veteran. advocate. entreprenuer. leader
About Keith King
Keith k. king
Military History
Keith King enlisted in the U.S Army in 1969 and after completing the Military Police Advance training he was sent directly to Vietnam. He served with the 18th Brigade (218th and 630th MP companies) and was a specialist E-4 when honorably discharged. Keith was based in the Central Highlands of Vietnam mostly in Nha Trang and Cam Ranh Bay but in 1970, Keith King was a 19-year-old M-60 machine gunner with the U.S. Army’s military police protecting supply convoys running ammunition along the dangerous routes to American troops fighting in South Vietnam’s war-torn Central Highlands.
His awards include The Vietnam Campaign ribbon with a device (M-60 machine gun), Vietnam Service Medal (with 2 bronze campaign stars), Good Conduct Medal, and National Defense Medal.
Keith has completed the US Army accessions command (USAAC) institutional review board (IRB) protocol for human research behavioral and social sciences and is a certified principal investigator.
He has received notice that his second IRB-sanctioned study protocols have been approved by the USAAC and the VA Ann Arbor IRB. Keith has earned a VA Privacy and information security certificate and has a Veterans Affair: NACI/OPM security clearance.
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Keith King is the President and CEO of Keith King & Associates and has 40 years of experience in advertising and public relations.
Keith King & Associates is a full service advertising and public relations agency located in Detroit, Michigan. Keith King & Associates has a reputation of applying science to the art of advertising.
The company creates totally integrated marketing campaigns for services and products.
As a GSA contract holder and a (formally) verified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) by the VA, he has over 14 years of experience in Federal contracting.
The GSA has reviewed all completed projects awarded to Keith King & Associates and issued their Administrative Report Card July 17, 2012, that rated Keith King & Associates as “EXCEPTIONAL” for their performance under both GSA contracts. Keith King & Associates GSA contracts have been extended until August 2019.
NVBDC – 2012
National Veteran Business Development Council
In late 2012 and after years of successfully completing Federal and State contracts, Mr. King was disappointed in the fact that he had not been awarded any contracts with corporations. Knowing that under Federal law if a corporation had a contract with the Federal government that they could be required to submit a sub-contracting plan that included Minority, Women and Veteran owned businesses, he wanted to know why in most cases Veteran owned businesses were not being included.
Mr. King was advised to contact the supplier diversity managers at the corporations to find the answer to his concerns. Being in Michigan, he reached out to the “Detroit 3” (GM, Ford, Chrysler) and Kellogg’s each of whom had a long successful history of supplier diversity programs. Their answer was direct and simple – they would not contract with Veteran owned businesses until “you veterans create a certification program that meets our corporate standards”. Not knowing what that really meant,Mr. King was directed to the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) and the Great Lakes Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Both organizations were willing to teach Mr. King and his team their certification methods.
As 2013 began, Mr. King made the decision to suspend operations of his company, Keith King and Associates, and focus on the development of a certification program for veteran owned businesses. He also began to recruit his Officers: Brigadier General (ret) Richard Miller, Richard White, Joe Sternburg and Guido Capaldi were the first to join him. Being good military men, they immediately began to write the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) based on what they were learning from the Women and Minority groups.
They filed with the IRS to apply for their 501(c)3 non-profit status. The business plan was written. By-laws were created. A lawyer was hired. They secured their business name and website address. The National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) was taking shape. The search then began to find veteran business owners who would be willing to submit their documentation to the NVBDC to become certified at stringent, corporate best practice standards.
NVBDC is Born – Changing How American Businesses Perceive Veteran Owned Companies
Learn More about the National Veteran Business Development Council
The National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 that provides certification to Service-Disabled and Veteran-Owned Businesses (SD/VOBs) in the United States. The NVBDC’s mission is to support and promote SD/VOBs by providing them with resources and opportunities to grow and succeed in the marketplace, while also assisting corporations with meeting their supplier diversity goals.
if you are a veteran business owner, click below to learn more about NVBDC