Gateway Community College (GCC) launched National Veteran’s week with a free business workshop for veterans and their spouses who are starting and/or hoping to expand a small business. The workshop was made possible through a collaboration with the Small Business Administration (SBA), the City of New Haven, SCORE, and the college.

The Workshop took place in GCC’S Small Business Center and speakers, including New Haven Mayor, Toni Harp, expressed the importance of supporting veterans in their entrepreneurial endeavors. Presenters included Dennis Brown, a veteran and brings many years of experience as an entrepreneur and Vice President of Business Counseling for CTIC, a non-profit economic development lender, Prez Palmer, a certified SCORE Counselor with the Greatest Bridgeport SCORE chapter, and Robert Polito, a veteran and Senior Vice President at Webster Bank with many years of experience in lending and is an expert in the Patriot Loan Express Program for Veterans.

Presenters answered questions about financial matters in entrepreneurship, steps involved when growing a veteran-owned business in Connecticut, and utilizing planning and discipline skills learned in the military.