WEBVTT 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:08.980 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:15.140 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. Good 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:18.600 day. I'm Jim Fossone. I'm the Officer of the 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:20.699 Deck today here on Veterans Radio and thanks 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.460 for joining us. We've got some interesting stories 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:25.640 for you. We always want to remind you, you can 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.739 find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.420 site or at the web, veteransradio .org, where 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.259 we're on the web 24 -7. You can find a lot of 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:38.299 our podcasts there as well. We post new ones 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.479 every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.219 new interview, something you didn't know before 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:49.219 by going to veteransradio .org. And before we 00:00:49.219 --> 00:00:52.259 get started, we want to thank our sponsors. First 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:55.259 up, we want to thank National Veteran Business 00:00:55.259 --> 00:01:01.039 Development Council, nvbdc .org. It was established 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:04.379 to certify both service disabled and veteran 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:06.659 owned businesses. You'll find out how they can 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:12.319 help your business by going to nvbdc .org. We 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:15.840 want to thank Legal Help for Veterans. Legal 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.939 Help for Veterans fights for veterans disability 00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:22.040 rights all across the nation. You can reach them 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:30.500 at 800 -693 -4800 or on the web at legalhelpforveterans 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:36.180 .com. And finally, PuroClean. PuroClean is the 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:38.760 paramedics of property damage. It provides water 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:42.019 damage remediation, flood water removal, fire 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:45.840 and smoke damage remediation, mold removal, biohazard 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:50.879 cleanup. It also has a focus on veteran franchisees. 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:54.359 You can learn more about them by going to PuroClean 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:59.920 .com. Welcome, I am Jim Fossone and this is Veteran 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:03.879 Radio's spotlight on National Veteran Business 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:08.340 Development Council, better known as NVBDC. which 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:11.360 is a non -profit. It's the nation's leading third 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:13.539 party authority for certification of veteran 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:16.800 owned businesses, really of all sizes. It was 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:20.439 established in 2013. It addresses the growing 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:23.020 need to identify and certify both service disabled 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:27.099 and veteran owned businesses for use in the... 00:02:27.129 --> 00:02:29.650 commercial or corporate marketplace as well as 00:02:29.650 --> 00:02:33.189 the government contracting. NVBDC administers 00:02:33.189 --> 00:02:36.189 a rigorous certification process designed to 00:02:36.189 --> 00:02:38.349 withstand the scrutiny of governmental and corporate 00:02:38.349 --> 00:02:41.770 entities seeking to utilize certified veteran 00:02:41.770 --> 00:02:44.729 -owned businesses. And we want to welcome to 00:02:44.729 --> 00:02:47.810 Veterans Radio Douglas Heath. He's the president 00:02:47.810 --> 00:02:53.550 of Bravia Services who is veteran owned and we're 00:02:53.550 --> 00:02:55.990 going to talk a little bit about him, the business 00:02:55.990 --> 00:02:59.110 and the certification. Doug, welcome to Veterans 00:02:59.110 --> 00:03:02.310 Radio. Hi, thanks. Thanks for having me. I appreciate 00:03:02.310 --> 00:03:05.969 it. Well, we always like talking to business 00:03:05.969 --> 00:03:12.870 owners who have continued to advance their professional 00:03:12.870 --> 00:03:19.250 goals. Bravia is designed, if you will, to support 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:25.349 a variety of pathways because you're in the recruiting 00:03:25.349 --> 00:03:27.650 and staffing business. Tell us a little bit about 00:03:27.650 --> 00:03:31.509 Bravia. Yeah. So, you know, I always say it's 00:03:31.509 --> 00:03:33.830 important for me when I talk about Bravia services, 00:03:33.909 --> 00:03:37.949 they also talk about why I started it. So I was 00:03:37.949 --> 00:03:40.669 a partner in a company and, but I had a long, 00:03:40.930 --> 00:03:43.490 a different company and along the ways, even 00:03:43.490 --> 00:03:45.830 then I was volunteering and helping veterans. 00:03:46.189 --> 00:03:50.050 I actually won the 2017 Patriot Award and the 00:03:50.050 --> 00:03:54.229 2019 Above and Beyond Award from ESGR. That stands 00:03:54.229 --> 00:03:57.689 for Employer Supports for Garden Reserves. And 00:03:57.689 --> 00:04:00.449 it was something that, you know, I got a lot 00:04:00.449 --> 00:04:04.289 of value out of personally. And I decided with 00:04:04.289 --> 00:04:08.069 my wife's support to sell my equity in that business 00:04:08.069 --> 00:04:11.150 and start Bravia Services really just to help 00:04:11.150 --> 00:04:14.819 veterans. guys and girls coming off of either 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:17.439 active duty or deployment, help them find jobs. 