Every Veterans Day, I pause to remember a man who shaped not only my life, but the way I lead, serve, and build community. My father was a Vietnam veteran—three tours, each one a chapter of courage, grit, and sacrifice. He didn’t talk much about the war, but you could see it in his eyes: the weight of what he’d seen, and the pride of having stood for something bigger than himself.

When he came home after serving 25 years in the Army, he didn’t stop serving. He just changed uniforms.

He opened a small business in our hometown—a modest shop with a worn wooden counter, a coffee pot always on, and a handshake that meant something. It wasn’t just a place to earn a living. It was a place where our neighbors gathered, where young people got their first jobs, and where veterans found someone who understood. My father built more than a business—he built trust, one customer at a time.

I watched him work long hours, fix what was broken, and treat every person who walked through the door with dignity and respect. He never sought recognition. But every Veterans Day, someone would stop by to say thank you—not just for his service overseas, but for the way he showed up every day here at home.

That’s the spirit we honor at the CEDC. Because service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. It continues in the way our veterans lead, build, and give back. Today, more than 65,000 veteran-owned businesses operate across Wisconsin, contributing over $20 billion to our economy. Many of them, like my father’s, are small but mighty anchored in values forged in service.

At CEDC, we’re proud to support those who continue to serve through entrepreneurship. We do it through programs like HATCH, where veteran founders pitch bold ideas and inspire us all to lead with resilience and purpose. We do it through our partnership with the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, helping veteran-owned businesses gain visibility, access capital, and grow. And we do it because we believe that honoring veterans means more than saying thank you—it means investing in their future.

For me, this work is personal. My father’s legacy lives on in every business we help launch, every entrepreneur we mentor, and every community we strengthen. His story reminds me that freedom isn’t free—and that the best way to honor those who’ve served is to build something worthy of their sacrifice.

So this Veterans Day, I invite you to do more than remember. Support a veteran-owned business. Listen to their stories. And if you’re a veteran with a dream, know that we’re here to help you build it.