Excel Sportswear is proud to be a U.S.-based and veteran-owned company. While we serve domestic and international clients, our design and production departments are in-house in Pennsylvania, because we believe providing local jobs is essential to bolster the American economy. Moreover, we believe supporting veterans is a core facet of our American value system.
This upcoming Memorial Day, we honor our armed service members who made the greatest sacrifice to ensure that each of us can live freely.
In recognition, we’ve compiled a list of the most compelling benefits of working with veteran-owned companies and encourage you to consider veteran-owned status when conducting future business.
- Experience and Expertise:
Not only do veteran leaders lend their personal experience and expertise to their businesses, they are trained to recognize these traits in others. This fosters an environment of knowledge and mutual respect between the employees and upper management, which trickles down to the client through exceptional service and problem-solving skills. When a team is “well-oiled” and prepared to anticipate and respond to potential obstacles, the involved risk to their client is mitigated.
- Strong Work Ethic:
The work ethic that the military instills in individuals translates well to business. Put simply, veterans believe that it is not enough for a job to be done, it must be done efficiently and to the best of their abilities. From a client’s perspective, this means shorter wait times, increased accessibility to the vendor, and superior product quality. It also ensures the client’s priority status; those with a strong work ethic believe there are no “small jobs” or “small projects”. Each client is offered the same intensity of care and labor, at a level often above and beyond what competitors are willing to provide.
- Structure and Discipline:
Discipline is perhaps the most obvious quality intrinsic to veterans. Disciplined individuals create structure, which is vital to any working relationship, but especially important in the production and manufacturing sectors. Without a strong sense of direction, a production floor can fall behind or offer sloppy work, damaging their relationship with their clients and eventually weakening their integrity and reputation.
- Integrity and Trustworthiness:
The phrase “got your six” isn’t an empty platitude, it’s a way of life. Veterans understand being in an environment where trust in your coworkers is essential to completing the mission at hand. As few things are more valuable in a business relationship than mutual trust between parties, veteran-owned businesses start a step ahead of the curve.
- Resilience and Adaptability:
Veterans possess the skill of adaptability, one of the most important characteristics in leading an organization of any kind. In our case, resilient adaptability allowed Excel Sportswear to survive closure during the COVID-19 lockdown and eventually return to full strength. Without a willingness to change course and perspective, businesses rarely survive—let alone thrive—after a significant setback. Therefore, businesses run by veterans are often a “safer bet” than civilian businesses.
Certainly, any combination of these qualities can be possessed by any businessperson, regardless of veteran status, but when looking for a “shortcut” to these traits, it is helpful to seek out a veteran-owned business.
Written by Sarah Devan Tomko