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:20.959 And initially I was gonna set it up as a not 00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:22.839 -for -profit, but you can't get certified as 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:27.420 a not -for -profit. So we are a certified company. 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:32.160 through the NDBDC and the SBA and we have three 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:34.420 verticals to our company or three pillars like 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:37.660 we say. You mentioned staffing consulting services 00:04:37.660 --> 00:04:39.680 and that was really my background. I'm an engineer 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:42.019 and I worked as an engineer first and then I 00:04:42.019 --> 00:04:43.899 got into consulting and I did consulting for 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:47.779 about 25 years. But a lot of veterans come out 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:50.699 and you know as a veteran you're used to working 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:52.959 with your hands, maybe a little bit more. And, 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:54.819 you know, I found that there was a lot of roles 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:57.540 in kind of construction field. So I actually 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:00.420 acquired two small construction companies to 00:05:00.420 --> 00:05:02.399 form our second pillar. So our first pillar is 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:05.180 that staffing consulting our second pillar, which 00:05:05.180 --> 00:05:07.939 is construction. And again, keep in mind that 00:05:07.939 --> 00:05:09.879 our goal is to help veterans, service disabled 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:12.199 veterans, their families and disabled people 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:16.279 find jobs. And then along the way, I had clients 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:18.560 because of my background in consulting and whatnot. 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:21.350 And my background was really supporting Fortune 00:05:21.350 --> 00:05:24.670 500 companies. I had negotiated a lot of contracts. 00:05:25.670 --> 00:05:27.269 I had people reach out to me and said, hey, can 00:05:27.269 --> 00:05:30.290 you just help me negotiate this contract or what 00:05:30.290 --> 00:05:32.350 would you do here? And I was just doing it as 00:05:32.350 --> 00:05:34.649 favors to people. And some of my clients said, 00:05:34.670 --> 00:05:36.189 hey, I don't want you to do this as a favor. 00:05:36.670 --> 00:05:40.350 I want to pay you. I want to make it worth your 00:05:40.350 --> 00:05:43.569 time. And so it kind of just grew organically. 00:05:43.610 --> 00:05:46.279 And it's our third pillar, what we call. procurement 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.759 services where we help people source either hard 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:53.019 to find parts or a lot of it is safety products. 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:55.860 And a lot of the safety products, honestly, on 00:05:55.860 --> 00:05:57.980 construction sites and manufacturing facilities 00:05:57.980 --> 00:06:00.459 and stuff like that. But it's also our software. 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:02.899 I mean, we're actually sourcing a lot of software 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:05.500 for different states and stuff like that. So 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:08.500 our three pillars are really consulting and staff 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:11.240 and construction and engineering services and 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:13.639 then procurement services. Now, what year did 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:19.199 you start? Bravia services? We started in 2023, 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:23.199 so we're three years old basically. And at what 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:26.399 point, Doug, I mean you had obviously had this, 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:28.699 hey I want to help veterans, there's an underserved 00:06:28.699 --> 00:06:31.500 niche, I can relate to these guys because of 00:06:31.500 --> 00:06:34.379 my time in the Ohio Air National Guard, and we're 00:06:34.379 --> 00:06:35.879 going to talk about that a little bit later. 00:06:36.779 --> 00:06:39.600 But at what point did you say, I really need 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.920 to be a certified veteran -owned business? That's 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:49.980 a great question. Pretty early on, having worked 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:53.839 as a consultant, like I said, for 25, 30 years 00:06:53.839 --> 00:06:56.540 and working with a lot of Fortune 500 companies, 00:06:57.139 --> 00:06:59.600 they're all busy, right? Everybody's busy. Nobody 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:06.060 has time. And what the NVBDC does for corporate 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:08.300 America, for companies in general, is it gives 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:11.000 them an easy button, right? They know if you're 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:15.889 certified, that you're legit. The NVBDC goes 00:07:15.889 --> 00:07:18.850 through a pretty rigorous process to make sure 00:07:18.850 --> 00:07:23.750 that you're real. The Department of Defense has 00:07:23.750 --> 00:07:27.589 a definition of a veteran and the NVBDC follows 00:07:27.589 --> 00:07:30.670 it to the letter. Companies know that if you 00:07:30.670 --> 00:07:32.649 carry that certification that they are working 00:07:32.649 --> 00:07:36.350 for a veteran -owned business, not just the front. 