Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has recognized this to be Veterans Small Business Week in Michigan, “to celebrate the positive contributions made by veteran-owned small businesses to our local communities and economies across Michigan,” the governor’s office stated in a news release.

“During Veterans Small Business Week, let’s support Michigan’s strong, local veteran-owned small businesses and celebrate the huge impact they have on our economy,” Whitmer said in the statement. “Michigan’s entrepreneurs and small business owners move our state forward. They create good-paying jobs and make our cities and towns better places to live and work. Many are owned and operated by Michiganders who served our nation in uniform and continue to make a difference in their community. This week and every week, let’s support our veteran-owned small businesses.”

According to the statement, Whitmer has worked to ensure Michigan’s veterans and their families have the opportunities and support they need to succeed. She has signed legislation to reduce barriers to professional licensure, creating an expedited path for veterans and their families to practice their licensed profession in Michigan, easing the pathway to reciprocal licenses through expedited processing and waiving initial license and application fees.

Veterans interested in registering a business in Michigan may also qualify for a waiver of fees for profit corporations, limited liability companies and nonprofit corporations. For more information, go to https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/how-do-i/services/waiver-of-fees-for-veterans.

“LARA is proud to show appreciation for members of the armed forces and their families by offering initial license/registration and application fee waivers,” said Marlon I. Brown, acting director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. “Our department offers several licensing supports for those currently serving and for those service members transitioning from active duty. LARA also counts military training and experiences toward fulfilling the requirements for certain licenses.”

Brian L. Love, director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, said small businesses are the backbone of the Michigan economy and a key part of the state’s “Make it in Michigan” economic development strategy.

“We want Michigan to be the ‘startup state’ by being the best place for veterans to start their own businesses,” Love said. “When veterans return home, they bring with them a unique skillset that is invaluable in the entrepreneurial space. But the skills veterans gain in the military can often feel non-transferable on a resume and that’s led them to innovate and hire other vets. The MVAA is here to support veterans as they return home and enter the civilian workforce or start their own small business. We know having meaningful employment saves lives and we are glad small business owners go beyond thanking our vets for their service and recognize their service by hiring them and promoting them.”

For more information on professional and entrepreneurial development for veteran-owned businesses, small business training and counseling, networking opportunities and mentoring programs, the MVAA advises going online to the websites for Veterans Entrepreneurship, the U.S. Office of Veterans Business Development or Michigan SBDC.

Michigan is committed to making the state the premier choice for military service members, veterans and their families to live, work, serve and play, according to the MVAA. In support of this effort, the MVAA helps connect veterans with federal, state and local benefits and resources they earned for their service. To learn more about employment, health care, education and quality-of-life benefits, veterans can contact the Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center at 1-800-MICH-VET or go online to www.michigan.gov/MVAA.

The governor’s proclamation can be viewed at https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/proclamations/2023/10/31/veterans-small-business-week.