Guest Post: Top 10 Reasons to Vote Troop ID as the Most Veteran Friendly Business in America

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share a great guest post from the Troop ID folks.  Vote now for this fabulous organization that helps find deals and discounts for military members and their families!

The search is on for the most Veteran Friendly small business in America. U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Hiring our Heroes program is hosting a Small Business Tournament of Champions, a battle royale to bring awareness to companies dedicated to employing veterans and helping the military community. After a tough round of competition, Troop ID has made it to the Final Four! They are just one step away from named the most Veteran-friendly small business in America!

In a nod to our democratic system, the Chamber of Commerce is awarding the title based on votes: whichever company has the most votes by May 30th takes it all. You can vote up to once a day until May 30th, and it only takes a moment to cast your ballot.

Troop ID is in it to win it: Here are the top 10 reasons why Troop ID deserves YOUR vote: 

1) Troop ID is Veteran Owned: Founded by two former Army Rangers, Blake Hall and Matt Thompson, Troop ID has a unique understanding of the military community because its leaders have worn the uniform and faced the same stuggles as many men and women of the Armed Forces. 

2) They Don't Believe in Chairs: At the Troop ID headquarters in McLean, VA, chairs are quarantined to the conference room and reserved for sit-down meetings with guests. At their desks, Troop ID and TroopSwap employees stand tall or balance skillfully on exercise balls. If you can stand, why sit? That's just lazy talk!

3) Troop ID is Committed to Hiring Veterans: Hiring veterans is not only the right thing to do, it's also the smart thing to do from a business perspective. Veterans make great employees. And Troop ID should know: more than 35% of the employees at Troop ID today are Veterans.

4) Troop ID is Committed to Hiring Military Spouses: With frequent moves and a demanding lifestyle, military spouses are true homefront heroes. Troop ID hires these Household 6 specialists because they're great at multi-tasking, cool under pressure, and are on the front lines of what military families want and need. In fact, the entire Troop ID/TroopSwap local sales team is composed of Military Spouses, and headed by a Military Spouse!

5) They're Not Too Proud for Pushups: Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and on the rare occasions when Troop ID employees run late for a meeting, miss a typo, or forget a co-workers birthday, they're ready to hit the deck and give 'em 20!

6) Troop ID Exists to Help Veterans Everyday: Troop ID was created with Veterans in mind. Unlike active duty service members, many Veterans don't have an ID card that proves their military affiliation. Moreover, no Veterans have an online credential that proves their service to businesses or organizations that want offer benefits as a Thank You. Troop ID was created to solve this problem! Troop ID is an online ID card for the military that allows members to easily get great deals and military discounts online, access employment and educational opportunities just for veterans and service members, tap into VA benefits, and get assistance with financial resources. Your Troop ID allows businesses to recognize your service, and grant you access to exclusive perks.

7) Troop ID is About Helping the Entire Military Community: Some purveyors of military discounts acknowledge active duty service members, but not the military spouses who support them and soldier on in their absence. Some don't recognize veterans or military dependents. But Troop ID is not just for Veterans: we are on a mission to help the entire military community. So Veterans, retirees, active duty, military spouses, and family members can all benefit from signing up for a Troop ID.

8) Troop ID Supports Wounded Warriors: Troop ID and TroopSwap are proud to host events like last weekend's Jumping for a Purpose that not only raised funds for Wounded Warriors, but also raised awareness of the sacrifices these brave men and women have made for our country.

9) Troop ID Gives Back with Mentoring: Troop ID employees serve as mentors to both veterans and military spouses, doling out advice on everything from how to create a lean start-up, to how to best prepare a family for the struggles of deployment through MilSpouse and Veteran eMentor Programs. In addition to these year-round efforts, the executive team serves as volunteer mentors at the annual TechStars Patriot Boot Camp, helping military entrepreneurs make their dreams a reality.

10) Troop ID is Always Free for Members of the Military Community: Paying a fee to access military discounts seems backwards: you've already earned the reward, why should you have to pay to access it? Troop ID and TroopSwap membership is always free for members of the military community.