In honor of Veteran’s Day, we’d like you to meet some of the extraordinary U.S. veterans who have become small business owners—and recipients of LISC relief and resiliency grants. These ex-servicepeople are dedicated to supporting their families and enriching their communities by offering vital services, goods and jobs.
One of the privileges of supporting small business owners as we move through the Covid era and toward a future of more equitable prosperity is building relationships with U.S. veterans turned entrepreneurs. These business owners’ drive, ingenuity and love for community has a direct impact on the kinds of enterprises they build, and on the ways they serve their neighbors.
Of the thousands of small business owners who have received recovery and resiliency grants from LISC in the past year and half, seven percent are U.S. veterans—on par with the percentage of veterans in our country. In honor of Veteran’s Day, we’d like you to get to know some of them.
For Renata Philippe, owner of Black Squirrel Company, a fashion and accessory firm, a military career not only helped her pay for college but also shaped her business acumen and so much more.
“In addition to being a wife, mother and entrepreneur, one of the greatest honors of my life was serving in the Army National Guard (280th Signal Battalion C Company & 198th Signal Brigade), from 1999 to 2008,” says Philippe, who received a relief grant from LISC and Verizon last spring. “The military taught me discipline, resourcefulness, consistency, and how to meticulously plan. These are skills that I still use today in every aspect of my life, especially in business and parenting. As a third-generation service member, I am proud to carry on this family legacy.”
After a career in the Marines and the Army National Guard, including a deployment in the first Gulf War in 1990, Dennis Bush worked in law enforcement before retiring and retraining in order to launch a lead paint inspection business. “The military challenges you to perform tasks you would never imagine you could do. You always want to enhance your skills in different areas, so you are well rounded. That’s what I learned from my military experience, and it has served me well in life.”
His new career was a natural fit for Bush. “I was a crime scene investigator with the NYPD,” he says. “I was familiar with being detailed in investigations, and you need that skill with lead inspections.”
A $10,000 grant from LISC and Verizon helped Bush’s business weather the pandemic slow down. Part of the money went to pay off a loan for inspection equipment and with the rest of it, Bush plans to hire more staff to help meet the demands of a new state lead paint remediation law. “I like what I do because I’m helping people—especially the kids who are in danger of getting poisoned,” says Bush.
“We listen, we care, we serve” is a motto Anthony Bellamy’s commercial refrigeration equipment business prides itself on. It’s a motto Bellamy has lived by.
Fresh out the Marine Corps, Bellamy got a delivery job for a commercial refrigeration company. On his first day, his supervisor immediately recognized his talent and initiative. The experience and opportunities Bellamy gained in 18 years with this company set him up to open his own business – Capital Refrigeration & Equipment Specialists, LLC.
Things were going great until the pandemic struck, and Bellamy lost 95% of his clientele as Chicago area schools and state government offices – Capital Refrigeration’s primary customer base – shut down. A relief grant from LISC and Verizon helped Bellamy meet the next payroll and keep his business alive. “We’ve been through tougher challenges, and I know we’ll be fine,” says Bellamy. “I’m confident we’ll come out of this soon.”