May is Military Appreciation Month, and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce is celebrating and recognizing our active service and veteran members of the military by showcasing some of our military member business owners in the Toledo Region. Check out this Q&A with Senior Master Sgt. Elizabeth L. Holliker, Public Affairs Supervisor, 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio National Guard, owner of Flash Focus Imagery in Bowling Green.
In what branch of the military did you serve and when?
Senior Master Sgt., Public Affairs Superintendent assigned to the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio National Guard. May 10, 2000, to present.
How did your service prepare you to be a business owner?
Because my military technical training aligned closely with my college degree, I was able to broaden my knowledge, technical skill and ability within my field both in the military and in civilian life.
The military also requires continued education, called Professional Military Education, throughout your military career, focused on various levels of leadership. These leadership skills can easily carry over into your civilian life/career and/or enhance leadership skills already acquired through your civilian job – often enabling you to troubleshoot/create solutions from a different perspective.
What advantages do you see to hiring veterans?
All branches of the military are built on a foundation of specific core values that service members adhere to in order to ensure mission success and service members are often held to a higher standard than others. Hiring a veteran can bring individuals into your business who are dedicated and driven by these specific core values and ethics that have been engrained in them since the start of their military career.
Today, members serving in our Armed Forces are volunteers. In the National Guard, they are Citizen Airmen and Soldiers, living and working in your communities, sending their children to school in your communities, while also voluntarily fulfilling a commitment to serve their country. They are invested in your community and local businesses and will bring those traits, along with those mentioned above, into any business they are employed with.
Are there ways the region can better support veteran-owned businesses?
Partnering with the NWO Military Affairs Committee to highlight veteran owned businesses is a great start.
Many of my fellow business owners don’t know that there are programs available to help them establish or grow their business. The SBA has an entire list of programs available (some at little to no cost) and funds that can be obtained for veteran owned businesses: www.sba.gov.
What are some of your favorite things to do here in the Toledo Region?
The Metroparks! As a photographer, I love to visit on my own or with my family! We LOVE the Zoo and Imagination Station. I love the variety of restaurants, especially the ethnic restaurants. There are so many I want to try!
Interested in contacting Elizabeth L. Holliker and Flash Focus Imagery for photography services? Please contact her via the website flashfocusimagery.com, on Facebook at facebook.com.flashfocusimagery, on Instagram at @FlashFocusImagery or via email at beth@flashfocusimagery.com
Senior Master Sgt., Public Affairs Superintendent assigned to the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio National Guard. May 10, 2000, to present.
How did your service prepare you to be a business owner?
Because my military technical training aligned closely with my college degree, I was able to broaden my knowledge, technical skill and ability within my field both in the military and in civilian life.
The military also requires continued education, called Professional Military Education, throughout your military career, focused on various levels of leadership. These leadership skills can easily carry over into your civilian life/career and/or enhance leadership skills already acquired through your civilian job – often enabling you to troubleshoot/create solutions from a different perspective.
What advantages do you see to hiring veterans?
All branches of the military are built on a foundation of specific core values that service members adhere to in order to ensure mission success and service members are often held to a higher standard than others. Hiring a veteran can bring individuals into your business who are dedicated and driven by these specific core values and ethics that have been engrained in them since the start of their military career.
Today, members serving in our Armed Forces are volunteers. In the National Guard, they are Citizen Airmen and Soldiers, living and working in your communities, sending their children to school in your communities, while also voluntarily fulfilling a commitment to serve their country. They are invested in your community and local businesses and will bring those traits, along with those mentioned above, into any business they are employed with.
Are there ways the region can better support veteran-owned businesses?
Partnering with the NWO Military Affairs Committee to highlight veteran owned businesses is a great start.
Many of my fellow business owners don’t know that there are programs available to help them establish or grow their business. The SBA has an entire list of programs available (some at little to no cost) and funds that can be obtained for veteran owned businesses: www.sba.gov.
What are some of your favorite things to do here in the Toledo Region?
The Metroparks! As a photographer, I love to visit on my own or with my family! We LOVE the Zoo and Imagination Station. I love the variety of restaurants, especially the ethnic restaurants. There are so many I want to try!
Interested in contacting Elizabeth L. Holliker and Flash Focus Imagery for photography services? Please contact her via the website flashfocusimagery.com, on Facebook at facebook.com.flashfocusimagery, on Instagram at @FlashFocusImagery or via email at beth@flashfocusimagery.com
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