Military Veterans Now Serving as Bail Agents Through New Program

• July 26, 2010
• by Collateral Staff
• Business Tips
• In the News

[caption id="attachment_237" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Accredited Veteran Services"][/caption]

Returning from military duty to civilian life isn't always a smooth transition, as many veterans are learning when they return from active duty. The changing economy has made it more difficult to find jobs than before they left. A desire for stable employment on their own terms led brothers Matt and Zach Reiter, both military veterans, to establish their own bail agency through the new Veterans Program from Accredited Surety and Casualty Company, Inc.

Zach had experienced frustration with his employment situation after finding a good job at home, then being deployed a couple of times and coming back each time to find that his job had been eliminated. According to Matt, Zach's experience is common for many military vets.

"That's a tough reality that they (servicemen and servicewomen) want to go serve, but come back and their job's been downsized because of the economy. Things change pretty rapidly," he said.

In response to this growing problem, Cathy McCoil, Human Resources Generalist at Accredited, said her company started the Veterans Program, which gives returning veterans an entrepreneurial job opportunity when they come home.

"We were constantly hearing in the news on the TV that all these people were coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq and their jobs were gone, they couldn't find jobs, they couldn't do jobs they had before because of injuries. What we decided to do was offer to transitioning military veterans the opportunity to start their own business," McCoil said.

Accredited's Veterans Program, the first of its kind in the United States, places honorably discharged military veterans on the fast track to starting bail businesses. The program provides participants with free tuition, mentorship and technology to prepare them for business ownership. According to McCoil, in exchange for providing comprehensive assistance to participants, Accredited only requires that they use Accredited as their surety provider for a negotiable three-year period.

McCoil said participants in the Veterans Program can expect end-to-end support during the start-up process, including:

• Payment or reimbursement for costs associated with licensing such as fingerprinting;

• Tuition assistance;

• Mentorship from experienced bail agents;

• Placement assistance to find a quality location for the new business; and

• Use of Accredited's proprietary software called BailHub.

A key piece of the Veterans Program is ensuring that participants have guidance and ongoing support to teach them the ins and outs of the business. McCoil said they have an Accredited agent in the participant's area to provide mentorship to help with business aspects such as finances, start-up costs, insurance and tips on how to make their company's name known to potential clients.

McCoil said she has been contacted by at least 70 people, many of whom are still in Iraq or Afghanistan. Accredited is currently conducting the pilot program in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but have maintained flexibility because a lot of interest has come from people in other states, such as the Reiter brothers in Michigan.

Matt Reiter said that for many veterans, working in the bail industry is a natural progression because of the skills and knowledge learned in the military. For example, he said that he and Zach already have the discipline of being able to work long and odd hours. Another skill he picked up in the military is one that should prove invaluable in his new line of work, he said.

"I think that especially in the bail industry, a lot of it's about people - sizing them up," Reiter said. "I've had a lot of training on risk assessment - mission planning specifically. A lot of it directly applies to writing bail because you're assessing risk."

After having spent about three months in the Veterans Program, the Reiter brothers are now the owners of All American Bail Bond Agency in Michigan. The business is in two counties and Matt Reiter expects they will be in seven or eight counties by the end of the year. Reiter shared that he believes the assistance from Accredited has given him and Zach the confidence and knowledge needed to succeed in the bail industry.

"Being our own boss is fantastic. We're only going to be as successful as our ability to make it grow," Reiter said. "Other people might think it's frightening but to me it's exciting. I have faith in my and my brother's ability to grow this new business."

To learn about qualifications and requirements for Accredited's Veterans Program, visit www.accredited-inc.com.

Accredited is a member of the trusted network of bail surety companies on BailInsurance.com. If you would like to find out how to join the network, contact us online or call (800) 454-0028.

To learn about becoming a member of AboutBail.com's trusted network of local bail agents, contact us online.