WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today received the Lane Evans Veteran Entrepreneur Public Service Award from the Veterans Corporation in recognition of her support for service-veteran entrepreneurs.

“The Veterans Corporation is proud to present this award to Congresswoman Capito,” said Walter Blackwell, President and CEO of the Veterans Corporation.  “Congresswoman Capito has made a substantial contribution to helping veterans start and grow small businesses, and her efforts are making a significant impact on veterans, not only in her district, but nationwide.”

 Rep. Capito expressed her appreciation for the award and stressed the need for continued support and encouragement for entrepreneurial veterans.

“I’m certainly honored to receive this award – but more importantly – today’s events present an opportunity for each of us to re-commit our support for veterans and small-business owners,” said Capito.  “Our veterans serve their country with honor and dignity, and we’ve seen that many of them continue to serve their local communities with an entrepreneurial spirit that creates jobs and spurs economic growth.  I look forward to continued work with the Veterans Corporation to create opportunities for West Virginia veterans.” 

The award is named for Representative Lane Evans of Illinois, who served in the Marine Corps from 1969 to 1971.  Mr. Evans was highly respected for his work on key veteran issues, including increasing assistance to homeless veterans, expanding G.I. Bill benefits for apprenticeships and on-the-job training programs.  Last year’s winners included Representatives Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) and Susan Davis (D-CA).

The Veterans Corporation is a federally-chartered 501(c)(3) organization created to build more prosperous communities and a stronger national economy by fostering business opportunities for veterans, service-disabled veterans, and members of the National Guard and Reserve.  The Veterans Corporation provides education, counseling, access to capital, surety bonding, and other valuable business tools and resources to veterans and service-disabled veterans seeking to start or grow a business. 

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