TUCSON, Ariz. — Pima Community College hosted its 10th annual Veterans Small Business Conference today.
This year's theme: "Veterans Making An Impact."
After 27 years of service in the Army National Guard, Sven Olson and his family moved to Tucson in 2013 for a new start. He said after seeking out resources, he attended PCC's Veteran Small Business Conference.
"For me, it was the opportunity of freedom; to control my own schedule, to control my own income. Was trying to network with the veteran community and plug in to benefits and find resources and came to it, and it was phenomenal. And I thought, this is an amazing event and I wished all my veteran friends had participated," said Olson.
He now owns several small businesses across Arizona. And in being the conference's 10th year, Olson was a panelist who spoke to his experiences.
"The skills that I learned in uniform: leadership, discipline, resourcefulness, the ability to no matter what accomplish the mission. Those were the things that carried forward into business," said Olson.
All veterans and their families looking to start and grow a business can get resources to help with access to funding, training, mental health help, networking and more.
"This is one of the best places in Tucson to learn about those resources, to plug in to the companies, to actually meet people face-to-face," said Olson.
The veterans small business conference is put on by PCC's Small Business Development Center. For information on the center and its resources available to vets, click here.
