More than 30 Howard County veteran-owned businesses — from Escape Velocity Academy, which helps kids access STEM education through innovative programs such as Drone Soccer, to 1936 Food, a food truck serving West African cuisine on the go — will be showcased this weekend during the county’s first Veteran-Owned Small Business Expo at the Maryland Innovation Center in Columbia.
The expo is set for Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is sponsored by Howard County’s Office of Veterans and Military Families and the county’s Economic Development Authority. Organizers say the event is meant to help small business owners who are also military veterans get started.
“That transition from the uniform to businessperson is tough, so it is important that we support these small businesses when we can,” said Lisa Terry, organizer of the expo and manager in the Office of Veterans and Military Families. “When our veterans transition out of the military, they have developed many skills such as discipline and flexibility that make them perfect candidates to become entrepreneurs.”
Topaz Navarro, a 26-year U.S. Army veteran, and owner of Escape Velocity Academy, is planning to attend the expo. The academy uses aerial drones and competitive gameplay to introduce the concepts of aerospace and aviation, coding and programming to kids, particularly the children of veterans.
Through his business, Navarro focuses on providing young adults with easier access to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction, and uses drones to spread interest. One program uses drones to play an actual full-contact soccer game, teaching teamwork, communication and cooperation, according to Navarro.
“They can quickly find a new community, and it kind of reinforces that sports and science aren’t mutually exclusive,” Navarro said. “We have a competitive gameplay aspect of our program.”
Xavier Bruce, a 20-year Air Force veteran and owner of Uplift Financial Consulting, saidhe started his business in 2018 with the goal of providing financial consulting services to the Black military community. He decided the “growth mindset” of Howard County was perfect for his business.
“I’m able to be myself and be authentic,” Bruce said. “It’s diversity in the greatest sense that I’m seeing here in Howard County and that’s why I’m loving living and working here.”
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Brian Preuss, owner of Green Home Solutions, Central Maryland, joined the company as a franchise owner in 2020 after a 22-year military career. He said the expo is a great way to meet other veterans who are going through the “transition period.”
“The military mantra is always to learn from your mistakes and teach others, so that’s kind of what I’ve continued to do with not only my employees but my customers,” Preuss said.
The expo is a part of Howard County’s Business Appreciation Week and National Veteran’s Small Business Appreciation Week.
“The best way to support a veteran is to patronize their establishment,” Navarro said. “Our network is our net worth.”
For more information about the expo, go to https://bit.ly/VeteranSmallBizExpo.
