Veterinarians bring training, skills, and life experience, so why doesn’t NJ support their small businesses? , opinion
Jeff Cantor and Regina M. by eege
Throughout history, as people left for war, they returned changed, often not for the better.
When service members take off their uniforms, they face life challenges including financial insecurity, difficulty accessing capital, homelessness, medical and mental health issues, and difficulty transitioning to civilian life.
Government resources, especially those of state governments tailored to the needs of their residents, can make a difference in easing the transition for veterans to enjoy successful careers in the private sector.
In a new report jointly released by the Garden State Initiative and the New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce, A Promise Not Kept: NJ’s Failure to Support Veteran-Owned Businesses, we revealed that the state of New Jersey is committed to assisting. Failing efforts. A veteran in starting and maintaining a business through preferred access to state-provided contracts every day.
Since 2015, New Jersey has had a public law that sets aside 3% of its state contracting agencies’ budgets for disabled veteran-owned businesses. Although 72 state agencies have buying power, according to research by the State Veterans Chamber of Commerce, only a few have awarded contracts to disabled-veteran-owned businesses, only two of the 72 are enforcing the law and none of them. Not reporting a legally required number.
An independent study by the Small Business Administration ranked New Jersey 49th out of 50 states for supporting veteran-owned businesses. Our report shows that the state bureaucracy has completely failed. It is our sacred obligation to support our veterans when they return home from military service, and this report provides a way for our state to maintain that commitment.
Veterans bring the training, skills and life experiences that position them uniquely to be successful in business – if they are given the opportunity and support to make changes in civilian life. We need the state to do its job.
With thousands of veteran-owned businesses in our state, approximately 1,000 of which are members of the NJ State Veterans Chamber, those businesses will immediately benefit from the enactment of the current law.
In addition to highlighting a lack of law enforcement, the report provides a vision for New Jersey to improve support for veteran-owned businesses through a range of strategic initiatives. The report’s vision challenges our state government to ensure that New Jersey ranks among the top 25% of the best states to support veteran-owned businesses as defined by the Small Business Administration and 3% of its state-mandated disabled veterans. shall meet or exceed the requirements of proprietary business law.
Among the strategic initiatives detailed in the report are: support of experienced professional advocacy through the creation of an executive task force and legislative sub-committee, implementing or increasing the 3% DVOB set-aside legislation, to better support veteran economic development Legislate for, implement policy changes to better support veteran economic development and formalize the creation of an experienced economic development leadership team.
One in 20 New Jerseyans is a veteran, and this population has answered the call of the nation. An important part of caring for our nation’s military veterans involves preparing them after military service and linking them to careers.
It is an important element for the state to perform its obligations, especially those enshrined in law. We call on the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly Coughlin, and President of the Senate Scotty to immediately convene the Executive Branch Task Force and Legislative Select Committees recommended in the report as the first step to fulfilling our state’s promise.
Colonel Jeff Cantor (US Army, retired) is the founder and CEO of the NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce and Regina M. Eige is the chairman of the Garden State Initiative.
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