Veterans Business Outreach Center to Host Showcase Aug. 22

August 21, 2013

The Hampton Roads Veterans Business Outreach Center (HRVBOC), housed at Old Dominion University, will host a Veterans Outreach Showcase on Thursday, Aug. 22, to inform city officials, legislators, active-duty military and veterans about the free entrepreneurial development services offered at ODU.

The event, from 4-6 p.m. in Building I at Innovation Research Park @ ODU, will feature a keynote address by Amber Peebles, president of Athena Construction Group and winner of the annual Veterans Small Business Champion Award, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Richmond District Office.

At the Aug. 22 event, the range of services offered through the center will be available for veterans who own, or are considering starting, a small business. Representatives from the SBA headquarters in Washington, D.C., will attend.

The HRVBOC was founded at the university in 2010, under the ODU Business Gateway. Its mission is to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals for eligible veterans. HRVBOC serves Federal Region III, which includes Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Funded in part by a cooperative agreement with the SBA, the center has developed an extensive network of partners to assist with veterans' business needs.

For more information about the Veterans Outreach Showcase, or about any programs of the Hampton Roads Veterans Business Outreach Center, go to www.hrvboc.org or contact Director Cherylynn Sagester at 683-4793.