Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/515946
www.wbjournal.com May 25, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 13 >> ENTREPRENEURSHIP/INNOVATION/SMALL BUSINESS Agency: Davis Advertising Client: SpencerBANK W.S.# SPB25956 File Name: SPB25956_WBJ_CL_ad Program: indd Media: WBJ Size: 4.3" x 6" Color: BW Date: Monday 5/25/15 SPENCER • LEICESTER • RUTLAND WARREN • WORCESTER 800-547-2885 spencerbankonline.com Each depositor is insured by the FDIC to at least $250,000. All deposits above the FDIC insurance amount are insured by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender Imagine… a bank that works for your business. SpencerBANK's Commercial Lending Team (l to r): Tom Moschos, VP/Commercial Lending; Kyle Bourque, VP/Commercial Lending; Steve Quink, VP/Commercial Lending Officer; Randy Webber, EVP/Chief Lending Officer; Mike Quink, SVP/ Commercial Division Manager; and Tim Gardell, Commercial Lending Officer. At SpencerBANK, we know the importance of supporting businesses in the community. It's why we have the money to lend and a team of experienced and dedicated professionals - right here in your community - to help your business succeed. Call us today at 800-547-2885 to speak with a local decision maker who can help your business grow, no matter your financial needs. From boots to bootstrapping W hen Daniel Winchester decided to start a graphics company, he had excellent creative skills, but needed help on the business side. Fortunately, he had a brother with a background that fit per- fectly. That brother, David, had enlisted in the Navy right out of high school and spent 22 years in the service. The mili- tary had sent him to college and flight school, and he had spent years in roles with heavy leadership responsibilities. "There's definitely things about mili- tary culture that help out entrepreneurs, just discipline-wise, focus," David Winchester said. "But there's also, I think, another part of it. People who step up and serve in the military, a lot of them have a certain personality that I think bodes well for entrepreneurs and startup companies: driven, detail-orient- ed, leaders, just morally sound, making good decisions." The brothers joined forces in 2013 and brought Ready 2 Run Graphics & Signs to a building near the Greendale Mall in Worcester. The transition from military to civil- ian life is a notoriously tough one, but many veterans have a set of skills that's well suited to running a business. And there are a number of public- and pri- vate-sector resources devoted to helping ex-military people move into the busi- ness world. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers services targeted at veterans who are opening businesses, including some specifically for service- disabled veterans. Norman Eng, eco- nomic development specialist for the SBA's Boston office, said the agency waives fees for business loans to veter- ans and works with banks, and directly with vets, to help the process go smoothly. Between last July and this April, the SBA facilitated 51 loans for veteran- owned businesses, totaling $9.7 million. Eng said Whitinsville-based UniBank has been a particularly strong partner for the program. That's where David Military veterans find a host of resources to help them succeed in business BY LIVIA GERSHON Special to the Worcester Business Journal >> Continued on Page 14 P H O T O / R I C K S A I A Nigel Belgrave of Auburn said the military focus on discipline and calm amid diversity helped prepare him for the challenge of launching his own business. He runs a PuroClean franchise in Worcester.