For media inquiries, contact:
Jaime Chapman
jchapman@milspousechamber.org
(855)855-8511
www.milspousechamber.org
@milspousechamber
Celebrating recognition as a Military Spouse Owned Enterprise
January 23, 2023 (Woodbridge, VA) — Coral House Productions is proudly celebrating an achievement in becoming an officially recognized Military Spouse Owned business. The U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce created the first and only of its kind certification, in an unprecedented commitment to land military spouses a seat at the B2B table for the first time in history.
The United States has long been defended by members of the armed forces and in a silent role, military spouses support those service members. Cost of living in the U.S. often warrants dual household incomes to cope with high living expenses. Military families give up a lot in the name of freedom, from constant relocations, and time away from family, to the difficult reality that finding a career that fits this lifestyle continues to be a challenge. Secure employment for spouses continues to be an enduring sacrifice with military spouse unemployment being four times the national average, pre-pandemic.
Military spouse employment is a hot topic within the military space with hundreds of organizations working to provide solutions, improve policy, and increase opportunities for traditional employment. Traditional employment is only half of the picture. As the challenge to obtain traditional employment lingers more military spouses are turning to entrepreneurship with 48% of spouses having been self-employed or operating their own business.
"Traditional employment initiatives only account for half of military spouses. To move the needle on military spouse unemployment, we must focus energy on the other half of the equation, self-employment."
- Jaime Chapman,
COO and Co-Founder,
U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce is on a mission to garner national recognition of military spouse business owners through its certification process. Supporting military spouse-owned business is a win-win move for both the spouses and the corporation who hire them for B2B enterprise. By supporting the military spouse, you directly impact the quality of life for the service member, influencing higher military retention and national security.
“The Military Spouse Owned Enterprise certification gives military spouse business owners a seat at the table.”
- Beth Conlin
Amazon
Since 2012 military spouse unemployment remains statistically unchanged. It’s time to look at the entire picture, including the 48% of military spouse entrepreneurs. The best way to find and support a military spouse owned business is to start locally. This local military spouse owned business has impacted the creative industry in a big way.
When military spouse video producer Jennifer Cummins first became a military spouse 12 years ago, she quickly discovered that finding a career in her creative niche was next to impossible. She inserted herself into marketing departments in different businesses over the years to sustain a job, but with each PCS move, she had to start over. In 2014, after 3 PCS moves, Jennifer decided to build her own production business, Coral House Productions. After a few years of getting her feet wet, Jennifer decided that she was going to make it a mission of Coral House Productions to be a source for military spouses and veteran entrepreneurs looking to build their own business or career. Jennifer offers discounts to military owned businesses and strategy calls for free. Coral House Productions has also employed over 4 military spouses and looks forward to hiring more as the team grows.
“The military spouse unemployment rate is a staggering 24%. That's nearly 7 TIMES the national average! We need more people talking about this and we need more companies stepping up. Military spouses are resourceful, resilient, and well-rounded. Why wouldn't a company want to hire someone like that?”
- Jennifer Cummins
CEO & Founder
Coral House Productions
Coral House Productions has big plans for 2023 as the year progresses and Jennifer is in full planning mode to help improve the unemployment rate amongst her military spouse community. You will want to subscribe to their newsletter for all the updates!
“The U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce proudly welcomes Coral House Productions as on officially certified Military Spouse Owned Enterprise. We know that Coral House Productions will continue to make a positive impact in the local community and lend credibility to their fellow military spouse peers.” Jaime Chapman
The Military Spouse Chamber is forging the path to national opportunities in public and private sectors for military spouse-owned businesses. The Military Spouse Owned Enterprise Certification (MSEC) is the first and only certification of its kind allowing corporations to formally recognize and track supplier diversity spend with military spouse businesses and opens a new door for economic empowerment. To learn more about the certification, please visit www.milspousechamber.org/certification.
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About the U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce:
The Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce (MSCC) is the one-stop shop for anything and everything a military spouse business owner could ever need. MSCC is on a mission to ensure that all active duty and veteran military spouse business owners have the tools and resources they need to strengthen their families, communities, and our economy. For more information please visit www.milspousechamber.org, and you can connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About the Military Spouse Owned Enterprise Certification:
The Military Spouse Chamber is forging the path to B2B opportunities for military spouse-owned businesses. The Military Spouse-Owned Enterprise Certification (MSEC) is the first and only “military spouse-owned” certification of its kind. The MSEC certification allows corporations to formally recognize and track supplier diversity spend with military spouse businesses and opens a new door for military spouse economic empowerment. To learn more about the certification, please visit www.milspousechamber.org/certification.