Richard Hedges is the owner of Military Maintenance Professionals in Owensboro, KY. He is a U.S. Army veteran (1999-2005) that served as an Aircraft Electrician in Iraq and Afghanistan. Richard is one of those guys that has a mechanical mind. He can fix anything from a jet aircraft to HVAC, mechanical facility systems, any IT issue, hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical, vehicles, plumbing, etc.
He lives in rural Kentucky. The biggest town within 20 miles of him has 8,000 residents. He has a wife and 4 children to support. After transitioning, Richard found jobs that used his experience and talents. He was a maintenance supervisor and director for a couple of companies. But he missed working with other US veterans. And he was not comfortable working under civilian management.
Richard knew that he needed to start his own business. He read about a veteran organization that helped transitioned US military start their own US Military Maintenance business in a LinkedIn post. He gave HirePatriots a call to see what it was about. He ended up talking with me. -– First, I like to listen and learn about the veterans I talk with. I usually read their LinkedIn profiles at the same time. When I saw Richard’s extensive mechanical maintenance experience, we focused our conversation about how to start a business, get contracts, and to make money right away.
I started my first maintenance business in 1970. I have built up and started 6 more since then. I have decades of experience. And I have written a book on marketing & recruiting especially for veteran owned and ‘military friendly’ businesses. Hundreds of companies have used it to expand their businesses and to recruit US veterans: The Patriotic Business Plan: Strategies for Sensational Success. – I mentor every US Military Maintenance owner and provide them with their website, equipment, and seek accounts for them. Then we utilize the Patriotic Business Plan to market their businesses and to get them on TV, radio, press, the social networks and speaking engagements at business organizations.
I suggested that Richard start-out by working for Real Estate companies, maintaining the residential properties that they managed or had for sale. By using his maintenance skills and doing the cleaning too, he would be a “full-service” solution for them. They would not need to hire multiple people to handle one job. He could also pick-up those R.E. companies’ nightly office cleaning contracts.
Richard did not waste any time. After HirePatriots got his website online for him and sent him logos for his business cards, Richard did what needed to be done. He walked into all the R.E. offices in his area and got accounts. But he did not stop there. He walked into every business in his area!
It has been a year since Richard got started. He has multiple day time and night time accounts. He even has the corporate offices and factory of a major manufacturing company that requires 24 hours a day maintenance. Richard has hired a 6-person crew to maintain that account. Richard grossed more than $100K his first year. He is now expanding into the nearest big city about 70 miles away.
The vision of US Military Maintenance is to create hundreds of US veteran business owners that will hire thousands of other US veterans. Our goal is to become the pre-eminent national business in this industry: Number 1.
Contact me and let’s set aside some time to talk and to see if US Military Maintenance is the right fit for you.
Mark Baird
760-730-3734
