Veterans Business Project helps ex-military carry out new missions in their lives

When Devin St. Pierre was in the Army, he had a purpose.

Whether it was working in logistics or joining an aviation unit that kept Black Hawk helicopters running, he was part of a team that had a clear mission.

But when his six-year stint ended, he found himself at a bit of a loss.

“So I can build Black Hawks from the ground up. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate very well once you leave the military,” said St. Pierre, who was a sheet-metal mechanic.

The Aurora resident is, however, figuring out his new mission with the help of Veteran Business Project, a Naperville-based charity.

VBP helps veterans develop skills so they can start or own a business.

Earlier this month, it was among five nonprofits to receive the 2026 Fisher Service Awards for Military Community Service, from the Fisher House Foundation.

The award recognize and support innovative programs that improve the lives of veterans and people in the military.

What the charity does

VBP aims to reduce the unemployment rate among veterans, which it says is higher than that of the general population.

The group believes veterans possess the characteristics to be successful entrepreneurs: Drive, grit, discipline, a focus on working as a team, and a mission orientation.

It connects veterans with business coaches who can help them learn about topics such as staff management, finances, customer service, purchasing and more.

And it has a Living Business School, where veterans, military members and their spouses can get hands-on practice in those skills. That’s why on Monday, St. Pierre was behind a grill at Rosie’s Home Cookin’ restaurant in Naperville. Its motto: “Impact First. Profit Second. Purpose Always.”

Rosie’s is a wholly owned subsidiary of VBP.

How it works

St. Pierre worked for a factory for a few years after his return home.

St. Pierre did study business in college and had some experience working in logistics for the Army. He worked for a factory for several years. He was not happy with the little progress and stagnant wages at the factory, so he started working for himself as a carpenter, painter and artist. He makes cabinets and furniture, among other items.

“I’m looking for help to be able to expand my business because I can do the stuff, but I’m trying to figure out how to be able to do it on my own,” he said.

That includes learning about subcontracting, finding clients, and networking, he added.

What’s different about VBP is working with fellow veterans, he said.

“I spent a long time after I got out of there, just being a hermit, you know, stuck in my house. Trying to break back out into the world,” St. Pierre said.

“This (working at Rosie’s) helps,” he said. “It’s a simple change. But being able to have just conversations throughout the day is helping develop my speaking skills.”

Connecting vets

“Veterans are very relational,” said Dale Eisenberg, president and co-founder of VBP.

More recently, VBP officials realized not everybody was meant to start a business. So they started the vHarmony program to connect veterans with people selling businesses.

Eisenberg, who has been in the restaurant industry for about 50 years, did not serve in the military. But co-founder Lynn Lowder, the chief executive officer, spent 16 years in the Marine Corps, starting with force reconnaissance in Vietnam.

Lowder said he learned that after World War II, about 49% of veterans went on to own businesses. After Sept. 11, 2001, the number was fewer than 5%.

Among the issues veterans face is a lack of access to capital. Decades ago, local bankers might know a veteran personally and be willing to take a chance on them.

More recently, they also learned that a “silver tsunami” was beginning to happen: baby boomers who owned businesses were about to retire without having any successors in place, and were looking for people to buy their businesses.

“They’ve historically been able to do business. And there’s unprecedented opportunity now,” Lowder said.

Lowder believes the help VBP offers goes beyond learning how to operate a business. The charity’s logo used to refer to getting veterans into business.

“It changed a while back to ‘Offering Hope and Saving Lives,’” he said.

VBP is also addressing the suicide rate among veterans. Working one-on-one with veterans, they develop trust. Mentors also can recognize when someone is in trouble and connect them with resources, such as a group that focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder.

“They (participants) develop legitimate, realizable hope for the future. They can be their own boss, can run their own company, and help other veterans. Now you’ve got the reason to stick around,” Lowder said.

ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com