Seven graduates from the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF/D’Aniello Institute) were recently recognized at Syracuse University’s ’CUSE50 Awards Ceremony, an annual celebration honoring the 50 fastest-growing businesses owned and operated by Syracuse University alumni. Held at the National Veterans Resource Center, this year’s event featured remarks from U.S. Air Force veteran J. Michael Haynie, Founder and Executive Director of the IVMF, and a fireside chat with Joy Cho ’01, founder and director of Oh Joy!, before honoring the 2025 recipients.
“When IVMF alumni earn recognition on the ’CUSE50 list, it validates what we’ve always known: that entrepreneurial training for veterans isn’t just about building businesses, it’s about building futures,” says Misty Fox, IVMF’s Director of Entrepreneurship Programs. “These honorees represent more than individual success stories, they embody our unwavering commitment to the entire military-connected community, and their inclusion on these prestigious lists demonstrates that support produces real, measurable impact.”
IVMF alumni also represented 30% of the top ten businesses recognized in this year’s celebration. Research from the D’Aniello Institute shows that 70 percent of veteran business owners report growth as their primary focus, compared with about 51 percent of U.S. small business owners overall.
That growth-driven mindset is reflected in the outcomes of the Syracuse University entrepreneurship programs offered through the IVMF, including the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV), Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), Startup Training Resources to Inspire Veteran Entrepreneurship (STRIVE), and others that serve veterans and military spouses at every stage of business development.
IVMF alumni featured on the 2025 ’CUSE50 list includes:
- Stephannie Addo, ACJ Luxury Maintenance LLC
- Dr. Wakeena Dickens, Down Home Comfort Café
- Chad Drummond, Drummond Carpenter PLLC
- Kateri Gabriele, Sim2Grow
- Hartnel Lambert, Lambert Financial LLC
- Kelo Makelele, RedTrace Technologies, Inc.
- Nicole Wallace, Transformation Counseling & Consulting, PLLC
For honoree Nicole Wallace, a U.S. Army veteran and licensed clinical mental health counselor, entrepreneurship is a way to expand access to care for the communities she serves. Launched in 2021, her private practice focuses on supporting individuals, particularly women, experiencing anxiety, depression, and trauma. Wallace credits her time in uniform with shaping her ability to lead and grow a successful business.
“My service gave me structure. It gave me the ability to take risks, calculated risks, not just sporadic ones, and that has really helped me scale and grow my business over time,” says Wallace.
Growth, she explains, is about impact. In addition to new revenue streams and staffing expansion, it means serving more people who might otherwise go without the care they need. Already operating in North Carolina and Florida, Wallace is actively pursuing expansion into additional states.
“We’re expanding out of North Carolina, we’ve already opened an office space in Florida, and we’re looking at South Carolina as well. Then it’s hiring more employees and getting our systems in place so we can duplicate the success we’ve had in North Carolina in any state we enter,” Wallace says.
The success of Wallace and the other honored entrepreneurs underscores a powerful truth: when service members transition out of uniform, their mission mindset doesn’t fade–it evolves.
By providing tailored education, resources, and a strong community of support, the IVMF ensures that veterans and military spouses are equipped not only to launch businesses, but to grow, hire, and lead in ways that strengthen local economies nationwide.
To learn more about IVMF’s entrepreneurship programs, and to explore how veterans and military spouses can transform their business ideas into thriving ventures, visit ivmf.syracuse.edu/entrepreneurship.
