Published:
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Program links vets with merchant discounts
By M.L. Dehm
HBJ Freelance Writer
EDMONDS — It isn't easy to transition to civilian life after military service. Often, veterans get lost in the shuffle and find themselves in the civilian community without resources or recognition.
This is one of the reasons why Edmonds-based Operation Military Families launched the Merchants Military Veterans Promotions Network in February.
The MVP program that encourages merchants to offer year-round military discounts to veterans and active-duty military personnel has had a good start but the organization wants to see more businesses participate.
Currently, the city of Edmonds leads the region with the most participating merchants, 54 out of just more than 350. Marysville has the next highest level of participation in Snohomish County with nine merchants committed to the program.
Nicholas McCallon, the business development manager of MVP, hopes business owners and merchant organizations from other cities will spread the word just as the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Edmonds Merchants Association has done with their members.
MVP membership is free for merchants and the program is extremely flexible, McCallon said. Whatever deal or discount the business wants to offer for veterans is totally up to that business, as long as it's an ongoing year-round deal.
Because there is no standard way to identify veterans, MVP leaves it up to merchants as to how veterans can provide proof of their military service in order to receive the discount or special.
Even a small discount can be a big boost for a returning vet or struggling military family. That's something McCallon knows all too well. The two-tour veteran and Purple Heart recipient found himself homeless when he left the military in April 2011. He still hasn't received any benefits from the military or from the Veterans Administration. His claim was denied and he will have to reapply.
“It's been extremely difficult,” McCallon said. Fortunately, he was able to get this job in an organization where firsthand knowledge of the hardships faced by veterans is a plus. He understands how a small thing like a discount can make a big difference to someone in need.
Operation Military Families founder, author and Navy veteran Michael Schindler also has firsthand understanding of what a small boost can do for veterans and their families, especially at a time when unemployment rates are stubbornly high. Schindler points out that the MVP program also is beneficial to the participating businesses.
“This is a great way for merchants to practically show their support for our active-duty veterans and their families,” Schindler said. “But it is also a great way to get the word out that their company is vet-friendly because our veteran community frequents those companies and merchants that we know to be vet-friendly.”
It's easy to sign up for the MVP program. Businesses can go to operationmilitaryfamily.com, click on the MVP logo to the right of the page, fill in the application form and tell the organization what they would like to offer. This information is then available to veterans and visitors viewing the MVP website and also is posted on MVP's Facebook page.
Merchants can print an MVP window sign to show participation. If the merchant has a Facebook page, MVP will “like” their page. Businesses often find veterans adding their own “likes” to the page, which spreads the word to their family, friends and others. Similarly, the merchants can like or link to the MVP Facebook page as an added way to let customers know their business is veteran friendly.
Another way for veterans to identify merchant businesses is through their Veterans APP or VAPP mobile app on smartphones. Created by Operation Military Families, the VAPP tool puts lists of resources in an easy-to-use format.
So far, word-of-mouth has played an important role in MVP. According to McCallon, 88 businesses signed on after hearing about the program. A list of participating businesses by city and specialty are displayed at the MVP website. MVP also tallies the number of participating merchants per city for those who follow those statistics.
On the Web
Merchants who want to learn more about MVP can go tooperationmilitaryfamily.com.
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