If you read our monthly columns regularly, you know that we have a heart for veterans in our Adams County community.
The Alliance is proud to have played a role in launching Adams County Veterans Advocate Network (VAN) about two years ago. And what a track record VAN has created! Today, VAN is driven by more than 20 active community members dedicated to making a difference in the lives of our local veterans. One of our biggest projects to-date is the creation of Gettysburg MilitaryShare, a monthly food distribution program available to Adams County veterans.
Today, with this column being published on the heels of Veterans Day, I’m excited to launch a new initiative: Creating a directory of Adams County’s veteran-owned businesses. If you or someone you know operates a veteran-owned business in the county, please contact me! My contact information is at the end of this column.
Here’s why veteran-owned businesses matter: In the U.S., veterans own more than 1.9 million businesses and employ almost 5.5 million Americans. About one out of every 10 small businesses is veteran-owned. These stats are from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy.
A few more eye-opening stats: Veteran-owned businesses rack up $1.3 trillion in sales annually, and they carry an annual payroll of $256 billion. The top four sectors of veteran-owned businesses are professional services, construction, retail trade and healthcare.
The news isn’t all positive. Unfortunately, we also know the number of veterans-turned-entrepreneurs has dropped significantly over the past 75 years. According to Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, nearly 50% of World War II veterans eventually became self-employed. That number slipped to 40% for Korean War veterans. And for Post-9/11 vets, the number fell even further to 4.5%.
Here in Adams County, we know there are more than 3,300 small businesses, representing 99.9% of all Adams County businesses. Small businesses are defined as those employing less than 500 people.
Statewide, Pennsylvania is home to 1.1 million small businesses that employ 2.5 million individuals—about half of the state’s private workforce. Small businesses account for 99.6 percent of businesses in the Keystone State.
Now, the Alliance would like to understand how many veteran-owned small businesses are in the county, for several reasons. First, we would like to highlight these businesses in a future column. Secondly, we’d like to learn about the challenges facing veterans-turned-entrepreneurs, so that thirdly, we can determine if there are ways the Alliance can assist veteran-owned businesses.
My contact information is: Brady Rodgers, Adams Economic Alliance’s Director of Business and Community Outreach, [email protected] or 717-334-0042, x 104. I truly look forward to hearing from Adams County’s veteran-owned small businesses.
One additional note: Sponsors are needed for VAN’s monthly food distribution program, Gettysburg MilitaryShare, available to all Adams County veterans and their families. Sponsors can be businesses, churches, clubs and civic organizations, or individuals, making a one-time or an on-going commitment. Please reach out to me for more information (see the previous paragraph for my contact info), and thank you for your consideration.
Adams Economic Alliance comprises three organizations: The Adams County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC), the Adams County Industrial Development Authority (ACIDA) and the Adams County General Authority (ACGA). Follow us on Instagram (@adamscountypa) Twitter (@AdamsAlliance), Facebook (Facebook.com/AdamsAlliance) and LinkedIn (Adams Economic Alliance).
This column originally published in the Gettysburg Times, November 13, 2024.
