Have you ever used charismatic, informative, genuine, or dependable to describe someone? When describing our leader, Keith King, Founder and CEO of National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC), I have. Keith deserves every bit of these to describe his personality and his passion for helping veteran businesses. Please don’t take my word for it; in a recent interview with Andy Jacob, CEO, DotCom Magazine, Keith tells the story of how NVBDC became the leading certification authority for Service-Disabled and Veteran-Owned Businesses.
The story starts with Keith talking about how he started his first company in 1984 and fast forwards to discuss veteran legislation and veteran activities. In 1997, he helped pass a law with his business associates to declare veteran-owned businesses as legal entities in the federal contracting world; The law was passed in 1999. Keith was then specifically asked to work in the federal space to help his fellow veteran business owners win federal contracts. Of course, it’s not as simple as that because the main complaint was these government agencies were still not finding veteran businesses which was a set-up for Keith to say, “Looking for Vets in all the wrong places.” What happened next was the door opened to talk to the major corporations in his hometown, Detroit; Keith specifically mentions Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, to name a few companies. The discovery was impactful because the corporations’ responded that they needed the veteran companies to be certified; they did not accept or want federal involvement with certification.
Until someone would create a formalized certification for the corporations, they were not going to risk their reputation without the proof of veteran ownership. Another door opened, Keith took the recommendation to talk “certification” with the National Minority SDC and Women Business Council (WBENC). Taking Keith under their wing, they wanted to help him create a veteran business certification. Keith asked Brigadier General (ret) Dick Miller to join him and learn about certification. They created National Veteran Business Development Council, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization from what they learned. The way Keith portrays this story in the interview is a testament to his motto, Vets Helping Vets, and shines with his personality to truly understand how NVBDC became the leading authority on veteran certification.
“As Keith King said, “he hires from the heart,” this story tells it all and why I am proud to help our Service-Disabled and Veteran-Owned Businesses and be a part of the nation’s leading authority on veteran certification on the team at NVBDC,” said Gretchen Zito, Director of Marketing, NVBDC.
Keith continues to talk with Andy about the value of certification, NVBDC Corporations, and NVBDC’s team. This interview tells it all, veterans can learn how to get certified, and Corporations can learn why NVBDC is the trusted source. However, the key in this interview is the holistic discussion of why NVBDC is the authority and how Keith and General Miller circulate their passion throughout the organization to uphold our mission of helping veterans.
I sincerely recommend that you watch this interview to hear the story from the beginning that provides heartfelt advice for our veteran business owners, explanations to corporations on why NVBDC is the trusted source, and truly see the NVBDC journey from our Founder and CEO, Keith King.