It’s no secret that America loves the active-duty military community and our nation’s veterans. The National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) commissioned research from Americans across the country from all walks of life and found that 95 percent of Americans feel a sense of gratitude to the brave women and men who’ve volunteered to serve our nation in uniform.
What is NaVOBA?
NaVOBA has been the catalyst to bring this gratitude to Corporate America. With Veterans Business and Journal and later Vetrepreneur magazine, NaVOBA has been advocating for corporations to include veterans since 2003. Through advocacy and recognizing high-performing retailers that successfully include veterans as suppliers through our Best Corporations for Veteran’s Business Enterprises® program, we have helped increase the number of veterans working in FORTUNE® 1000 companies by more than 400 percent over the last decade. That’s right, more than 450 of the largest corporations on the planet include veterans in their supplier diversity programs.
What is even better news for military veteran entrepreneurs and business owners is the tremendous opportunity for attracting new customers and building loyalty with existing customers simply by letting them know your business is veteran-owned, -operated, and -controlled. Nearly two-thirds of American consumers who responded to our survey said they’d be more likely to purchase products and services identified as veteran-owned.
This is where NaVOBA comes in. “Veteran Owned” is an initiative from the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) to build on the momentum of support for veteran-owned businesses. We support veteran entrepreneurs and those who do business with them by raising awareness for why, where and how to buy Veteran Owned. The Veteran Owned Logo enables consumers to identify those products and services supplied by Women Owned businesses during their shopping experience. To be eligible, suppliers must be a NaVOBA Certified Veteran’s Business Enterprise® (VBE). Brands that provide products to major retailers can proudly display the “Veteran Owned” logo on product labels to give their customers the confidence in knowing that they are supporting truly deserving veteran business owners.
Getting Certified
Earning the VBE certification is a straightforward process. We begin by validating that the applicants are veterans with our partners at ID.Me. Next, applicants pay the fee relative to their annual revenues and submit documentation that demonstrates their ownership, operation, and control of the company. Finally, we will schedule a site-visit interview with the business owner to confirm everything from the document review. Complete submissions are processed, and certificates are issued in roughly two weeks on average.
This is beneficial in three distinct ways. First, everyday customers get to identify veteran-owned products they can purchase at large retailers. Second, corporate retailers that stock these products on their store shelves get to remind their customers time and time again that they have committed to supporting veteran entrepreneurship. Finally, the veteran-owned companies get to boost sales and build customer loyalty with corporate retailers as well as retail consumers. Everybody wins!
In Conclusion
It’s really that simple. If you want to support the military community, buy from businesses owned and operated by vets. Plus, veteran-owned businesses hire more vets on average than non-veteran-owned businesses, so buying veteran-owned brands makes a huge, positive impact in the veteran community. This program simply ensures that when customers support veterans, they know these veterans have worn the uniform and earned their respect and gratitude.
To learn more visit www.navoba.org/certification or connect with NaVOBA in RangeMe Services here.
Are you a RangeMe buyer interested in browsing Certified Veteran-Owned Products? Browse NaVOBA Certified brands here.