Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — After 20 years in the United States Air Force, Frank Unpingco knew that some of the things he learned in the military could help him open his own business.
That did not mean he knew how to become an entrepreneur on his own, however.
"I miss the military so much," said the former master sergeant and owner of a cybersecurity firm. "But when you get out, it doesn't matter how good you had it, you still need some help to understand business. A lot of places want to help veterans, but the Veteran Business Resource Center actually helped me get my business open. It's been great."
The state designation of 2025 as "Year of the Veteran Entrepreneur" will promote outreach efforts for the business resource center so others can follow in Unpingco's footsteps.
The Utah Department of Veteran and Military Affairs together with Salt Lake Community College opened the resource in 2017 in hopes of assisting local veterans with the education and the skills needed to open the business of their dreams. The services are free — they are funded by the state — and include classes about the complexities of opening a business as well as how to create your mission statement and more.
More information about the Veteran Business Resource Center:
Location: 9690 S. 300 West, MCPC Building, Room 201C, Sandy
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone number: 801-957-3670
Next networking event: Friday, Feb. 14, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
With only one staff member until 2022, the resources were limited, but so were the number of veteran visiting the center. Not many knew about the programs available to every veteran across the state — including the Navajo Nation — but once the staff number increased from one to three, they organized outreach efforts to educate many of the 133,000 veterans they say live across the state.
"We want to get the word out to every veteran that this center is for them," said Becky Guertler, the resource center manager. "We're very focused on growth. Hold out our hand, we'll pull you up. Have faith in us. We'll help you get to where you want to be."
Every month this year, the center will host a midday program that allows local veteran entrepreneurs a chance to tell others about their business and talk with their future business-owning peers about the process of opening of a business.
Census data also reports there are 18,000 veteran-owned businesses in the state. The resource center staff want to, first, discover where these businesses are and, second, inform the owners that they, too, are welcome to use any center services, including having someone to listen to their ideas. They do not have to open or maintain their businesses alone.
To date, the center's staff reports almost 2,300 veterans have been served by the center since 2017, not including the nearly 300 veterans who have been "kicking the can," or coming up with a business idea.
With the year's focus, Guertler hopes to remove any idea of the center being the state's "best kept secret." She hopes she can reach more business owners as well as help other veterans make their entrepreneurial dreams come true.
Talk to veterans who have used the services of the resource center, and they'll tell you they're not sure they would even have a business today without its help and support. Owners of food trucks, shops to create tools to improve the work of carpenters and construction workers, cybersecurity firms and more have come to fruition with the center's help.
Serving in any of the military branches is difficult, veterans say. That is pretty well-known. But the leadership skills, reliance on others, motivational speaking skills and learning technical skills make it all worth it — as well as the readiness you can have to ask for help starting a business.
"What can I learn from my service that I used when starting a business? Everything," said Michael Donnell, a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He owns Measure Once, Cut Once, a tool improvement shop.
"I'd tell anyone to use the (resource center)," Donnell continued. "The state of Utah has funded this, and they want some good to come out of it. The people here want to help you create good things. So, if it seems too good to be true, I say, take them up on it. It works."
