Veterans Chamber Hosts Business Networking Event

The newly launched Minnesota Veterans Chamber of Commerce gathered veteran business owners at a South Minneapolis coffee shop on Saturday morning.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Military Jobs

Photograph of empty wooden café tables and chairs beside a tall window overlooking a grey, tree-lined Minnesota street on an overcast morning.
The newly launched Minnesota Veterans Chamber of Commerce gathered veteran business owners at a South Minneapolis coffee shop on Saturday morning to share ideas and support one another. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Minnesota Veterans Chamber of Commerce, a newly launched group for veteran-owned businesses, held a networking event at a South Minneapolis coffee shop on Saturday morning. Organizers aim to help former service members who want to run their own businesses share ideas and support one another.

Why it matters

The group was formed to bring former service members together so they can exchange ideas and back each other's ventures. Its launch comes as a 2024 study by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans found that 84% of surveyed veterans had incomes at or below half of their area's median income.

A 2024 survey by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans found 84% of respondents earned at or below half of their area's median income. The extraction does not specify the survey's sample size or a statewide comparison figure.

The players

Minnesota Veterans Chamber of Commerce

A newly launched business group that supports veteran-owned businesses in Minnesota, formed to help former service members share ideas and support one another's ventures.

Micah Jane

A founding board member of the Minnesota Veterans Chamber of Commerce who is involved in organizing the group's early events.

Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans

A Minnesota organization that works to assist veterans and conducted a 2024 study of veterans' incomes across the state.

The details

Rob Phillips, an Army veteran, drove from Chisago County to attend the Saturday event. Micah Jane, a founding board member, helped organize the gathering, which is aimed at veterans who want to run their own businesses.

Timeline

  1. Saturday morning: networking event held at a South Minneapolis coffee shop

Market Landscape

The launch follows the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans' 2024 study, which documented that 84% of surveyed veterans had incomes at or below half of their area's median income. The chamber positions veteran entrepreneurship as one route to economic stability for a group the study found was widely under-earning.

Veterans in Minnesota who want to start or grow a business now have a local peer group focused on shared ideas and mutual support. Veterans considering self-employment can connect with members through the chamber's networking events.

The takeaway

Veterans considering self-employment can benefit from peer networks that share ideas and support one another's ventures. Connecting with local groups may offer practical guidance for those building businesses from the ground up.

Further reading

Explore more Military Jobs coverage for context on veterans' employment and entrepreneurship in Minnesota.

Source note: This article includes information reported by KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.

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Should communities do more to help veterans start their own businesses?