Three Veterans Business Outreach Centers created by the U.S. Small Business Administration will join an existing center to provide nationwide entrepreneurial development services to eligible military veterans who own or are considering starting a small business.

"These Veterans Business Outreach Centers will provide a myriad of services including entrepreneurial training and guidance, educational workshops, financial guidance and assistance, and mentoring, said SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto. "The contributions and sacrifices these men and women have given to our country are of inestimable value and the SBA stands ready to support the President's goals of helping veterans everywhere to start and grow small businesses."

Services provided by the VBOCs include:

• Pre-Business Plan Workshops that deal specifically with the major issues of self-employment. An important segment of these workshops entails the usage of the Internet as a tool for developing and expanding businesses, and each client is afforded the opportunity to work directly with a business counselor.


• Concept Assessments to help VBOC clients to assess their entrepreneurial needs and requirements.


• Business Plan Preparations to help clients to develop and maintain a five-year business plan.


• Comprehensive Feasibility Analysis that provides help identifying and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the business plan.


• Entrepreneurial Training and Counseling to help VBOCs, working with other SBA resource partners, target entrepreneurial training projects and counseling sessions tailored specifically to address the needs and concerns of service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs.


• Mentorship to enable VBOCs to conduct, as appropriate, on-site visits with clients to ensure adherence to their business plans and a monthly review of their financial statements.

Other Business Developmental Services include: providing assistance and training in such areas as government contracting, international trade, franchising, Internet marketing, and accounting.

The Veteran Business Outreach Centers (three new and one existing respectively) include:

The Research Foundation of the State University of New York
41 State Street
Albany, NY 12246
District Office: New York - Syracuse District Office
Point of Contact - Mike Ross
Phone: 518-443-5398 ext. 163
Fax: 518-443-5275
Email: Rossdm@nyssbdc.org
Webpage: http://www.nyssbdc.org/vboc

The University of West Florida
2500 Minnesota Avenue
Lynn Haven, FL 32444
District Office: Jacksonville Florida District Office
Point of Contact - Doug Davis
Phone: 1-800-542-7232 or 850-271-1108
Fax: 850-271-1109Email: vboc@knology.net
Webpage: http://www.vboc.org/

The University of Texas - Pan American
1201 West University Drive
Edinburg, TX 78539-2999
District Office: Texas - Lower Rio Grande Valley
Point of Contact - Jessica Lopez
Phone: 956-292-7535
Fax: 956-316-2612
Email: vboc@panam.edu
Webpage: http://www.coserve.org/vboc

Vietnam Veterans of California - VBOC
7270 E. Southgate Drive
Sacramento, California 95823
Point of Contact - Coreena Conley
Phone: 916-393-8387
Fax: 916-393-8389
Email: coreenaconley@yahoo.com
Webpage: http://www.vboc-ca.org/

For more information about SBA's Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs), visit http://www.sba.gov/VETS. For information about all of the SBA's programs and services, visit http://www.sba.gov/.