New chamber aims to help New Mexico veterans build businesses

This Veterans Day, a group of former service members will launch the New Mexico Veteran Chamber of Commerce, the 14th of its kind in the country, to help former servicemen build businesses.

Veterans generate around $2.2 billion for New Mexico’s economy, according to John Garcia, Vietnam veteran, former state director of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the new chamber’s founder.

“A lot of people think about veterans only when it’s time for parades, Fourth of July,” Garcia said. “But I think they’re more than that.”

Last year, more than 120,000 veterans were living in New Mexico, accounting for 7.4% of the civilian adult population, according to the state Department of Workforce Solutions. Veterans make up 5.6% of New Mexico’s workforce and own just over 7% of businesses in the Land of Enchantment, per the SBA. Nationwide, veterans are majority owners of more than 1.6 million businesses, employing nearly 3.3 million workers.

The Veteran Chamber came about when Garcia noticed a gap in support for veterans who wanted careers in business in New Mexico.

“It’s something that’s needed,” he said. “Veterans will take care of veterans, and that’s what our goal and our guidance direction is.”

Leaving the military can be destabilizing, said Chris Sweetin, an Air Force veteran and the CEO of Albuquerque-based security firm Triskelion Group of New Mexico.

“I had my first retirement at 40 because I joined the military when I was 20,” Sweetin said. “Twenty years later, I’m getting out; my entire adult life was in the military. That’s all I knew.”

The chamber plans to help veteran business owners get capital, and will also provide technical assistance, contracting opportunities and mentorship, Garcia said.

“Veterans need and want a purpose for when they get out of the military, and those veterans that start businesses have found their purpose,” Sweetin said.

Many often leave the military with post-traumatic stress disorder, Garcia said, which can make life after service even more daunting. Finding employment can sometimes be difficult, even with a military-level work ethic.

“What we want to do is help them create wealth for their families. And if I could help them create wealth for their families, everything else will come into place for them,” Garcia said.

Sweetin said more veterans in business means more businesses that want to come to New Mexico, and more contracts for veteran-owned small businesses. The chamber will be based in Albuquerque, but will do outreach across the state.

“All that’s going to do is set New Mexico apart from the rest of the country to show how much more New Mexico is helping its veterans, and it’s going to bring more businesses to us,” he said.

The first 500 to join the New Mexico Veteran Chamber of Commerce will become the chamber’s founding members.

“They gave up their adult lives to help out the country for a greater cause,” Sweetin said. “Why can’t we give it back to them for what they’ve done for us?”