Veteran Owned Start-Up looking for help

Hello, I am Nicholas Johnson, an Iraq War Veteran looking to start a Veteran Owned Small Business in the steel construction industry. In the country, there are only 5.6% Veteran Owned Businesses as a whole (https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/annual-business-survey-characteristics.html). This is why I am looking to start V.I.S.E; Veterans In Steel Erection.

The construction industry is on the rise both in infrastructure and in general building. There are massive investments in infrastructure, manufacturing and entertainment leading to large-scale projects. Multiple stadiums are being planned in the NFL (Buffalo, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Chicago) MLB (Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Las Vegas), NCAA (too many to name). Penn State is one of the largest through the NCAA with a $400 million rehab on their current stadium. A lot of these projects have set aside a specific percentage of the work for those buildings to go directly to Veteran Owned Businesses.

The US Government has passed the CHIPS and Science Act as well as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill which creates an influx of jobs throughout the nation for those in the construction industry. In the government as of right now, they are required to use 15 to 30% Veteran Owned companies on federally funded projects. Throughout the country there is continuous bridge work. There are hundreds of manufacturing warehouses being built as well as countless other projects.

I have talked with multiple fabricators, general contractors, and customers directly and they all agree there is not only a need for additional contractors in the market but there is a special need for veteran-owned in the steel industry. V.I.S.E. is an SBA Certified Veteran Owned Business which means that we are a certified as Veteran Owned through the Small Business Association. This is important because this is what makes V.I.S.E. eligible for those contracts which have specifically set aside a percentage for Veteran Owned. One cannot simply claim to be Veteran Owned you must be certified.

I have already traveled to the Buffalo Bills current stadium to discuss their future plans for the new stadium with Brady (Junior Estimator and son). He just might be promoted with the connections Brady, himself was able to make at that launch!!

With that project, V.I.S.E; is already apart of 4 different bid packages.

I have traveled to Tennessee to be a part of the construction kick off meeting where I was able to foster some of the relationships of my Junior Estimator who are looking forward to working with us in the future!

V.I.S.E. has already gathered support from many in the industry and some opportunities have already presented themselves. Some of those opportunities include but are not limited to RH Galleries (up to 45 stores installing architectural and ornamental steel; we have been asked to be a part of a design team for future FAA projects). As of now, we have had to put the idea of heading off to certain RH galleries because there are needs that we need to meet as a company first.

I have spoken with multiple bankers about qualifying for a bunch of different small business loans to which I have been turned down due to not having at 3 years of positive revenue on the company books. In order to get a small business loan from a bank they need to have proof that the business is in positive standing and showing growth. I am caught in the spot of having multiple opportunities to get that positive revenue to show those banks but no money to get the business off the ground.

I am looking for a total of $300,000 to cover a wide array of costs from first work vehicle, insurance and bonding costs, software and programming needs and travel for some upcoming job meetings.

If V.I.S.E. is able to get that amount of money, we can sign a contract tomorrow and be working immediately.

I have multiple potential nationwide clients that are ready and able to give V.I.S.E. contracts and hope to close on some of those contracts in the future but need help to get there.

I have placed our 5-year revenue projections at $60 million based on the industry and opportunities available to V.I.S.E. at this time.

V.I.S.E. makes this pledge; whatever funds are raised in this fundraiser; the company will match with future donations to other veteran startups. Going through this process I have come to realize just how hard it is to get to where you know you can go, and I hope to be able to help future veterans looking to start their mission outside of the military as much as I am able.

V.I.S.E will include a “Pay It Forward” tab on the company website when launched. From that tab, people will be able to nominate and apply for financial support. Assuming V.I.S.E. is successful over its first 3 years, at that point is when we would begin to distribute funding assistance. So, if the company can hit its goal of $300,000 and deliver a successful company, you would not only be helping us today, but you would be helping other veterans chase a dream in the future.

I are extremely grateful for any help whether it’s financial or even helping spread our story. Follow us on Facebook & Linked In to keep up with all of the latest news.

Thank you.