00:07:36.610 --> 00:07:38.370 They know that you're certified, you're running 00:07:38.370 --> 00:07:39.889 the business, you're active in the business, 00:07:39.930 --> 00:07:42.439 you have control of the business. So I recognized 00:07:42.439 --> 00:07:45.300 pretty early on that this would really be an 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:48.740 important thing for me to get. And it is a rigorous 00:07:48.740 --> 00:07:52.240 process. There's some time, resources, cost associated 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:59.040 with it. From your viewpoint, has it been worth 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:01.319 the effort that you had to put into it to get 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:05.500 to the certification level? 100%. No, I wouldn't 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:08.519 even hesitate to say yes. One, the people at 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:11.730 the MVVC are great. uh every single one of them 00:08:11.730 --> 00:08:14.990 um and you know i've been fortunate to be on 00:08:14.990 --> 00:08:19.329 panels with them and talk to them um they they 00:08:19.329 --> 00:08:21.629 make it about as easy as you can it's not easy 00:08:21.629 --> 00:08:24.350 uh and i'll be the first one that paperwork is 00:08:24.350 --> 00:08:28.649 not really one of my strengths but um you know 00:08:28.649 --> 00:08:31.410 they they uh they they make it about as easy 00:08:31.410 --> 00:08:33.610 as you can while also holding you accountable 00:08:33.610 --> 00:08:37.509 um but i i will tell you like i said you know 00:08:37.509 --> 00:08:41.320 um Some companies more than others, but a lot 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:42.759 of companies want to work with veteran -owned 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:46.139 businesses for a variety of reasons. And if you 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:47.899 have the certification, they know that they're 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:49.799 working with a veteran -owned business that's 00:08:49.799 --> 00:08:52.919 controlled by the veteran and run by the veteran. 00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:54.919 As you said, that's kind of the easy button. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:56.580 That's really interesting and it's a great way 00:08:56.580 --> 00:08:59.799 to phrase it. Yeah, that's the phrase I've kind 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:03.080 of used that now, the easy button. I like to 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:04.940 be, you know, we're an easy button, not just 00:09:04.940 --> 00:09:06.220 the fact that we're certified, but you got to 00:09:06.220 --> 00:09:09.039 be easy to work with, too. Yeah. Right. So so 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:11.940 and the MVBDC is great. Well, they really are 00:09:11.940 --> 00:09:16.059 great. Let me back up a little bit because I 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:19.440 mentioned it, but we haven't talked about it. 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:23.399 Talk. You were a member of the Ohio Air National 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:27.840 Guard for six years and an IRR for a couple of 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:31.039 years. How did a nice kid like you end up in 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:33.779 the Ohio Air National Guard? Tell us about what 00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:37.200 you did there. That's a funny question because 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:40.720 I actually come from a family of military. My 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:44.100 dad was Army. I'm the youngest of six kids. My 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:45.899 sister is the oldest and I had five brothers. 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.759 And three of my brothers were all in the Army 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:53.220 National Guard. And I'm the youngest. So I like 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:55.299 to say, and I joined the Air Force right there 00:09:55.299 --> 00:09:57.019 in National Guard. I like to say we got smarter 00:09:57.019 --> 00:10:01.659 as we got younger. And your brothers probably 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:05.940 agree with you. But all joking aside, the truth 00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:08.700 is, you know, my parents, being the youngest 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:10.559 of six kids, you know, they could get us through 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:12.240 high school. And if we wanted to go to college, 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:15.299 you know, we had to pay for it ourselves. And, 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:16.960 you know, I tried to go to college. That's the 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:20.799 truth. And I dropped out. And, you know, it's 00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:22.919 funny because my kids sometimes say, Dan, why 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:24.659 do you tell people you dropped out of college? 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:27.559 And I say, well, I did, you know, and. Well, 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:29.740 you know, that's one of those things where it's 00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:32.120 really important to pass lessons along, right? 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:34.580 Just because you went through that phase where 00:10:34.580 --> 00:10:38.259 college wasn't the thing at that time. Yeah, 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:42.120 you found a way back to it, became a practicing 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:46.120 engineer now running this successful business. 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:51.070 So. So you went into the guard a little bit to 00:10:51.070 --> 00:10:53.690 get, I suspect to get some dollars for education. 