The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Utah District Office has announced that the Utah Veteran Business Resource Center at Salt Lake Community College is receiving a $250,000 SBA grant to provide veteran entrepreneurship training in regenerative farming and ranching.
The award is part of $1.05 million announced nationally on Oct. 14 for five organizations delivering specialized veteran entrepreneurship training.
“The Utah Veteran Business Resource Center is a valued partner in helping veterans turn their experience and ideas into business opportunities,” said Marla Trollan, SBA Utah district director, in a release. “We congratulate the center on this award and look forward to its work helping veteran entrepreneurs build the skills and connections needed to start and grow farming and ranching businesses.”
The grant supports SBA’s broader effort to help veteran entrepreneurs pursue business ownership and growth in industries vital to America’s supply chains, domestic production and economic resilience.
“This investment is about creating real pathways for veterans to build sustainable businesses in agriculture and continue serving their communities in a new way,” said Becky Guertler, director of the Utah Veteran Business Resource Center. “We are tremendously grateful to the SBA for investing in veteran entrepreneurship and to our Utah SBA district office for their partnership, leadership, and continued support of Utah’s veteran business community. The greatest opportunities happen when organizations choose to step in, collaborate and build together. This investment is an incredible example of what becomes possible with intentional collaboration.”
The organizations were praised for their new entrepreneurial training programs focused on veteran business ownership and growth in sectors vital to America’s supply chains, industrial strength and economic resilience. Operating through April 30, 2027, the programs will combine industry-specific instruction with practical support in corporate supply-chain procurement, business acquisition, procurement for specialized industries, and regenerative farming and ranching — equipping veteran entrepreneurs for new opportunities while strengthening America’s domestic capacity.
“Veterans are among our most effective entrepreneurs in critical sectors across our economy, and the Trump SBA is fighting for those who fought for our country by offering more resources to strengthen America’s production capacity,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said in a release. “By pairing specialized training with practical business support, our grant funding will position veteran entrepreneurs to become essential suppliers across industry and agriculture — building the domestic capacity America needs to compete and reducing reliance on foreign adversaries.”
The awards build on the SBA’s recent investments in veteran entrepreneurship, including a $3.75 million grant over five years for nationwide training that will prepare veteran-owned small businesses to compete for federal contracts, and nearly $4.9 million in grants over five years to establish new Veterans Business Outreach Centers.
These latest grants will bolster the SBA Office of Veterans Business Development’s efforts to provide specialized resources and training for veteran-owned small businesses across the country. Through its Entrepreneurship Training Programs, the Office of Veterans Business Development provides customized online and in-person training to help veteran entrepreneurs develop the skills, relationships and business knowledge needed to start, manage and sustain small businesses, including in federal contracting. The office also provides resources, counseling and training opportunities for veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses and their families.
