Veterans Get A Leg Up In Montgomery County

By Matt Bush

For small business owners, securing federal contracts can be a rough business. Around 800 people are at a procurement conference in Rockville, in hopes of getting an edge on how to win federal contracts.

Vaughn Camper was one of them. After being in the computer industry for 30 years, he recently started his own business.

"I saw that I was doing the work a small company could do, so why not start doing it myself," says Camper.

Camper is also a veteran, having served in the Air Force during the 1970's. He recently graduated from a program the chamber runs for veterans who are looking to start their own business. Camper says when his service ended, like many veterans, he had the desire to start a business, but not necessarily the know-how.

"If you look at what your background is, you try to lean toward that. On what kind of niche you want in the market. But being in the service gives you the attitude to understand what you have to do. Because it is hard work," he says.

One of the program instructors says he teaches veterans how to pitch their business better to the government and to always ask for feedback if they are not awarded the contract.