MILWAUKEE — Today, the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce (WVCC) announced they have
been awarded a $100,000 grant from WBD, the state’s largest SBA Certified Development Company.
This grant will go toward VetWork Wisconsin, a new workforce development initiative coordinated by the
WVCC, designed to directly address the workforce needs of Wisconsin’s employers. VetWork Wisconsin
will connect the military community—service members, veterans, and their families— with Wisconsin
employers to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce.
“Expanding outreach and services to the military-affiliated population presents a unique solution to
Wisconsin’s lack of available talent while addressing the employment needs of a population significantly
impacted by the pandemic,” said WVCC President/CEO Saul Newton. “With this grant, we can
strategically engage with service members as they make post-service transition plans and establish a
centralized platform to find employment opportunities while providing direct assistance to employers
seeking military-affiliated job seekers.”
VetWork Wisconsin is an innovative workforce development program designed to directly address the
workforce needs of Wisconsin’s employers. VetWork Wisconsin is an extension of the Expiration Term of
Service-Sponsorship Program (ETS-SP), a national program established in partnership with the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs to sponsor service members through the transition process from military to
civilian life.
The VetWork Wisconsin program will leverage the WVCC’s existing partnership with ETS-SP to build a
new talent pipeline of transitioning service members and their families, selecting Wisconsin as their new
home. In addition, the VetWork Wisconsin program will utilize a demand-focused approach by directly
engaging employers and focusing program resources to provide them with high-touch assistance and
support the development of effective, efficient military talent initiatives.
“WBD is very excited to partner with the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber to help build the nation’s best
veteran job board aimed at making it easy for veterans to connect to great job opportunities when they
leave the service,” said WBD President /CEO Dan Schneider. “This is a win-win project for all involved!”
WBD is a nonprofit company that helps businesses access long-term, fixed-rate commercial financing
with less money down. Partnering with a local bank on every project, WBD provides financing to hundreds
of businesses each year across Wisconsin and 14 counties in Minnesota (largely the Twin Cities metro
area and Duluth). With a portfolio of nearly $1 Billion, WBD is able to reinvest in other economic
development activities each year. In 2022 WBD’s investments in these activities was nearly $400,000.