00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:56.690 Exactly. So, and I, I, so I dropped out of college, 00:10:56.750 --> 00:10:58.549 joined the NAS, I was, I was working at the fish 00:10:58.549 --> 00:11:01.429 department for a pet store. Uh, and I said, nothing 00:11:01.429 --> 00:11:02.909 wrong with that, but I didn't want that to be 00:11:02.909 --> 00:11:05.909 my career. And, um, I joined the national guard 00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:08.870 really to help me pay for college. Um, and you 00:11:08.870 --> 00:11:11.169 know, I like to say people join the military 00:11:11.169 --> 00:11:13.350 for a lot of reasons. Some people that's their 00:11:13.350 --> 00:11:15.549 calling and they do it right away. Like I said, 00:11:15.669 --> 00:11:17.750 I did it to help me get through college. But 00:11:17.750 --> 00:11:20.529 once you're in there, you realize there's more 00:11:20.529 --> 00:11:24.370 to it. There's camaraderie. There's your peers, 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:26.409 your friends, the people you meet in there, and 00:11:26.409 --> 00:11:28.669 the calling. And you realize there's a lot more 00:11:28.669 --> 00:11:32.309 to it than why you enlist sometimes. So, um, 00:11:32.610 --> 00:11:34.649 you know, the same recruiter that recruited all 00:11:34.649 --> 00:11:37.149 my brothers to the army was, was recruiting me. 00:11:37.450 --> 00:11:41.029 And at the last minute I changed my mind and, 00:11:41.029 --> 00:11:43.029 uh, it was funny cause he said to my dad, he 00:11:43.029 --> 00:11:45.269 said, tell your son to sign the contract and 00:11:45.269 --> 00:11:47.250 you know, we can celebrate. My dad said, well, 00:11:47.309 --> 00:11:49.289 this is his decision. And you got to understand 00:11:49.289 --> 00:11:51.429 I'm the youngest of four boys and that was the 00:11:51.429 --> 00:11:52.950 last thing he should have said to me. Cause this 00:11:52.950 --> 00:11:54.830 last thing I want to do is walk in their footsteps 00:11:54.830 --> 00:11:58.080 anymore. So I threw the pen down on the contract 00:11:58.080 --> 00:11:59.679 and called the Air Force and signed up without 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:02.779 reading the job description. So it was kind of 00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:06.159 a funny story. There often is a little twist 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:10.779 in how one gets into the military. I've had all 00:12:10.779 --> 00:12:12.759 kinds of stories, including mothers who have 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:15.179 called recruiters and said, you come get my kid 00:12:15.179 --> 00:12:18.940 because he needs this. You know, you know what? 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:22.860 I needed it too. In hindsight, it was probably 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:25.610 one of the best things I ever did. because it 00:12:25.610 --> 00:12:28.990 really got me separation from the life I was 00:12:28.990 --> 00:12:32.450 living. And it gave me, I spent a year on active 00:12:32.450 --> 00:12:34.990 duty and then I got deployed a couple of times. 00:12:35.029 --> 00:12:37.830 I did get deployed to the Middle East during 00:12:37.830 --> 00:12:40.830 the first Gulf War, but that separation, that 00:12:40.830 --> 00:12:43.350 time to really focus and say, hey, what do I 00:12:43.350 --> 00:12:45.370 really wanna do and kind of get my act together? 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:49.049 So I was, I can tell you for certain, I was a 00:12:49.049 --> 00:12:51.379 different person and a different student. Having 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:53.220 spent that time on active duty and coming back, 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:56.379 I was on a mission then. And then it helped. 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:59.720 I used the GI bill to pay for my college. And 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:04.659 by that point in time, because I went to college, 00:13:04.740 --> 00:13:06.179 and then I dropped out and I worked for about 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:08.600 a year. And then I was in active duty for a year 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:11.259 and whatnot. I was two, three, four years older 00:13:11.259 --> 00:13:13.620 than a lot of my peers in college. So I was a 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:16.679 little older than them. But I was a different 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:19.679 student. I was focused. So it really helped me 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:22.679 a lot. So I would recommend it. My dad, you know, 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:24.100 like I said, I had three brothers and my dad 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:26.320 was Army. So, you know, it was kind of something 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:29.120 I had in the back of my mind anyway. Yeah. But 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:32.500 it really helped me. So talk to us a little bit 00:13:32.500 --> 00:13:35.639 about because I think this is interesting from 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:40.379 a business owner's perspective. What you learn 00:13:40.379 --> 00:13:43.179 in the service that you still apply today and 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:47.440 why do you look at employing and helping veterans 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:53.799 find jobs today? Yeah. You know, I guess it was 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:55.840 kind of already there, but maybe reinforced that 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:58.759 you get up and go to work every day. You know, 00:13:59.080 --> 00:14:01.620 whether you're tired, whether you're, you know, 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:04.139 you got work to do, you get up and you do it, 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:06.820 right? And you support each other. I'm big into 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:09.759 teamwork. You know, and you kind of learn all 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:12.059 that in the military. You know, you don't get 00:14:12.059 --> 00:14:14.240 any accomplished alone. You're not going to build 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:18.309 a business alone. And I think that really helped. 