Vet News: First Veterans Complete FastTrac Segment of Veterans Entrepreneurship Training Program

Maine, November 26 -- Maine Governor-elect John Baldacci congratulated 25 Veterans tonight completing the first FastTrac class comprised solely of Veterans at the University of Southern Maine School of Business Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business. The program was offered by The Veterans Corporation as part of the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program (VET Program).

"Veterans have already contributed so much to Maine and to the nation," said Governor-elect Baldacci. "So, I"m proud we can help them continue to contribute as successful small business owners."

"The roll-out of the program for Veterans has been a real success," said Dr. Valarie Lamont, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. "Through our partnership with The Veterans Corporation and other key Maine organizations, we will be offering many entrepreneurial resources for Maine Veterans. In fact, after this class, the Maine Small Business Development Centers, also a part of the School of Business at the University of Southern Maine, will provide a series of six follow-up workshops to the graduates of this program."

The Veterans Corporation (http://www.Veteranscorp.org/), as part of its VET Program, has partnered with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (http://www.emkf.org/), the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the Maine Small Business Development Centers, the University of Southern Maine School of Business Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business, the Maine Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services and the Finance Authority of Maine to offer military Veterans and Service-Disabled Veterans who own their own businesses and prospective Veteran entrepreneurs the FastTrac(TM) entrepreneurial training program, which includes:

* Classroom instruction from experienced and successful entrepreneurs
* Introduction to the advantages and strategies of electronic commerce
* Individualized business computer training
* A Gateway(R) computer upon completion of the program

"The VET Program is a key part of the toolkit we offer Veteran business owners and entrepreneurs," said retired Army Maj. Gen. Chuck Henry, president and CEO of The Veterans Corporation. "The VET Program can open many doors for transitioning military personnel and Veterans thinking of going into business for themselves. I couldn"t be more pleased with the welcome this program has received in Maine, and am excited about its potential for the business community here. The Veterans Corporation looks forward to a long and productive relationship with Maine and its Veterans."

The Veterans Corporation also started the VET Program in Riverside, Calif., and Arlington, Va., this fall. The VET Program will be expanded to ten cities across the Untied States in early 2003.

Information about FastTrac(TM) program and The Veterans Corporation can be found on the websites listed above.

About The Veterans Corporation:

The Veterans Corporation provides Veterans and Service Disabled Veterans with the tools they need to start and expand successful businesses, including:

* Entrepreneurial training
* Access to markets
* Access to capital
* Mentoring programs

No other public or private organization provides this specific assistance to the 24-million-strong Veteran community. The Veterans Corporation, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, was created in 1999 by Public Law 106-50, which also set a 3 percent goal for Service Disabled Veteran-owned businesses in federal procurement.

Source: The Veterans Corporation