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USAA and Hiring Our Heroes announce best places for veteran entrepreneurs: Staunton at #4

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staunton2editsAsheville, N.C., is the best place in the nation for veterans entrepreneurs, and Staunton, Va., is ranked fourth, according to a new study commissioned by USAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes.

The 2015 “Best Places for Veterans” entrepreneurs list identifies U.S. metro areas that offer a robust veteran-owned and small business environment.

The full entrepreneurship list includes:

  1. Asheville, N.C.
  2. Sarasota, Fla.
  3. West Palm Beach, Fla.
  4. Staunton, Va.
  5. Prescott, Ariz.
6. Wilmington, N.C.

7. Missoula, Mont.

8.  Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

9. Oklahoma City

10. Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

“Entreprenuership is one avenue separating service members are encouraged to consider through the military’s Transition Assistance Program, and early planning can help them succeed,” said Eric Engquist, an assistant vice president at USAA and Army veteran. “This list, along with USAA’s other transition resources such as the military separationchecklist and assessment tool, can help aspiring veteran entreprenuers map out their financial plan well in advance of transition.”

“Our mission is to make sure every service member leaving the military makes an informed decision about his or her next step,” said Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of Hiring Our Heroes. “This list identifies the top places for those veterans who want to use their discipline and determination to start and grow a small business.”

USAA, a leading financial services provider to the military community, and Hiring Our Heroes commissioned Sperling’s BestPlaces and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University to create or provide data for this list. The four organizations worked together to determine measurable variables for 401 major U.S. metropolitan areas, which are defined as one or more central cities including the surrounding county or counties. The variables for the entrepreneurship list included:

  • Veteran-Owned Businesses Per Capita
  • Small Businesses Per Capita
  • Percentage of Very Small Businesses
  • Certification/License Transfers
  • Presence of Colleges
  • Retirement Tax Climate
  • Airport Nearby
  • Stability
  • Health Resources

Each variable was weighted and each metro area was then ranked based on its total points for all variables. Metro areas with the following attributes were excluded from the list: unemployment rate more than 1 percent above the 2014 national average, property and personal crime in the top five percentile and median cost of living more than 20 percent above the national average. More information about this year’s criteria can be found athttp://www.usaa.com/bestplaces

“This list helps veteran entrepreneurs know where other veteran business owners and small businesses are plentiful, where there is a local talent pool for hiring and where they can put their benefits and skills to work,” said James Schmeling, managing director at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. “Separating service members also benefit from the affordability and accessibility these places offer. We know from our work delivering the Small Business Administration’s Boots 2 Business entrepreneurship track in the Transition Assistance Program that geographic location choices are very important to veteran and family member entrepreneurs.”

USAA and Hiring Our Heroes also commissioned lists of the top metro areas for veterans seeking higher education opportunities and careers that align with military skills sets. Visit usaa.com/bestplaces to see all of the lists.

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