For immediate release.
Wednesday, February 28, 2023, Manhattan, KS: WTC joined the Flint Hills Vetrepreneur Foundation as the first corporate sponsor with a gift of $1000 a year for three years. At the February Veteran Entrepreneur Meetup, hosted at The Ogre’s Forge in Manhattan, WTC CEO, Jeff Wick, joined Flint Hills Vetrepreneur Foundation Chair, Pete Frasco, in making the announcement of this new partnership.
Frasco shared the origin of the Flint Hills Vetrepreneur Foundation (FHVF), starting from a small meetup of 20 Veteran business owners and resources in November 2022, to the formation of the Foundation as a formalized 501c3 less than a year later. Frasco stated the goal of FHVF was to help Veteran-business owners access the “vast resources available from local, state and federal governments” and provide mutual support.
WTC’s decision to support FHVF was a natural outworking of their support for small business, Frasco said.
“Jeff has worked tirelessly to support the entrepreneurial community in the region. WTC just announced a $50 million investment to bring broadband internet to every home in the Manhattan area.” He added, “I don’t think there’s a charitable organization that WTC hasn’t touched in some way, and they have committed to offer six months free to Veteran-owned businesses [to access WTC internet services].”
As he began, Jeff Wick, President of WTC, thanked the Veterans in attendance for their service to their country. He added, “We are a small business that has grown in this area, starting in 1912. We certainly need to attract large companies to the region, but we all know, small business is the core of every region’s growth. As the region grows, we grow, and we want to give back. We are making a commitment of $3000 over three years, and I will also go out and push some of my peer businesses to know about the organization and also contribute and match the donation.”
FHVF services current and future Veteran Entrepreneurs through three core pillars: advocacy, community and training. Based in the Flint Hills of Kansas, the organization boasts a growing network of nearly 100 Veteran-owned businesses and dozens of resource organizations connected to the organization.
Meetups for networking and training are hosted the final Wednesday of each month in Riley, Geary or Pottawatomie County. To learn more about upcoming organizational events, follow FHVF on Facebook here.
WTC is a full-service, telecommunications provider offering leading-edge communication services. Through advanced technology, WTC continues to launch higher speed broadband services so businesses can grow, schools can leverage educational opportunities, telemedicine can be offered in our rural settings and communities can enhance their economic development. To learn more about their investment to bring fiber internet to Manhattan, read here.
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