Possibly the most underutilized pool of talent in our country are our military veterans. There are a variety of reasons for why veterans are unemployed, or all too often underemployed, but there are also incredible success stories for employers and veterans finding the perfect unions. We'll focus on these areas in our discussion:

• Why hire a veteran? The tangibles and intangibles that veterans bring to your team
• The financial incentives of hiring a veteran
• The resources to assist employers in finding and hiring veterans

Registration is appreciated but not required. Please join us through this Zoom link. You can also watch live or the recorded video later on our Facebook page.

Amy Entress was born and raised in West Virginia and has resided in Tampa since 2009. She works for Veterans Florida, a nonprofit created by the state of Florida to help military veterans transition to civilian life and make Florida their home through career services, entrepreneurship, agriculture educational programs, and access to resources. Previously, she served as a naval officer after graduating from Miami University of Ohio. Amy previously owned and operated a sole proprietorship that provided equipment and training related to research and recovery in extreme conditions. She also co-founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to explore and preserve undersea environments, where she served as the Chief Financial Officer. She relocated from Hawaii to California and ultimately landed in Florida, where she promptly co-founded the next two companies focused on project management and food processing after finishing the program. Amy enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dogs. She loves outdoor activities including boating, diving, fishing, and hiking. These activities fuel her inspiration and remind her that the entrepreneurial journey is filled with peaks and valleys, but it is the thrill of the adventure that drives her success.

Craig Washburn is the Founder & CEO of VTC Veteran Tax Credits. VTC is a Veteran owned business that is helping to bridge the gap between Veterans and employers. VTC is the experts in the Workers Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). VTC helps Veterans get pre-certified and find gainful employment through our partnerships. VTC also helps companies find outstanding Veteran talent and collect valuable tax credits for employing them. Craig started out in the Navy as an Administrative Supervisor, where he served for four years. His civilian career includes work at HealthCare Dimensions, PacifCare Health Systems, as well as Owner of the Pivot Management Group.

Eric “Doc” Wright, PhD, is a military veteran, serial founder of Vets2PM, LLC and the 501(c)3 Veteran Project Manager Mentor Alliance, business philosopher and linguist, and Amazon Best Selling author.  In fact, he wrote the book on ‘How To Speak Civilian Fluently: And Prove It With Your CM Credential!’ to teach veterans the civilian labor force language of management and prove it with their internationally-recognized Certified Manager credential from the nonprofit Institute of Certified Professional Managers.  His work helping tens of thousands of military veterans achieve fluency in the language of the civilian labor force, which is ‘management’, and prove it with in-demand credentials such as the PMP, ACP, PSM, and the CM, has helped them achieve meaningful, lucrative post-service careers and businesses!  In fact, Vets2PM was the 2019 and 2020 Department of Labor HIRE Vets Gold Award Winner in the small business category for its veteran hiring initiatives!  You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn as docwright2012, and at www.vets2pm.com/blog.