The Quantifiable Backbone: How Veteran Leadership Drives the American Economy

Across the United States, veteran entrepreneurs are quietly powering local communities and stabilizing the national workforce. From industrial warehouses in North Carolina to appliance repair shops in Wisconsin, the transition from military service to civilian business leadership forms a crucial pillar of the American economy.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. Army veteran George Watkins, Owner and CEO of Stein Service and Supply, has made it his mission to highlight this dynamic. Speaking with WCNC during Invest in National Veterans Week, Watkins noted that the transition to civilian life can be daunting, but the skills veterans possess are exactly what small and mid-sized businesses need.

Watkins explained that former service members bring leadership, discipline, and rapid adaptability to the workplace. He added that these traits are highly valuable for small and medium-sized businesses seeking individuals who take initiative and work cohesively within tight-knit teams. By actively employing both Army and Naval veterans, Watkins emphasized that hiring veterans is a direct investment in the local community itself.

A thousand miles away in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, that same investment in community recently took center stage. Army veteran Dave Pulkrabek stepped into retirement after running Appliance Service Company (ASC) since 1979. Drawing on his experience as a helicopter crew chief, Pulkrabek built a local institution. When it came time to sell, he wanted to ensure the business stayed in the right hands.

He found his buyer just three miles down the road: Steven Goss, a fellow veteran and the owner of Goss Appliance. Goss served 14 years in the military, deploying to Iraq as an infantryman before serving as a Marine Scout Sniper. For Pulkrabek, passing the torch was an easy decision, as he firmly believes that veteran-owned businesses form the fundamental backbone of the economy. Goss officially took over ASC this summer, choosing to retain all five of Pulkrabek’s original employees. You can read more about his ongoing mission at the Goss Appliance about page.

Quantifying the Backbone: Our Integration with Google Dataset Search

Pulkrabek and Watkins share a clear understanding of the value veteran businesses provide. At National Invest In Veterans Week® (NIVW), our core objective is to take local, micro-level success stories like those in Eau Claire and Charlotte and prove their macro-level impact using hard data.

To ensure the economic footprint of veteran founders is accurately measured, readily accessible, and highly visible to policymakers and financial institutions, our digital infrastructure recently reached a major milestone. The data architecture hosted on our platform has been officially indexed and recognized as an exploratory hub within Google Dataset Search.

You can view the official Google Dataset indexing of the veteran economy here.

By implementing precise schema markup on our Veteran Economic Intelligence Dashboard, our team established a machine-readable bridge to public data originating from the U.S. Census Bureau and the SBA Office of Advocacy.

The Empirical Value of the Veteran Economy

The localized leadership demonstrated by Watkins and Goss serves as real-time data points in a massive macroeconomic pillar. Our newly indexed dataset, Veteran Business Economic Output, centralizes critical performance variables that shift the narrative from general awareness to quantifiable economic reality:

• Aggregate Economic Impact: In the United States alone, the 2.5 million veteran-owned businesses generate an estimated $1.3 trillion in annual economic impact.

• Employment Drivers: Just as Steven Goss preserved local jobs during his acquisition, and George Watkins actively hires transitioning servicemembers, veteran enterprises serve as consistent engines for workforce stability nationwide, supporting approximately 5.8 million jobs.

• Business Ownership Rates: The United States demonstrates a high veteran entrepreneurship rate at 13.7%, nearly double that of other English-speaking nations.

Actionable Outcomes for the Future

Watkins pointed out that veterans have already demonstrated their ability to perform under pressure and simply require an opportunity to showcase their value in the civilian sector.

When legislative staff, corporate partners, and institutional investors search for information regarding the impact of veteran businesses, they require structured, factual intelligence to create those exact opportunities. By hosting this data in a format recognized and served by the world's primary search engine, we ensure these metrics are immediately accessible to the individuals responsible for shaping lending policies and corporate partnerships.

Behind every trillion-dollar statistic and dataset index are individual veterans who take the resilience, adaptability, and technical skills learned in uniform and use them to serve their local communities. Through our expanded data infrastructure, NIVW will ensure their economic contributions remain clearly documented, utilized, and honored.

Resources & Source Material

• Google Dataset Search Indexing: View the official NIVW dataset

• WCNC Charlotte Feature: Businesses urged to support service members during Invest in National Veterans Week

• Wisconsin Spotlight: Goss Appliance | About the Team

National Invest In Veterans Week Staff

National Invest In Veterans Week® is an award-winning congressionally honored social impact organization dedicated to honoring and supporting our nation's veterans. Visit Invest In Veterans Week | info@investinveteransweek.com

The Empirical Value of the Veteran Economy

During Invest in Veterans Week, the critical role that former service members play in the national economy has taken center stage. In Bozeman, Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte recently visited Anthem Snacks, a veteran-owned meat snack company, to convene a roundtable of local veteran entrepreneurs. Gianforte highlighted that veterans continue serving their communities long after leaving the military by creating jobs and strengthening local economies.

