Free Business Program Helps Veteran Entrepreneurs Grow

The Washington, D.C. area is not only home to the federal government and the hundreds of thousands of government workers it employs, there’s a strong military and business community that is in many ways interdependent. That’s exactly what three D.C.-area entrepreneurs found as they took their military experience into an executive MBA-style program designed to help them grow and sustain small businesses.

Their common thread, Clark Construction’s national Strategic Partnership Program (SPP), a no-cost business course created to help small, local, and disadvantaged subcontracting and construction firms build capacity and prepare for future growth.

“Applying and being accepted into the Clark Construction Program was like another layer of information and resources to help us make better decisions with our business,” Monique Monroe, CEO of the company Business Prep of College Park, Md., said in an interview with Military.com. “You learn everything from scheduling to scaling your business. You have a team, and you give a pitch for your company, a fictitious company, to work on a construction project. So pretty much you’re learning everything in the process of developing your business.”

Business Prep is a veteran-and woman-owned government contractor providing facilities support, transportation, and logistics across multiple states, including Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.

Monro spent 26 years in the Air Force, retiring as a master sergeant. But to start her business, she needed the practical logistics experience that the Clark Construction program provided. Monro said the program helped her transition her company from facilities maintenance into a large-scale commercial construction firm.

“My goal is to continue developing my company in the facilities space, specifically restroom trailers,” the 46-year-old said. “It can be dumpsters, it can be bins or different applications like that. I really want to be able to support all the staff that’s on a construction site by providing what they need.”

Program Helps Small Business Owners Succeed

Clark Construction officials told Military.com that the mission of SPP is to give small business owners a solid foundation for smart, sustainable growth and long-term success.

Through the executive education program, participants receive comprehensive construction management and business skills training from experienced industry leaders. The program equips participants with the tools required to scale sustainably and compete for major regional infrastructure projects.”

“Veterans bring an exceptional level of discipline, leadership, and operational adaptability to the construction industry,” Nathan Bryan, Senior Manager of Small Business Development for Clark Construction, said in a statement to Military.com. “Entrepreneurs like Monique have already demonstrated their ability to manage complex operations in demanding environments, whether on the battlefield, in military medical facilities, or within executive boardrooms. Through the Strategic Partnership Program, our goal is to help veteran business owners translate those hard-earned skills into the commercial construction sector.”

Monro is not the only SPP success story. Janice Schmidt is president and owner of Frontier Landscape Services LLC of Aldie, Va., as well as a former Army Intelligence Officer at the Pentagon. She said SPP helped her stay the course in a challenging small business climate.

“When you start your own company, it is harder and more rewarding than you expect,” Schmidt said in a statement to Military.com. “Clark’s Strategic Partnership Program reinforced the exact mindset needed to navigate the challenges of scaling a business. It helped me to not be afraid to do hard things and keep getting back up.”

Several Participants Have Military Backgrounds

Another graduate of the program is Roland Alexander, owner and operator of P.O.M. LLC., or Peace of Mind Services of Temple Hills, Md. He’s also a former U.S. Army surgical technician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as well as a volunteer firefighter and former police officer. His company specializes in commercial services, maintenance and replacement of HVAC and refrigeration systems for other businesses to keep their equipment running.

Alexander said SPP gave him the knowledge and experience to go from a hands-on technician to a small business owner.

“Transitioning from the trades to corporate operations requires a complete shift from technical execution to long-term strategic planning,” Alexander said in a statement to Military.com. “The Strategic Partnership Program provides the business infrastructure and professional network necessary to help us manage risk, navigate supply chains, and scale our operations sustainably.”

For Monro, the experience and knowledge she gained from SPP reminded her of how and why she wanted to start her own business.

“I was deployed to Iraq and on active duty as a biomedical equipment technician. And while in Iraq, I also became the facility manager, where I got to work with Air Force civil engineers as well as contractors. But there was no agreement in place as far as who would fix what,” she said. “I learned so much, doing a little bit of welding, building shelves, doing everything facilities-related. It was just really fascinating. So when I started my business, I said I definitely want to continue in the facility space because it’s something new and something is always breaking, there’s always something to fix.”

Monro said she found her niche as a small business owner, and credits the Clark Construction SPP for helping her gain a solid footing as an entrepreneur. She’s now passing those same skills on to her daughter.

“I’m a divorced mom. My 18-year-old daughter recently graduated from high school, and she’s very excited about our company and also starting a business of her own,” Monro said. “I’m 1000% behind that. I think it’s great. She really looks at my example, and now she believes that she can start her own business too.”