The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) was originally founded at Syracuse University, offering practical training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans. Today, that program has expanded to include 10 universities — two of which are sponsored by Reynolds.

Located in College Station, Texas A&M University became home to the first Reynolds-sponsored program in 2018. After seeing the success of that program and its impact on participants, Reynolds sponsored a second program at Wright State University (WSU) in Dayton, Ohio.

Last year, Reynolds announced a donation to WSU that would provide scholarships for business students as well as the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans program. The bootcamp’s first group wrapped up this past August.

The program takes place in three phases: online instruction, residency at the program’s university, and learning from local entrepreneurs and educators. For those attending the EBV at Texas A&M and WSU, phases also include access to Reynolds facilities and mentors — associates who volunteer their time to offer guidance and support to the veterans throughout their stay. Following the program, participants have access to year-long support while working to implement their ideas cultivated during the program.

“A lot of veterans leave the service, and they might not know what their next steps are or they might feel a little bit lost,” said Elizabeth Harding, a program manager for the EBV at Wright State. “They have really great ideas, but they don’t have the tools to make those ideas a reality.”

This rang especially true for Joshua Ott, a veteran of the Army National Guard and Air National Guard and 2021 graduate from Texas A&M’s EBV. When Ott returned home from his final deployment in Iraq, he decided to take a job in the welding industry where he worked for the next several years in refineries, chemical plants, steel mills, nuclear plants, and pipelines.

Then, in 2019, he chose to step away and start his own company. After experiencing firsthand the lack of safer equipment, he aimed to build a better device for welders to use in the specific situations they find themselves in. He patented his newly-created device, but upon receiving his first big order request, quickly realized he was out of his depth. A year later, he was accepted into the Texas A&M EBV.

“I found it more beneficial and more intense than anticipated,” said Ott. “It’s an incredible amount of training and information to learn in such a short time.”

Ott, now armed with his training from the EBV, currently owns and operates Crazeweld, a successful welding company in Ohio, offering his patented products, as well as individual services from his team of associates.

“My company is four years old, and if you had asked me four and a half years ago if this is where I thought I’d be, I would’ve laughed,” said Ott. “This program is unbelievable, and I’m very humbled that it was available to me as a veteran.”

But Ott is not alone in his success, as the EBV has impacted 291 veterans across six military branches who have launched 187 businesses, produced more than $150 million in gross revenues, and created 430 jobs.

“It’s been exciting to watch the program take off at Texas A&M, and based off the success from our first session at Wright State, I’m looking forward to what we do next,” said Scott Frieszell, Director of Hardware and Network Support at Reynolds, who spearheads the program’s group at WSU.

Reynolds takes pride in honoring veterans through community outreach such as our annual bike build, and sponsoring programs like the EBV. We also have a strong tradition of “hiring heroes” because we believe veterans are a valuable asset to our organization.

In honor of Veterans Day, Reynolds would like to say a special thank you to all the veterans and their families, for their sacrifice and service to our country.

Interested in learning more about Reynolds? Visit our careers page.