On November 15, the Fort Worth Chamber hosted its inaugural “Salute to Service” breakfast to empower veterans in their entrepreneurial and business endeavors. Event attendees heard from various speakers including State Senator Kelly Hancock, Councilmember Elizabeth Beck, Councilmember Charles Lauersdorf, Jeffrey King with Falcon Construction, Casey Lawrence with GallantFew, and Steven Gonzalez with Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County.

Senator Hancock delivered remarks preceding a panel conversation featuring the rest of the speakers. As chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs, Hancock highlighted his business background and emphasized his efforts in the Texas Legislature to support veterans through business opportunities.

Councilmember Lauersdorf then moderated a panel conversation that touched on the topics of veteran homelessness, access to support services, mental health, and the transition from military life to civilian life. Top takeaways from the panel conversation included the following:

• Urging employers to carefully consider qualifications of potential job candidates, noting that military service can be a better fit for some job roles than a bachelor’s degree in some instances
• Veterans in attendance were encouraged to formulate different career plans for their transition to civilian life and to begin building a network in the local business community as early as possible
• Many of the power skills that businesses identify as a top priority for their employees – such as problem-solving, customer service, and communication skills – are acquired during military service

The Fort Worth Chamber will continue exploring ways it can support the local veteran population in their business endeavors across the Fort Worth area.

Quick Facts: There are more than 100,000 veterans in Tarrant County. Roughly two-thirds are working age (below the age of 65), and veterans in Tarrant County outpace the non-veteran population in labor force participation rate, 84.8% to 79.3%.

Source: U.S. Census

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Upcoming Dates

• November 28: Fort Worth City Council Meeting, 10 a.m. at City Hall
• December 9: Texas Small Business Credit Initiative application deadline [More info]