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:21.590 And you know, that drive, that focus, that commitment, 00:14:22.049 --> 00:14:23.590 you know, you kind of, you know, I hit a spot 00:14:23.590 --> 00:14:26.870 was tough and then I got direction and I realized, 00:14:26.990 --> 00:14:28.549 hey, you know, if I really put my mind to something, 00:14:28.590 --> 00:14:31.649 I really get up and go to work every day and 00:14:31.649 --> 00:14:33.289 get a little bit better every day. You know, 00:14:33.289 --> 00:14:35.789 we can accomplish a lot. One of the things you 00:14:35.789 --> 00:14:38.750 quietly get in the service because you get a 00:14:38.750 --> 00:14:42.809 lot of responsibility for a young person is confidence. 00:14:43.990 --> 00:14:46.500 Yeah. where you think there's no way I can do 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:49.580 this. And then you look back and say, Hey, my 00:14:49.580 --> 00:14:52.100 team and I, we got this done. Well, and even 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:53.860 basic training, you know, the first couple of 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:55.759 weeks in basic training, what did I get myself 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:59.600 into? I should have joined the army. And then 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:01.080 you come out and you're like, Hey, you know what? 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:04.179 I got through that, you know, and, and, and then, 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:05.620 you know, you get deployed and you say, Hey, 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:07.379 you know what? I got through that. So there's 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:10.379 definitely that confidence, um, and the support 00:15:10.379 --> 00:15:12.860 of your friends and the support you give them 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:15.059 and the support of the mission. you know, all 00:15:15.059 --> 00:15:17.539 of that stuff, you know, kind of gets rooted 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:20.759 in your gut a little bit. And, you know, it gives 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:23.259 you that, hey, I know I can do this. I just got 00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:25.740 to go do it, you know? Yeah, some of that is 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:28.159 you look back and say, well, this doesn't suck 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:30.740 as much as that last thing I did when I was in 00:15:30.740 --> 00:15:34.059 service. And that's an important, that's kind 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:36.440 of the part of that confidence and keeping going. 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:39.519 I want to come back, though, to tell us a little 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:43.019 bit more about Bravia services. the staffing 00:15:43.019 --> 00:15:50.320 consulting silo, if you will, and again, why 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:54.899 is it important to focus in on veterans in this 00:15:54.899 --> 00:15:59.720 area? Well, one, first of all, you know, the 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:02.080 staffing, I did that for a long time, so I know 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:05.240 the industry. And what I was doing when I was 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:09.299 volunteering with ESGR was I was helping guys 00:16:09.299 --> 00:16:11.179 and girls that were coming off active duty. Some 00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:14.580 of them had never written a resume. I like to 00:16:14.580 --> 00:16:17.580 tell a story that I met a guy, he is married, 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:19.679 had a wife, two kids, and he was working at a 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:21.639 gas station. He was a network engineer in the 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:25.139 Navy with a secret security clearance. And I 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:27.000 met him. I said, why are you working at a gas 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.059 station? You know, and he said, well, I can't 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:30.980 get a job. And I said, what do you mean you can't 00:16:30.980 --> 00:16:32.720 get a job? You're a network engineer with a top 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:36.259 secret security. Yeah, that's crazy. And he had 00:16:36.259 --> 00:16:37.639 never written. So I helped him write a resolution. 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:39.200 I said, dude, I can get you a job in two weeks. 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:42.659 This is crazy. And, you know, you know, two, 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:44.559 three weeks later, he got an interview and he 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:46.659 got a job between one of the big government contractors, 00:16:46.740 --> 00:16:48.919 but he was making, you know, 80 grand a year 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:50.440 with full health insurance. And he said, man, 00:16:50.460 --> 00:16:53.139 this changed my life. This is amazing. I can't 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:56.450 believe this. And, you know, I like that a lot. 00:16:56.549 --> 00:16:58.029 Like I was like, this is something I want to 00:16:58.029 --> 00:17:00.370 do. That's the motivator, isn't it? That's I 00:17:00.370 --> 00:17:02.389 mean, a lot of people think all business owners 00:17:02.389 --> 00:17:04.609 are just in it for the money, but you're really 00:17:04.609 --> 00:17:08.390 in it for that that adrenaline shot you got when 00:17:08.390 --> 00:17:10.970 the guy says to you, I got the job and it's changed 00:17:10.970 --> 00:17:13.109 my life. Yeah. You know, he didn't even work 00:17:13.109 --> 00:17:15.910 for me. You know, we do staffing. So, you know, 00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:17.769 we hire people, we put them out at customer sites. 