Meeting with Anthem Snacks owner and former Green Beret Nate Kouhana, along with other local business leaders, the discussion focused on the challenges of scaling veteran-owned enterprises and recruiting former service members. Business owners like Willie Blazer of Willies Distillery and Trent McMurtrey of Scoute Arms pointed out that the rising cost of living and a lack of affordable housing in areas like the Gallatin Valley make it difficult to hire veteran employees, even when paying competitive wages.

Gianforte pointed to recent legislative efforts to ease these burdens, including a 2023 law that exempts half of military pensions from state income tax. However, local veteran advocates challenged lawmakers to increase that exemption to make the state more competitive nationally. Meanwhile, state agencies are stepping in to help, utilizing local Job Service Offices to assist transitioning service members in translating their military skills into civilian careers.

This push to help veterans transition into the civilian workforce is echoing across the country. In Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. Army veteran George Watkins runs Stein Service and Supply, an industrial equipment company. Watkins explained to WCNC that leaving the structured environment of the military can be overwhelming, but the skills veterans possess are exactly what small and mid-sized businesses need.

Watkins noted that former service members bring leadership, discipline, and rapid adaptability to the workplace. He added that these traits are highly valuable for businesses seeking individuals who take initiative and work cohesively within tight-knit teams. By actively employing both Army and Naval veterans, Watkins emphasized that hiring veterans is a direct investment in the local community itself.

Quantifying the Backbone: Our Integration with Google Dataset Search

At National Invest In Veterans Week® (NIVW), our core objective is to take local, micro-level success stories like those in Bozeman and Charlotte and prove their macro-level impact using hard data.

To ensure the economic footprint of veteran founders is accurately measured, readily accessible, and highly visible to policymakers and financial institutions, our digital infrastructure recently reached a major milestone. The data architecture hosted on our platform has been officially indexed and recognized as an exploratory hub within Google Dataset Search.

You can view the official Google Dataset indexing of the veteran economy here.

By implementing precise schema markup on our Veteran Economic Intelligence Dashboard, our team established a machine-readable bridge to public data originating from the U.S. Census Bureau and the SBA Office of Advocacy.

The Empirical Value of the Veteran Economy

The localized leadership demonstrated by Kouhana, Watkins, and other veteran entrepreneurs serves as real-time data points in a massive macroeconomic pillar. Our newly indexed dataset, Veteran Business Economic Output, centralizes critical performance variables that shift the narrative from general awareness to quantifiable economic reality:

• Aggregate Economic Impact: In the United States alone, the 2.5 million veteran-owned businesses generate an estimated $1.3 trillion in annual economic impact.

• Employment Drivers: Veteran enterprises serve as consistent engines for workforce stability nationwide, supporting approximately 5.8 million jobs.

• Business Ownership Rates: The United States demonstrates a high veteran entrepreneurship rate at 13.7 percent, nearly double that of other English-speaking nations.

Actionable Outcomes for the Future

Watkins pointed out that veterans have already demonstrated their ability to perform under pressure and simply require an opportunity to showcase their value in the civilian sector.

When legislative staff, corporate partners, and institutional investors search for information regarding the impact of veteran businesses, they require structured, factual intelligence to create those exact opportunities and to understand the housing and policy needs discussed by entrepreneurs in Montana.

By hosting this data in a format recognized and served by the world's primary search engine, we ensure these metrics are immediately accessible to the individuals responsible for shaping lending policies and corporate partnerships. Behind every trillion-dollar statistic and dataset index are individual veterans who take the resilience, adaptability, and technical skills learned in uniform and use them to serve their local communities. Through our expanded data infrastructure, NIVW will ensure their economic contributions remain clearly documented, utilized, and honored.

Resources & Source Material

• Google Dataset Search Indexing: View the official NIVW dataset

• Montana Governor's Office: Governor Gianforte Convenes Veteran Business Owners in Bozeman

• WCNC Charlotte Feature: Businesses urged to support service members during Invest in National Veterans Week

National Invest In Veterans Week Staff

National Invest In Veterans Week® is an award-winning congressionally honored social impact organization dedicated to honoring and supporting our nation's veterans. Visit Invest In Veterans Week | info@investinveteransweek.com

“Don’t Just Cheer for Veterans—Invest in Them”: Phil Hulett Elevates National Invest In Veterans Week®

“I’m Phil Hulett, 40-year broadcaster and voice of the Anaheim Ducks. In the arena, we cheer for heroes. In the economy, we invest in them. National Invest In Veterans Week® is about more than recognition—it’s about action. And across the country, leaders are stepping up. In South Carolina, the General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing National Invest In Veterans Week®, uniting both the House and Senate to honor veteran-owned businesses and their impact on the state’s economy and communities. Across the country in Douglas County, Oregon, commissioners went a step further—issuing a formal proclamation and honoring veteran-owned businesses, employers who hire veterans, and individuals who invest in veterans through mentorship and leadership. This is what leadership looks like. This is how you support those who served. Follow their lead. Support veteran-owned businesses. Join the movement at InvestInVeteransWeek.com.”

