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Plymouth Area Chamber holds first Veterans Business Networking event

Wicked Local South/Mariner - 3/26/2019

March 26-- Mar. 26--PLYMOUTH -- There is a camaraderie that goes with military service. These brothers and sisters in arms share a common experience born of rigorous training and facing mortal challenges. They learn to depend on each other and, in turn, on themselves as part of a cohesive unit with a common goal.

That's one of the reasons why reentry into civilian life can be a challenge for many members of the military. The rest of the world is marching to a different cadence and it can be tough for former service members to get in step with that beat.

Veteran Business Networking at the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce hopes to help ease that transition by providing an opportunity for former military members to reconnect in the business setting. The quarterly program held its first meeting Tuesday evening with nearly a dozen veterans in attendance.

Started by Jesse Brown, chair of the Chamber's Veterans Affairs Committee and co-founder of Heidrea for Heroes, this networking event enables local veterans to meet and find opportunities for employment and to work together. A Marine Corps veteran, he is also a founder and owner of Heidrea Communications, a wireless infrastructure construction company in Plymouth, Bellingham and Oriskany, New York.

"We're starting small with our mixer but we are growing," he said. "We're hoping that the word will spread and other veterans will join us. We are used to working together in the military, and now we can work together in business."

Veterans networking does work. Just ask Matt Hughes, operations director for the new Chick-Fil-A in Plymouth, which is planning to open in April. An Army veteran, he got his current job by connecting with other former military members.

"I was finishing up my MBA at Curry College when a friend, who was a veteran, told me he wanted me to meet someone, who was also a veteran," he recalled. "My friend said this guy was opening the Chick-Fil-A in Plymouth. I wasn't crazy about the idea of a job in food service, but when I looked at the operation, I realized this was the perfect opportunity for me."

Corey Bowdre, an Army veteran and Corporate Relations Officer at Bridgewater State University, said most people don't understand what former military members have gone through and what they are experiencing as they return to civilian life.

"If you haven't been in the military, you just don't get it," he said. "It's a completely different way of thinking and living. What we went through is so unlike anything in civilian life. That's why it's good to connect with other veterans. They know what we feel and how we think."

Matt Logan, owner TDL Electrical Contractors in Plymouth, proudly boasted he was a member of "11th Bravo," Army slang for a combat soldier. He did an extended tour in Bosnia with the 10th Mountain Division, a crack American unit trained in alpine warfare. He is grateful to connect with other veterans.

"This is a great idea," he said. "Veterans share so much in common. It's good that we can connect as businesses and to provide jobs to fellow vets."

The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce is one of the few chambers in the country to have an active veterans program. The organization supports the Veterans Center for Business and Entrepreneurship and Plymouth Veterans Business Center, while providing other business programs for veterans.

"Our Veterans Committee is committed to creating a supportive community dedicated to empowering veterans, service members and their families," said Amy Naples, executive director of the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce.

"Our goal is to assist with small business needs, custom workshops and trainings, permitting and government contracting, as well as assistance with financing a business or writing business plans. "We want to thank and celebrate our local veterans, especially those who have taken their support of this country to the next level by opening a business."

Veteran Business Networking will meet again in June at a date and location to be announced. For more information about this or other Chamber programs, contact Amy Naples at amy@plymouthchamber.com or 508-830-1620.

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