Today we’d like to introduce you to VBC San Diego. They and their team shared their story with us below:
On April 14, 2016, at the University Club in downtown San Diego, the Veterans Beer Club (VBC) was created from the collaboration between three retired Marine Corps veterans Phil Kendro, Brian Grana, and Kevin Cortes. The concept of keeping in contact with fellow veterans and bringing veteran-friendly civilian workforce members together was a recurring topic of conversation between them. The first “official” VBC was held at Second Chance Brewing Company in Rancho Bernardo, with six ex officio members in June 2016. Since then, the Veterans Beer Club has expanded to numerous Chapters across the US, with several thousands of followers on social media.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Our events have grown rapidly over the last several years. We have come a long way since the inception of VBC, from a handful of attendees to averaging 70 attendees an event. It’s common for our anniversary event to bring in over 250 attendees. We make a strong effort to find new breweries for each month. However, finding new breweries every month that can handle large groups is a challenge. Since our events are free of charge, we do not have a budget to put a deposit down or rent out spaces. We are very grateful to all the breweries that have graciously allowed us to host an event with them, and we know we have brought them a lot of good business!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In spite of all the success, we have continued to hold true to our founding principles of truthfulness, authenticity, and organic growth, and we’re very proud of that.
The VBC purpose is three-fold:
1) Assist transitioning service members through networking, discussions of important events, introductions to industries across the region, and ensuring service members are personally introduced to leaders in aforementioned groups. The VBC believes by supporting, vetting, and assisting noteworthy organizations that legitimately help veterans this will also help the entire community.
2) Translate our military service to community service, ensuring we continue our leadership into non-profit, volunteer, and civil service organizations.
3) Continue our sense of camaraderie, thus safeguarding the bonds established during our military service and ensuring there is a safety net of resources for veterans. VBC will continue to interface with senior veterans and business leaders in the community and leverage their passion for assisting fellow veterans.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The hardest part of networking is showing up. For many service members, the idea of networking and how do it can be daunting. That is where we come in. We provide a casual environment for fostering connections while supporting local San Diego businesses. Many of our members find employment through our events and often return as hiring managers to pay it forward. Whether it’s your first networking event or your 50th, our community will welcome you with open arms. All we ask is that you stay for the group picture!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theveteransbeerclub.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vbc_sandiego/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13668854/
Image Credits
Dave Elrod
