Dale Sutcliffe served four years in the United States Marines prior to earning his bachelors degree in computer science. After having a conversation with his veteran father-in-law about his desire to connect with his previous veteran comrades, Sutcliffe had an idea to create a veteran networking site to do just that. VetFriends is an online community of veterans and active duty military members that was created in 1999. The website’s mission is to reconnect, honor and support U.S. veterans. Sutcliffe eventually expanded his business into merchandise, which includes t-shirts, hats, and other veteran memorabilia. The business was growing, but Sutcliffe was determined to have VetFriends become a nationally recognized brand to reach veterans across the country.
Keesha Glass and Amy Clark, two of Sutcliffe’s employees, suggested that they should reach out to the Columbia Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), a center that assists businesses in selling their products and... Read More