‘Entrepreneurship Boot Camp’ for veterans slated for Sept. 13

Veterans interested in starting or growing a business will get a unique opportunity to 'jump start" their business by attending a free Entrepreneurship Boot Camp sponsored by Momentum Texas Inc. (MTI), a statewide nonprofit, and the Texas Workforce Commission on Sept. 13. The boot camp will be highlighted by luncheon address by County Judge Loyd Neal and financial guidance from by Alan Wilson Market President of Frost Bank.

The Entrepreneurship Boot Camp will focus on the fundamentals of management, marketing and money for start-ups and established businesses. The presenters will include a MTI team working in tandem with experts in Corpus Christi.

Neal will keynote the boot camp luncheon. He is a retired colonel with the Army Reserves and served for more than 30 years in the active Army Reserve. Gov. George W. Bush appointed Neal to the Texas –Strategic Military Planning Commission in 1997 and was re-appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas Military Preparedness Commission in 2005. He is a strong advocate for economic growth in the Corpus Christi region.

Wilson, the market president for Frost Bank in Corpus Christi will speak on how veteran entrepreneurs can access bank financing.

The three-person MTI Team includes Jerry Hosek, owner of East Texas Cattle Company, Tarsha Polk, known as “the marketing lady,” who was a Super Bowl marketing contractor and Jim Reid, President of MTI, who was named by the SBA as the National 2011 Small Business Champion of the Year. The Corpus Christi team includes Bob Beanland, program manager of the Del Mar College’s Small Business Development Center; Alden Lyckman, business development advisor at the Veterans Business Outreach Center and Debbie Fernandez, SBA Corpus Christi branch office.

The free Entrepreneurship Boot Camp will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Del Mar College Economic Development Center, 3209 South Staples, Room I 06. Frost Bank will provide a free box lunch. Veteran entrepreneurs interested in the boot camp can register by e-mailing [email protected]. For more information call Jim Reid at (214) 773-4663.