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Business & Tech

Military Veterans Pursue the American Entrepreneurial Dream with Advice at GSU

Governors State brings veterans from all over the Chicago area to the Southland to get a business-minded pep talk, counseling & a dogtag zipdrive.

Military veterans and active members converged at Governors State University in University Park Wednesday for a entrepreneurial boot camp aimed at sharpening their business skills in a tough economy.

Upon "reporting for duty" at the registration desk, vets got a folder of information from sponsor Centerpoint of GSU, as well as a dogtag-styled flashdrive for the business mission ahead.

Over the course of the day, they shared their hopes for achieving the American dream of owning their own business with peers and counselors.

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Here are some of their stories.

Rorik Wallace Larson, Orland Park

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An army veteran, Wallace said he attended the business boot camp seeking more insight into internet strategies for his business Essential Financial Strategies. The main message he got from GSU's event was "hope," said Larson.

"I think there's a lot of things out there, resources out there," said Larson, who has more than two decades of military service. "There are going to be good days, down days, but you have to follow your passion." 

At the event, he swapped stories with fellow Army vet Wayne Sturling, Oak Lawn, who said he hoped to launch his own business in a technical field, and was currently in a research phase.

Roderick "Rod" Johnson, Hazel Crest

Army vet Johnson is the owner of a home-based computer services company, PC Rod Solutions, He said his service from 1980 to '88 was invaluable.

"I got a lot of self-confidence, and I learned to trouble-shoot," said Johnson. "There's logical steps to trouble shooting. My whole thing in life is to help small businesses."

He attended the conference to learn about capital financing, but came away determined to take a bold step and tap into his savings.

"The interest rates out there are too high for me," he reflected. "I talked to a couple of guys are tapping into their own pension, and I think I'll do the same thing."

Keith White, Glenwood

Glenwood resident White, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, stopped by the event to inform vets about the educational programs available in the post 9/11 world.

White said his military career prepared him well for success as coordinator of Veteran and Military programs at Governors State University.

"I gained teamwork, how to complete a task, follow-through, self-discipline, the commitment to stick something and see it through," reflected White, 44. It also laid the groundwork for his other position at GSU as director of multicultural affairs. "I was on every continent but Antarctica. I spent some years in Ethiopia, Europe and Asia." 

The father of a 12-year-old, Myles, White said he has mixed emotions about his son following in his footsteps.

"As a veteran, if my son says he wanted to serve, I'd be proud of him. As a parent, I hope he doesn't have to take the risk."

White's advice to those considering a military career: "Have a career path, whether you're in for 10 years or 20 years, have a plan."

Sharon Drake-Rhyne, Calumet City

Army veteran Drake-Rhyne, 49, did some networking with Debra Meyers-Martin, coordinator of Employ Illinois Business Programs through the State Treasurer's office (and village president in Olympia Fields).

Drake-Rhyne was seeking business advice for her three home-based businesses, including a Mary Kay franchise, bookkeeping service, and a children's charm school.

She characterized her military experience during 1986-1990 as bittersweet, saying that many of her recruiter's promises did not come true. However, some experiences were positive, she said.

"I got to travel and see parts of the world I always dreamed about, it gave me the desire to succeed," said Drake-Rhyne. "People called me a walking suitcase, and I said, you got that right. I didn't come over here to lay up in the bed, I went to Paris, Turkey, I went to London. That was my little blessing, for going through all the nonsense."

An avid marketer, Drake-Rhyne attended the event carrying a purse with clear, plastic panels filled with candy bars.

"We're doing a fundraiser," she explained. "I've got to sell this candy." Explaining her loan needs to Meyers-Martin, she seemed amazed by Meyers-Martin's advice to think "without limitations."

"So let's say you were getting a million-dollar loan," said Myers-Martin. "What?" Drake-Rhyne interrupted in surprise. Then she smiled and went along with the hypothetical scenario, "No limitations."

Diane R. Summers, Gurnee

Former Army Capt. Summers, founder and president of Horizon Leadership Strategies, Inc. delivered the luncheon address. She spoke frankly of her own entrepreneurial journey, at times winning nods of agreement from her attentive audience.

"Have you been scared at any point? Nervous?" asked Summers. "Wondered, 'Is this going to work?' Ever had self doubt that made you want to stop?" 

