As a military veteran and new franchise owner of a Bun-D restaurant, my journey to this point has been surreal.

I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2000 as a Human Resources Specialist. My first duty station was Ramstein, AFB, Germany, which is where I met my husband, and my multi-faceted career began. Following our tour there, we were then stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Yokota Air Base, Japan, and finally my last base at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. I separated honorably due to pregnancy with my second son, as my husband and I decided that it would be better for our growing family if both of us were not subject to deployments and extended time away from our children as active-duty parents. Initially, I planned to retire from the military after serving 20+ years, though the decision for me to separate proved to be the best as well as a blessing in disguise.

My second son was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease and needed me full time. With two small children, one of which being a sick child, there were not many options for me to obtain work. After applying for multiple jobs that would not offer me the type of flexibility I needed, I decided to go into business for myself. My first endeavor began with starting a childcare center, which would offer me the ability to care for my children as well as other children. After completing all the necessary paperwork to establish the center and gaining approval to open for business, I ultimately decided not to go through with it. It was a tough decision; however, I tell people all the time that leaving the military was the toughest decision for me. Everything that followed came easy!

After carefully considering my options, I decided to become a realtor. It became a joint endeavor for both my husband and I, and we started flipping houses and beautiful homes for low-income families. Since my husband was still a full-time active-duty officer, flexibility was key as we would PCS every 2 to 3 years. I became a licensed real estate broker, mortgage broker, title abstractor, credit repairer and anything else to be successful in the Real Estate business to ensure we were creating the best opportunities for our family and our future. Even though real estate was my passion, I made the best of every situation by not placing myself into one specialty. I have owned and operated two brick and mortar businesses and originated a multi-level marketing candle business, with over 1,000 consultants (mostly military spouses) as well as a range of consultation services.

I was recruited for my first job since getting out the military at the same time my husband received new orders, moving us to Shaw AFB, South Carolina. I started teaching Boots to Business (B2B) at the Small Business Development Center, introducing retiring and separating military members to the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to launch businesses, as well as developing business plans. This program gave me newfound meaning and purpose! I absolutely love everything about the program and will continue to be part of it as long as it is around. With all my past successes and failures as a business owner, there were so many things I could have avoided and made my journey easier had I been introduced to this information prior to my transition out of the military. This program empowers me to give back to other military members who are faced with one of the greatest decisions of their lives: what to do after the military and how to get there.

My educational background includes an Associate’s and Bachelors’ degree in Human Resources. I also obtained my MBA graduate degree in Human Resources with a concentration in Finance. All the education I have acquired continues to ensure that I am successful with every path taken as an entrepreneur and I hope to inspire my children and anyone that has future aspirations to do the same for themselves. I am the epitome of creating opportunities and consistently looking for avenues to serve the military community.

I continued working with the IVMF while my husband was planning his retirement. My husband’s last duty assignment is where we both started, Ramstein Air Base, Germany after serving honorably for 25 years. This is the beginning to a perfect ending of our chapter as a military family. My husband and I have enjoyed our military journey and made the most out of every place we have lived.

For my latest adventure, my family was introduced to Bun-D, a healthy food restaurant chain that is currently at most bases overseas and we were offered the opportunity to bring the chain’s concept to the United States. I am proud to announce that I will be the first franchisee for Bun-D in the U.S. and am already scheduled to open three locations, with the first at Shaw AFB, South Carolina on January 22, 2021. The other two locations are scheduled to open within the next six months (more details to come!) and we are thrilled and honored.

This is our way to serve those brave men and women in uniform who sacrifice so much to keep our country safe. We understand the military lifestyle and the desires for healthy food on military installations. We are thankful and excited to have been granted this opportunity, and even more grateful for our military careers to have been a stepping-stone for our success!