Small Business Administration Offers Veteran Certification Program

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Small Business Administration began accepting applications through the Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) program as part of the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to expanding access to resources for Veterans and other underserved populations. 

The improvements in the customer experience for Veteran entrepreneurs and business owners made by VetCert will build upon the $25 billion in government contract spending with service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses in fiscal 2021. 

"The SBA's new Veteran small business certification program is designed with our commitment to deliver exceptional support for our skilled entrepreneurs from America's military community," said Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. "Supporting these Veteran entrepreneurs with access to government contracting will ensure they can continue their valued service to the American people, whether working in manufacturing, retail, R&D, or helping us build critically needed infrastructure to promote America's long-term growth, job creation, and wealth generation." 

The transfer of veteran certification responsibility from the Veterans Administration to the SBA aligns with the Biden administration's focus on stronger interagency collaboration. The two agencies working closely together to accomplish a complex task benefits not only the Veteran community but the nation as a whole.   

"When federal agencies work together toward a common goal, great things can be accomplished," said Larry Stubblefield, deputy associate administrator for the SBA's Office of Government Contracting & Business Development. "The collaboration between the SBA and the VA means that veterans, who have dutifully served our country, will be well served on their entrepreneurial journey and Veteran business owners will have additional opportunities in the federal marketplace." 

The program will be the agency's primary certification vehicle for all veteran-owned small businesses, important classifications that enable those businesses to qualify for sole-source and set-aside federal contracting awards. Certified VOSBs are eligible to compete for sole-source and set-aside contracts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, while certified service-disabled veteran businesses can compete for sole-source and set-aside contracts governmentwide.

The agency began accepting applications on Jan. 9, 2023. A one-time, one-year extension to the current VA-certified veteran small businesses began as Jan. 1, 2023.  

• The SBA is implementing several improvements to streamline the certification experience for veteran entrepreneurs. These include: 
• Providing veterans with a central support platform for their small business certification needs.
• Providing reciprocal certification for businesses with remaining eligibility in the women-owned small business (WOSB) and 8(a) programs. 
• Creating a more business-friendly approach by streamlining the application process and aligning ownership and control requirements across the VetCert, 8(a), and WOSB programs. 

All changes to the certification process, along with new eligibility requirements may be viewed here.

For the latest information on the Veteran Small Business Certification program, visit www.sba.gov/vetcert, reference the program's FAQs, or email vetcert@sba.gov.  

Lenco Celebrates $5M in Capital Investments

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Executive Vice President Lenny Light says it's not the equipment but the staff that gives Lenco its competitive advantage. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Lenco Armored Vehicles has embarked on a $5 million capital investment project for faster, better manufacturing. 

 

A ribbon was cut on Monday in front of the company's new Trumpf TruLaser 3080, a machine designed to cut extra-large sheets of metal. This will increase the efficiency of building armored tactical vehicles, such as the BearCat, by about 40 percent. 

 

Executive Vice President Lenny Light recalled the Lenco's beginnings in 1981, when it operated out of 3,000 square feet on Merrill Road with 15 employees.  Today, Lenco has 170,000 square feet of manufacturing space and nearly 150 employees. 

 

"The work that we do here in Pittsfield contributes to millions of dollars being put back into our local economy. We're the largest commercial armored rescue vehicle manufacturer in the United States. We're one of the most respected brands locally. We also now own the largest fiber laser in the United States. It's the only one of its kind in the Northeast," he said, motioning to the massive, modern machinery. 

 

"But the equipment that we have is not our competitive advantage — our welders, our forklifts, our cranes — any company can buy this same exact equipment." 

 

Rather than the equipment, he said, it's the staff who shows up every day with a can-do attitude that gives Lenco its competitive advantage. 

 

Planning for the industrial cutter began 18 months ago, when the company needed to decide if it was the right equipment for the future. Trumpf, named for its founder, is a German-headquartered global manufacturer of high-end metal processing (computer numerical control) machines, including laser technology. The TruLaser 3080 uses a high-intensity laser beam to cut through metals with speed and accuracy.