A May 1 shopping event for Veteran and military spouse-owned businesses outside the Fort Belvoir Exchange attracted notable guests: Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Garrison Commander Col. Joshua SeGraves.
Thirty businesses owned by Veterans and military spouses participated in the Veteran Business Expo at the Fort Belvoir Exchange. The event was held in collaboration with Veterans Grow America and the Rosie Network, a nonprofit that develops entrepreneurial programs and support services that help active-duty, Veterans and military spouses become small-business owners.
Warner is in tune with Veterans organizations in the Virginia area, which has a large Veteran population, said Fort Belvoir Exchange Service Business Manager Veronica Reese. But his nearly hourlong visit was just a small part of the successful event.
“Our mission was to support our vendors and their businesses,” Reese said. “And we did that. They all had successful days, and we were happy about that.”
“Veronica and the Fort Belvoir team did an outstanding job at organizing the event and building a great partnership with Veteran- and military spouse-owned businesses,” said JoAnne Cahalan, Fort Belvoir Exchange general manager. “We had a great turnout, and it was perfect timing to help support the new DoD and Coast Guard civilian shopping initiative.”
Warner and SeGraves thanked Veterans for their service and asked about their careers. They also thanked the Exchange team for making Fort Belvoir a strong community.
Warner later tweeted about the event. “For small businesses, including Veteran-owned, this pandemic has been brutal,” he wrote. “Which is why I really appreciate #VeteransGrowAmerica welcoming me to their Veterans business expo this morning. It was great to see the different small businesses that make up our Commonwealth.”
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