Later, in an interview with Patch, Summers reflected that her personal and professional life changed swiftly upon entering the military.

"I got my commission on May 21, I graduated on May 22 and met my husband May 23 of 1977," said Summers, recalling meeting her husband Lou. "It was a blind date at Fort Bragg on my first day of active duty, and within 20 minutes of meeting him, I was thinking, wouldn't it be crazy if this was the man I married."

They were engaged two months later. 

"The value of a military career is immeasurable," she said. "It taught me to be mission-focused, to be creative, to care about people ... People see what's on TV, or movies, and they think that's what the military is about—barking orders. That's not what the military is all about. If I had just barked orders, I never would have had esprit de corps in my unit. I needed to gather and value their suggestions before making my decision."

Today, she's the mom of teenaged sons aged 16 and 19. "If they told me they wanted to serve their country, I wouldn't stand in their way," she reflected. "But it's a tough situation. If you join the military, there will be conflict."

Maurice Edwards, Grayslake

Grayslake resident Edwards, who said he's currently stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base, said he and his wife Jennifer dream of owning their own family business.

Currently, his wife, a former schoolteacher, stays home with their three children, while he faces several more years of active duty, Edwards said. But the couple wants to plan ahead to make their dream of a apparel franchising company a reality, said Edwards.

Although he has a background in real estate, he wanted to learn more about financial support, options and also franchising information.

Derryl Caldwell, Chicago

Navy veteran Caldwell, who styles himself the "D.C. Mad Hatter Designer," said the boot camp was a valuable way to gain more marketing skills for his Navy Pier-based embroidery business, which sells custom shirts, hats and wigs.

"I'm all about the marketing," said Caldwell, adding that he had modeled his hats for President Barack Obama. He said his military background prepared him for life as a business-owner: "It helps you the ability to start a task and complete a task."

Ken McDonald, Chicago

Army veteran McDonald, a session presenter, owner of Aluminum Case Co., said he came to the event to share his own entrepreneurial journey. He recalled the challenges when he bought the company, now headquartered at 3333 W. 48th Place in Chicago.

"There's no financing, banks are laughing at you. But we still did it, it was the right fit," said McDonald, who served from 1986 to 1991 . "There's a lot of opportunity, but we have to manage that as a country and make sure we give these people (veterans) the opportunity to be successful."

Many are aware of the military's emphasis on discipline, but not on its potential to instill creativity, said McDonald, a former flight engineer on the CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

"You get assigned to a (military) company and you're left with unbelievable variables, it's not necessarily in the book," McDonald added. "You have to be creative in the way you solve problems." 

He and co-owner and wife Linda now have their sights set on broadening their company's market share of commercial shipping and electrical component enclosures.

"Our main challenge right now is to get our name out so we can approach a wider range of potential," said McDonald.

Gerald Paulsen, Elgin

Many of today's returning veterans will not identify entrepreneurship as their first priority, said presenter and Army veteran Paulsen, who serves on the Taskforce for Veteran Entrepreneurship (TFVE).  

Instead, veterans typically make the transition from military to civilian life by establishing households and seeking education and employment, said Paulsen, president and Ceo of Paulsen Productions Inc. "You have to look at the big picture" and realize vets often get interested in starting their own companies in their 40s and 50s.  

In his years since active duty, Paulsen also launched an international company, Guam Business Discovery. "Guam is a U.S. territory, so I'm still doing business on American soil," he said. For his efforts to help people and businesses in Guam, he was recognized with the Ancient Order of the Chamorri, he said.

Wrapping Up

Bob Rackstang, drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War, said the mood at the conference was "electrifying" and said he was satisfied with the turnout of nearly 80 veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force and other service branches.

He said the attendees were predominantly from Chicago and south suburban communities, but some participants came from Gary, IN, and as far north as Wisconsin.

"Vets are an underserved market," said Rackstang, director of the event. Veterans returning to civilian life face a choice of three E's—employment, education or entrepreneurship, he said.  

Rakstang said Centerpoint at Governors State University will host the next Veterans Entrepreneurial Boot Camp in November, the week before Thanksgiving. Veterans who dream of owning their own business, but cannot attend, can call and make an appointment for free counseling, said Rakstang.

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