Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Vets graduates latest class

SYRACUSE — Matthew Putt, a veteran of the U.S. Army, helps operate Boss Security and Automation in Horseheads, a firm that specializes in the design and installation, and maintenance of surveillance systems, alarm systems, and some fire systems. 

Putt, a Corning native, served in the Army for about five years, including service at Fort Drum. 

He was among the nearly 30 participants in the latest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) at Syracuse University, which has the support of the school’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).

Putt and a partner launched the company “about three years ago.” His business currently has eight employees.

“I really wish I would’ve had this three years ago … for me, it’s really been a week of obviously learning a lot of new things but also a time to reflect and be away from the office and really look at the last three years as a whole and get that spark back,” said Putt. 

He spoke with local reporters on July 26 at Syracuse’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

EBV is a nine-day, “intensive” program for veterans who are focused on starting and building a business. The program concluded with a graduation ceremony July 28. 

The program is “giving veterans the ability to craft their own vocation,” said Misty Stutsman, director of entrepreneurship and small business at Syracuse’s IVMF.

Stutsman also spoke with local media that same day in the Whitman School where veterans were involved in course work.

The participants include veterans from 16 states and Puerto Rico. The group includes six veterans from upstate New York.

Participants attended classes, networking events and presentations, and have been learning the fundamentals of operating a business from more than 30 “accomplished” entrepreneurs and professors. 

“It’s not just one week that they’re here on campus from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. It’s actually an entire year’s worth of programming that we put into these veterans,” said Stutsman.

The participating veterans either operate their own business or are working to launch a new business, she added. Organizers like to have participants with a mix of business experience, according to Stutsman.

“Because of that, they get to learn from each other. They get to learn … the successes of the veterans that have been there and done that,” said Stutsman. 

The program helps veterans like Putt, who is already operating a business, and veterans such as Austin Leathers, who is working to start a business.

Leathers, a 2005 graduate of Baldwinsville’s Baker High School who served in the U.S. Navy from 2006 to 2015, is working to launch an outdoor lifestyle clothing brand.

“I always wanted to be my own boss. I figured it was a great time to do it and this is a great opportunity,” Leathers told reporters at the event.

The business has a name but Leathers declined to disclose it because he hasn’t completed the firm’s website or other intellectual property for the business. 

The EBV program has helped Leathers in meeting people, including speakers and classmates, and hearing their ideas, he told reporters.

Besides the nine-day, in-person seminar at a participating school, EVB also includes a 30-day online course, and 12 months of post-conference support. 

Mike Haynie, vice chancellor at Syracuse University and founder/director of the IVMF, established the program in 2007.

Since then, EBV has expanded to a consortium of 10 schools across the country. More than 1,600 aspiring entrepreneurs have graduated from the program in its various locations, 72 percent of whom have gone on to start their own businesses. 

EBV graduates have generated a total of more than $300 million through their ventures, Syracuse University said.       ν

SYRACUSE — Matthew Putt, a veteran of the U.S. Army, helps operate Boss Security and Automation in Horseheads, a firm that specializes in the design and installation, and maintenance of surveillance systems, alarm systems, and some fire systems. 

Putt, a Corning native, served in the Army for about five years, including service at Fort Drum. 

He was among the nearly 30 participants in the latest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) at Syracuse University, which has the support of the school’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).

Putt and a partner launched the company “about three years ago.” His business currently has eight employees.

“I really wish I would’ve had this three years ago … for me, it’s really been a week of obviously learning a lot of new things but also a time to reflect and be away from the office and really look at the last three years as a whole and get that spark back,” said Putt. 

He spoke with local reporters on July 26 at Syracuse’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

EBV is a nine-day, “intensive” program for veterans who are focused on starting and building a business. The program concluded with a graduation ceremony July 28. 

The program is “giving veterans the ability to craft their own vocation,” said Misty Stutsman, director of entrepreneurship and small business at Syracuse’s IVMF.

Stutsman also spoke with local media that same day in the Whitman School where veterans were involved in course work.

The participants include veterans from 16 states and Puerto Rico. The group includes six veterans from upstate New York.

Participants attended classes, networking events and presentations, and have been learning the fundamentals of operating a business from more than 30 “accomplished” entrepreneurs and professors. 

“It’s not just one week that they’re here on campus from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. It’s actually an entire year’s worth of programming that we put into these veterans,” said Stutsman.

The participating veterans either operate their own business or are working to launch a new business, she added. Organizers like to have participants with a mix of business experience, according to Stutsman.

“Because of that, they get to learn from each other. They get to learn … the successes of the veterans that have been there and done that,” said Stutsman. 

The program helps veterans like Putt, who is already operating a business, and veterans such as Austin Leathers, who is working to start a business.

Leathers, a 2005 graduate of Baldwinsville’s Baker High School who served in the U.S. Navy from 2006 to 2015, is working to launch an outdoor lifestyle clothing brand.

“I always wanted to be my own boss. I figured it was a great time to do it and this is a great opportunity,” Leathers told reporters at the event.

The business has a name but Leathers declined to disclose it because he hasn’t completed the firm’s website or other intellectual property for the business. 

The EBV program has helped Leathers in meeting people, including speakers and classmates, and hearing their ideas, he told reporters.

Besides the nine-day, in-person seminar at a participating school, EVB also includes a 30-day online course, and 12 months of post-conference support. 

Mike Haynie, vice chancellor at Syracuse University and founder/director of the IVMF, established the program in 2007.

Since then, EBV has expanded to a consortium of 10 schools across the country. More than 1,600 aspiring entrepreneurs have graduated from the program in its various locations, 72 percent of whom have gone on to start their own businesses. 

EBV graduates have generated a total of more than $300 million through their ventures, Syracuse University said.       ν