SALT LAKE CITY — A new veteran-owned business registry has been started to help those Utah vets connect and gain important insights they may have previously missed out on.
The Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs and the Veterans Business Resource Center launched the registry.
"The goal is awareness," said Rick Brown, Director of Veterans Business Resource Center. "It's very simple. The veterans have, you know through their service, they have offered and sacrificed so much that it's just a small way to give back to those veteran operations and to those veterans."
Utahns can CLICK HERE to head to the registry and search by keywords or the name of the business, and can register their own businesses.
Carl Churchill, co-owner of Alpha Coffee, served in the U.S. Army for 21 years. He said when he heard of the new opportunity, he registered his business not only for his own outreach purposes, but to learn about other veteran-owned businesses in the community.
"It’s very difficult being an entrepreneur and a small business owner," said Churchill. "So anything we can do to support other small businesses and especially veteran-owned small businesses, we’re there. This registry is a great opportunity for them to get some exposure, and for the community to be able to identify them and support them.”
Utah Army National Guard veteran Robert Barlow, who owns B-Hyve K-9, a training and grooming facility for dogs, says he thinks it will also be a great way to share tips and advice with other veteran-owned businesses like his.
"We support each other, 'Hey, what did you do for this?' We support each other, try to help each other out and make both our businesses better just by networking with each other," said Barlow.