00:17:17.809 --> 00:17:20.390 This is why I just try and help people find jobs. 00:17:20.450 --> 00:17:23.180 And I really believe in karma. What comes around 00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:26.099 goes around, you know. I just got him a job. 00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:28.319 I said, man, there's no way. You just got nowhere. 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:30.720 Let's put a resume together. Let's get. So, you 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:34.339 know, if you look at what we do, all of them 00:17:34.339 --> 00:17:36.380 involve people, right? Staffing, consulting, 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:38.559 construction, and procurement. They're all involved 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:42.559 people working. And I know I can help them all 00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:45.599 find jobs, good jobs. And I like that a lot. 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:48.140 So, you know, I say if we focus on the mission, 00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:50.279 which is that's our mission. And I always say 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:52.519 to, you know, I'd be remiss if I didn't say this 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:54.460 again. You know, a lot of times the military 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:57.220 families pay the price too. So that's why I throw 00:17:57.220 --> 00:17:59.220 them in like military brats. If you look at the 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:02.000 leadership team of Braavius Services, they're 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:05.200 all military, military brats, you know, and a 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:07.859 lot of the folks we hire, they all are. And so, 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:10.880 you know, and I think that you find that They 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:13.180 kind of like it too. So everybody's kind of got 00:18:13.180 --> 00:18:15.519 a little bit oomph, if you will. They get after 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:17.380 a little harder because, you know, that's part 00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:19.759 of our mission, you know. Well, and we're talking 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:23.680 to Doug Heath, who's president of Bravia Services, 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:27.380 and you can find more about Bravia Services by 00:18:27.380 --> 00:18:32.779 going to braviaservices .com. B -R -A -V -I -A 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:36.799 services .com. Doug, you mentioned earlier you 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:40.529 got three daughters. I do. If they came to you 00:18:40.529 --> 00:18:44.309 and said, Dad, I'm going to follow the family 00:18:44.309 --> 00:18:46.569 path and go into the military, what's mom and 00:18:46.569 --> 00:18:50.309 dad going to say? I would tell them to do it. 00:18:50.930 --> 00:18:57.009 My wife might not. But like I said, it helped 00:18:57.009 --> 00:19:00.410 me a ton. Um, no, I don't think my kids need 00:19:00.410 --> 00:19:03.789 to help quite as much as I did. Maybe that's 00:19:03.789 --> 00:19:07.190 just me, you know, we're not drawing any conclusions 00:19:07.190 --> 00:19:10.750 between boys and girls here. No, I don't mean 00:19:10.750 --> 00:19:13.470 boys and girls. I mean, because I needed probably 00:19:13.470 --> 00:19:16.069 that break in that focus. My kids are a little 00:19:16.069 --> 00:19:17.930 more focused and probably a little better students 00:19:17.930 --> 00:19:20.410 and a little more driven than I was coming out 00:19:20.410 --> 00:19:23.329 of high school. Um, but you know, I, I don't 00:19:23.329 --> 00:19:27.950 know how I could say no to anybody because it's, 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:31.180 helped me so much, right? It really set that 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:33.619 foundation for me. Like I said, I dropped out 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:35.859 of college. I spent a year working at a pet store. 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:39.660 And I said, hey, and then when I went into the 00:19:39.660 --> 00:19:42.680 military and got that foundation and got that 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:45.279 kind of base to grow from, if you look at my 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:47.440 life and kind of where it's gone, it was a pivotal 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:50.599 point. So I don't know how I wouldn't be. It 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:52.940 would be remiss for me to say otherwise, you 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:55.059 know what I mean? I would never discourage anybody. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:57.740 Matter of fact, I've encouraged a lot of my friends 00:19:57.740 --> 00:20:00.420 because, you know, I've been in the employment 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:03.599 world, let's say for the last 25, 30 years, and 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:05.619 I get a lot of people asking me, hey, what do 00:20:05.619 --> 00:20:07.200 you think my son should do? This, that, the other 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:09.440 thing. I tell them all if they're not, if they're 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:12.119 unsure. Military and the National Guard and the 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:15.140 Reserves are a great place to go. You get great 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:18.039 experiences. You get some benefits like the GI 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:20.920 Bill. You meet all kinds of people and learn 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:23.180 how to work with all kinds of people. Yeah, there's 00:20:23.180 --> 00:20:25.859 a lot of advantages. I want to back you up, though, 