Featuring Phil Hulett, 40-Year Broadcaster and Voice of the Anaheim Ducks

TL;DR

Legendary broadcaster Phil Hulett is calling on America to move beyond symbolic support for veterans and toward measurable economic action. In a powerful endorsement of National Invest In Veterans Week®, Hulett highlights bipartisan legislative leadership in South Carolina and Douglas County, Oregon—showing how real investment in veteran-owned businesses strengthens communities, economies, and national resilience.

From the Arena to the Economy: A Voice America Trusts

For more than four decades, Phil Hulett has been a trusted voice in American sports and broadcasting. Best known as the public address announcer for the Anaheim Ducks, Hulett has spent his career at the intersection of leadership, storytelling, and public trust—calling the moments that define champions.

Now, he is using that same voice to champion a different kind of hero.

“In the arena, we cheer for heroes.
In the economy, we invest in them.”
— Phil Hulett

That distinction—between applause and action—is at the core of National Invest In Veterans Week®, a nationally recognized observance dedicated to strengthening the veteran economy through consumer choice, policy leadership, and business investment.

Why National Invest In Veterans Week® Matters

National Invest In Veterans Week® is observed annually March 1–7 and focuses on one clear principle:
veterans do not need charity—they need opportunity.

Rather than symbolic gestures, the initiative encourages Americans to:

• Buy from veteran-owned businesses

• Support employers who hire veterans

• Recognize leaders who invest time, capital, and mentorship into veteran success

Hulett’s endorsement underscores that this movement is not abstract—it is already producing tangible results across the country.

Leadership in Action: South Carolina & Douglas County, Oregon

Across the United States, elected officials are answering the call.

South Carolina

The South Carolina General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing National Invest In Veterans Week®, uniting both the House and Senate to honor veteran-owned businesses and their measurable contributions to the state’s economy and local communities.

This bipartisan action signals that veteran entrepreneurship is not a partisan issue—it is an economic imperative.

Douglas County, Oregon

In Douglas County, commissioners went even further. They issued a formal proclamation and publicly honored:

• Veteran-owned businesses

• Employers who hire veterans

• Individuals who invest in veterans through mentorship and leadership

This model demonstrates what community-level leadership looks like when words are matched with action.

“This is what leadership looks like.
This is how you support those who served.”
— Phil Hulett

Why Phil Hulett’s Voice Carries Weight

Hulett’s credibility matters. A 40-year broadcaster does not maintain relevance without trust, discipline, and consistency. His career has been defined by recognizing excellence under pressure—qualities veterans understand better than most.

By aligning with National Invest In Veterans Week®, Hulett bridges sports culture, civic leadership, and economic responsibility, helping mainstream audiences understand that supporting veterans is not just patriotic—it’s smart business.

A Word from Angel Shuford

Angel Shuford, President of National Invest In Veterans Week® and an Army veteran herself, emphasized the deeper significance of endorsements like Hulett’s:

“When respected voices like Phil Hulett speak up, it validates what veterans have always known—investment changes lives. National Invest In Veterans Week® is about building sustainable pathways for veterans, their families, and the communities they serve.”
— Angel Shuford

Her message reinforces the initiative’s long-term vision: not a one-week campaign, but a permanent shift in how America values veteran leadership.

From Recognition to Responsibility

National Invest In Veterans Week® is about more than proclamations and applause. It is about economic participation, policy alignment, and shared responsibility.

Phil Hulett’s message is clear:

“Follow their lead. Support veteran-owned businesses.”

Join the Movement

America does not lack gratitude for veterans. What it needs is follow-through.

➡️ Support veteran-owned businesses
➡️ Encourage leaders who invest in veterans
➡️ Turn recognition into action

🔗 Learn more at:
https://InvestInVeteransWeek.com

🧾 Editorial Synopsis

🟢 Review Complete

What This Article Establishes

Phil Hulett’s message reframes veteran support as an economic responsibility, not a symbolic gesture. His endorsement reinforces a measurable shift already underway: bipartisan legislatures, county governments, and civic leaders are translating recognition into tangible investment in veteran-owned businesses and veteran employment.

Leadership Signal

• Veteran support is moving from applause to allocation.
• Bipartisan resolutions signal economic consensus, not ideology.
• Local proclamations demonstrate executable models of action.
• Public trust voices accelerate mainstream adoption.

System Context

This article represents a verified leadership signal within the Veteran Economic Intelligence ecosystem, where proclamations, endorsements, and policy actions are tracked as part of a broader national pattern.

🛰️ Not commentary—contextualized civic data.

Explore the Command Systems

• Veteran Economic Intelligence Dashboard: monitor live indicators of veteran-led economic participation.
• Proclamation Search: verify official resolutions and proclamations by jurisdiction.
• Ecosystem Explorer: see how policy, capital, and entrepreneurship intersect.
• Impact Models: view illustrative, policy-level ROI tied to veteran transition and leadership.

Informational and educational use only. Not financial or investment advice.

📡 National Invest In Veterans Week® continues to document these leadership moments across its command centers, live systems, and civic partnerships. This is how cultural support becomes economic infrastructure.