Working with Veteran-Owned Businesses
An advocate for veteran-owned businesses, the firm is also known as a top military-friendly employer and Veterans Administration Corporate Champion.
The National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) has named Booz Allen Hamilton for the fifth time to its list of Ten Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses.
Published in the June 2009 issue of Vetrenpreneur magazine, the list recognizes companies that subcontract or source to businesses owned by military veterans. There are about three million veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) in the U.S.
Traditionally, veterans bring to the workplace world-class preparation for business ownership, including enhanced skills in leadership and specialized domain knowledge. “It’s good business to do business with companies that are capable, ethical, responsive, and driven,” says principal Ray Thomas. “We find that VOSBs and SDVOSBs tend to meet those criteria.”
Booz Allen’s commitment to supporting veteran-owned businesses goes far beyond compliance; the firm consistently exceeds the annual federal subcontracting goal to SDVOSBs. “The NaVOBA honor echoes the firm’s philosophy of integrating small businesses into our successful teaming approach,” says senior associate Diane Marsden. “Booz Allen assembles the right team for each client’s needs, and VOSBs and SDVOSBs often help meet those needs.”
The firm has also received numerous honors as one of the best places for veterans to work. In November 2008, Booz Allen was named to G.I. Jobs’ list of Top 50 Military-Friendly Employers for the third consecutive year for its efforts to reintegrate veterans back into the workplace. In addition, the firm accepted its second Veterans Administration Corporate Champion Award in 2008, which distinguishes contractors that provide veterans with innovative business support.
Booz Allen incorporates other military friendly initiatives into its culture. With 2,000 members, the firm’s Armed Services Forum addresses the needs of civilian soldiers returning from active duty, often in combat zones, to jobs in the corporate world. The forum has provided the firm with crucial insights that help ease the reintegration of staff, including suggestions about establishing a military leave and return policy and a clear communication plan regarding benefits and programs.
Vetrepreneur was launched in 2004 as Veterans Business Journal by three Navy veterans, who then created NaVOBA in 2007 to encourage the government and corporations to “buy veteran.”