00:20:25.940 --> 00:20:30.839 to one of the columns of BRAVIA services on construction, 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:33.660 because it's sort of interesting. You said, I 00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:36.440 bought a couple of small construction companies 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:39.000 to fold in here, and I started putting people 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:41.940 to work in the construction field. Expand on 00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:45.920 that a little bit. Yeah, so, you know, I'm from 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.369 Cincinnati. I went to the University of Cincinnati 00:20:48.369 --> 00:20:51.130 as an engineer, but I've lived in Indiana now, 00:20:51.349 --> 00:20:55.650 Indianapolis for the last 26 years. So I acquired 00:20:55.650 --> 00:20:58.210 a small business out of Cincinnati and one here 00:20:58.210 --> 00:21:00.289 in Indianapolis. So we have an office in both 00:21:00.289 --> 00:21:03.410 places. The one in Cincinnati is more engineering 00:21:03.410 --> 00:21:08.329 focused and we have some unique services there. 00:21:08.509 --> 00:21:11.769 We are the only UL certified, which is lightning 00:21:11.769 --> 00:21:15.599 protection certified company. in Indiana so and 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:18.200 that's becoming really a big deal because you 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:21.000 know federal buildings and you know all every 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:23.420 company it's not the building anymore it's what's 00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:24.900 inside the building that clients are worried 00:21:24.900 --> 00:21:27.700 about and I was very fortunate when I acquired 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:29.759 the company I didn't didn't realize the value 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:31.819 that but it's really something that's differentiating 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:35.779 us because you know clients need that certification. 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:40.140 And then the one here in Indiana, we're more 00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:42.259 like owners reps, general contractors. We've 00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:44.660 got a big safety, we call it safety as a service. 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:47.960 So we've got about 25 safety resources that are 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:52.819 on sites at different customers, providing safety 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:55.539 across the board. We do training, we do consulting, 00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:58.279 we do auditing. And then we have safety resources 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:00.799 just out there managing the safety practices 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:04.609 of our customers. And the person who runs that 00:22:04.609 --> 00:22:07.089 whole program for me is an ex -Marine. So I guess 00:22:07.089 --> 00:22:08.789 once a Marine, always a Marine. So he is a Marine. 00:22:08.789 --> 00:22:12.829 Yeah, there you go. And I think that helps, because 00:22:12.829 --> 00:22:15.809 he runs it like a Marine. So it's very well run. 00:22:16.950 --> 00:22:19.029 And I think all that kind of rolls up together. 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:22.529 And we train a lot of people. We've hired five 00:22:22.529 --> 00:22:24.390 people that had zero safety experience. And we 00:22:24.390 --> 00:22:25.990 trained them. And they're working for us now. 00:22:25.990 --> 00:22:28.650 So it's great. I love that. Well, again, there's 00:22:28.650 --> 00:22:32.630 a lot of value in being a business owner. You 00:22:32.630 --> 00:22:34.890 get a lot of satisfaction beyond the dollars, 00:22:35.289 --> 00:22:37.589 as you say, helping people get jobs, training 00:22:37.589 --> 00:22:39.730 them up for jobs that they didn't know they could 00:22:39.730 --> 00:22:44.910 do, working with the team. Let's go back. It 00:22:44.910 --> 00:22:48.049 sounds like you've been able to use the veteran 00:22:48.049 --> 00:22:54.049 certification from NVBDC a little bit with both 00:22:54.049 --> 00:22:57.089 staffing and consulting and construction where 00:22:57.089 --> 00:23:00.720 clients or customers look at you and go, I want 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:02.900 to work with that guy if he can actually do the 00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:06.559 job. So do you see the certification as sort 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:08.740 of opening up the door, but you still have to 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:11.740 prove yourself up, don't you? Oh, absolutely. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:16.099 I mean, yes and yes. Yes, it opens the door. 00:23:16.119 --> 00:23:21.140 And yes, you still have to prove yourself. I 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:22.900 mean, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a 00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:24.940 couple of customers that just gave us a chance. 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:31.230 Like in the staffing space. AGS, Kelly, Guidant, 00:23:31.569 --> 00:23:34.509 and Tyler Tech are companies that, you know, 00:23:34.789 --> 00:23:36.269 right out of the gate when they found out we 00:23:36.269 --> 00:23:37.890 were a veteran -owned business, they said, hey, 00:23:37.950 --> 00:23:39.130 you know, I'm interested in talking to you guys. 00:23:39.369 --> 00:23:42.069 Let's see what you got, right? And that was because 00:23:42.069 --> 00:23:44.890 of that certification, that NVBDC certification 00:23:44.890 --> 00:23:47.829 that they said, hey, okay, we know you are a 00:23:47.829 --> 00:23:49.230 veteran -owned business. Like I said earlier, 00:23:49.329 --> 00:23:51.509 that easy button, we got you there. Now tell 00:23:51.509 --> 00:23:53.109 us what you can do and do you really, you know, 00:23:53.130 --> 00:23:55.650 can you do this? And it just opened the door. 