA Community Prosperity Project

• Challenges

• National Conference

Champions of Veterans Enterprise

• Veterans in Business – Still Serving America

• Annual Flag Day Ceremony in Washington

• National VOSB Conference Ceremony• Nominations due 20 April• Criteria – “Does that deserve an award?”• Corporate, Team & Individual Categories

Count on Me Campaign• Choose Veterans for New Hires & as

Suppliers• Voluntary Data Disclosure • Employee Orientation, Continuing Ed• Formal Strategy?

• Help Locate 3.2 M Veterans in Business• DVDs & Videos for you• Newsletter inserts

• Expand the Volunteer Advocates’ List

SDVOSBs – How Do I Convince My Program Manager?

• Pre-Paid American Investment• $480K to graduate from military

academy• Successful Characteristics• Performance Under Pressure• Success Stories

Community Prosperity Project• VA: Get Vets Back to Work!

• TVC Business Partnership • Initial Capital

• Targeted Communities • Health Care• Benefits & Education• Business Development

• VetBiz TrailBlazers! Pilots

Challenges• Data, Data, Data

• Bad Data• Good Data

• Critics – Bad News Travels• Not Yet to Target – why?

• COLA mailings• 5 years of effort

• Planning for the Future• CVE Strategic Plan 2007-2011

Perceived Program Impediments

• “Second Class status” for SDVOSBs

• General lack of support for SB programs by buyers, program managers

• “Good faith effort” is too easy to document; veterans claim “lip service” by primes

Performance Watch – HOT Issues

• Buyers lack awareness of program

• Disability documentation confusion

• Eligibility “Rent a Vet” concerns

• Teaming Arrangements generate anxiety

• Vendor Readiness – Lack of Bonding Capacity

• Too Many Choices

• “Parity” among subsets

2nd Annual VOSB National Conference

•26-29 June 2006•Army-State-VA Joint Planners•DoD VetBiz Champions Awards•Details & Registration:

•www.nationalveteransconference.com

•2007: VA will be Lead Planner•Need Ideas and Advice •Karen Zhussanbay & Chuck Southern Your POCs

Contact Us

• Email: VACVE@va.gov

• 202.303.3260

• 866.584.2344 tollfree for veterans

• www.VetBiz.gov

Because VETERANS is our first name