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:58.700 to have that conversation. So it definitely helped. 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:04.079 In construction, a really great partner of ours 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:07.900 is Johnson Controls. They met with us and they 00:24:07.900 --> 00:24:10.920 wanted to talk to us about what we can do supporting 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:13.180 them and some of their customers with all of 00:24:13.180 --> 00:24:15.339 their products. And that's where that procurement 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:17.839 even comes in, because we can help scope out 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:20.470 and resell some of their products. They've been 00:24:20.470 --> 00:24:22.829 great. And we signed a national partnership agreement 00:24:22.829 --> 00:24:25.109 with them because, you know, resources is the 00:24:25.109 --> 00:24:27.730 hardest thing to find even in construction. And 00:24:27.730 --> 00:24:29.750 we can find those resources with our recruiting 00:24:29.750 --> 00:24:32.750 engine. And they've been great to partner with. 00:24:33.430 --> 00:24:36.430 And, you know, Gaylor Electric, Upchurch Services, 00:24:36.869 --> 00:24:39.390 some of these customers have been fantastic that 00:24:39.390 --> 00:24:42.289 gave us a chance. Right. I like to say to everybody, 00:24:43.109 --> 00:24:45.349 you know, you got it when you're starting a business 00:24:45.349 --> 00:24:47.170 and even when you're running a business and even 00:24:47.170 --> 00:24:49.069 if you're a big business, you got to get a chance. 00:24:49.390 --> 00:24:52.410 And it's companies like I mentioned, um, that 00:24:52.410 --> 00:24:55.430 just gave us a chance and, and then, um, you 00:24:55.430 --> 00:24:57.630 know, we got in there and we work hard, right? 00:24:57.670 --> 00:25:00.089 And we're trustworthy. We're honest and you know, 00:25:00.109 --> 00:25:01.609 we're really doing it for the right reasons. 00:25:01.670 --> 00:25:04.490 I mean, I, um, I just had a client call me and 00:25:04.490 --> 00:25:06.289 say, Hey, we really liked your guy. Can we hire 00:25:06.289 --> 00:25:08.450 him? And I said, absolutely hire him. And he 00:25:08.450 --> 00:25:10.930 said, boy, that was easy. Yeah. He said, that 00:25:10.930 --> 00:25:13.390 was, I expect to be, I said, no, my goal is to 00:25:13.390 --> 00:25:15.509 get these folks jobs. I said, they'll call me 00:25:15.509 --> 00:25:16.849 back if I can help them in the future. Don't 00:25:16.849 --> 00:25:19.180 worry about it. And he said, you know what, Anne, 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:21.259 I got something else I can work with you guys 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:23.140 on. I don't want to take. I said, no, just I 00:25:23.140 --> 00:25:25.319 said, call me if you need us. We're here. And 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:27.619 and he pretty much gave me work right away because 00:25:27.619 --> 00:25:30.220 of that. There's a company called Meet Electric 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:34.440 up in Wisconsin. So, you know, those companies, 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:36.640 you know, they gave us a chance. And it was that 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:39.859 certification, you know, that that helped that 00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:42.339 easy button. OK, we know you're legit. We don't 00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:44.440 have to worry about that. Right. Because, you 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:46.440 know, companies are worried about that. They 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:48.880 know that I think And I don't remember all the 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:51.299 criteria. It's got to be 51 % owned, and it's 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:54.539 got to be run by the veteran. The NVBDC takes 00:25:54.539 --> 00:25:56.759 care of all of that for these customers, right? 00:25:57.220 --> 00:26:01.539 So it definitely helped. Well, I really appreciate 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:04.420 Doug Heath, president of Bravia Services, you 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:08.200 taking some time with us today to talk about 00:26:08.200 --> 00:26:12.740 your business, your certification. Your business 00:26:12.740 --> 00:26:15.359 philosophy of wanting to help people get their, 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:17.960 and veterans in particular, get that good job. 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:21.019 Doug, thanks for your time today. I really do 00:26:21.019 --> 00:26:23.779 appreciate it. Oh, no, thank you. Anything I 00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:27.119 can do to help, you know, the MVBDC and just 00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:30.099 veterans in general across the country and service 00:26:30.099 --> 00:26:33.519 -stable veterans, you know, I'm here any time 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:36.000 to help. So, the thing I can do in the future, 00:26:36.099 --> 00:26:38.140 anybody that owns a business out there, think 00:26:38.140 --> 00:26:40.200 about starting a business and just want to contact 00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:44.940 me. I'm happy to help. I do it anyway. Love to 00:26:44.940 --> 00:27:09.950 help. You can follow Veterans Radio on Facebook 00:27:09.950 --> 00:27:12.890 and listen to its podcasts and internet radio 00:27:12.890 --> 00:27:17.630 shows by visiting us at veteransradio .org. That's 00:27:17.630 --> 00:27:20.990 veteransradio .org. We would again want to thank 00:27:20.990 --> 00:27:24.130 our national sponsors, the National Veterans 00:27:24.130 --> 00:27:29.549 Business Development Council, nvbdc .org. Legal 00:27:29.549 --> 00:27:32.970 Help for Veterans, a veterans disability law 00:27:32.970 --> 00:27:38.049 firm with a national practice before The VA can 00:27:38.049 --> 00:27:41.730 help you on your claims and your appeals. 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