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2025 Was A Big Step Forward. 2026 Is Already On The Move.


Patrick Flood, CEO of Owners In Honor, at MIC 2025.

If you spent any time with Owners in Honor™ this year, you probably felt it. Room by room, range by range, campus by campus, a different kind of energy was moving through the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition community.


Veterans who once thought “owning a business is for someone else” started to see themselves as buyers. Owners who spent a lifetime building something important finally had a path to exit with dignity. Advisers, funders, and community leaders began to view veteran-led ETA not as a nice idea but as a serious, scalable strategy to protect jobs and hometown economies.


That is the work Owners in Honor exists to do. This year, we saw it come to life in very real ways.



A Year Of Rooms That Changed People

Throughout 2025, our team showed up in boardrooms, university halls, co-working spaces, and on shooting ranges that became classrooms.

We hosted and supported conversations where:

  • Buyers learned how to source, diligence, and close deals that fit their lives and goals.

  • Veteran sellers finally heard, “You are not alone in this. Your service and your decades of work matter, and there is a buyer who sees that.”

  • Wealth advisers and exit planners discovered why pairing veteran talent with small business ownership is one of the most powerful legacy plays they can make on behalf of their clients.

  • Communities began to connect the dots between veteran ownership and Main Street stability, good jobs, and long-term prosperity.


Fireside ETA events, Day Zero experiences, panels, and partner conferences all carried the same heartbeat. We told the truth about what ETA really looks like. We put real operators in front of aspiring ones. We connected buyers and sellers who would never have met each other without this ecosystem.


The result is not just more deals. The result is more veterans stepping into ownership with eyes open, more owners getting exits that respect their sacrifice, and more communities gaining long-term and values-driven leadership in the businesses that define their hometowns.



Supporting Buyers, Sellers, And The Communities In Between

Our mission is simple to say and complex to live out. We are here to support veteran buyers, veteran and patriotic sellers, and the communities that depend on their businesses.

This year, that looked like:

  • Creating spaces where buyers could ask the uncomfortable questions about money, family, and risk.

  • Helping sellers think beyond only a closing number and consider the legacy they want for their people and their town.

  • Bringing together advisers, lenders, and partners who are willing to fight for veteran led ownership rather than only talk about it.

  • Elevating the stories of main street businesses that quietly anchor entire neighborhoods so their transition does not happen in the dark.

Owners in Honor is not about token patriotism.It is about the long and sometimes messy work of transition.It is about making sure that when a veteran steps into ownership, they are not only buying a business. They are stepping into a mission with support behind them.



2026: A Busy Calendar And A Bigger Vision

The good news is that we are not slowing down. Our 2026 calendar is already filling up with events that touch buyers, sellers, advisers, and community leaders across the country.

Here is a snapshot of what is already on the books and where you can expect to see Owners in Honor in the new year.

January 2026

  • Wealth Adviser Roundtable in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is an evening fundraiser and conversation at The Union League of Philadelphia. The focus is on how wealth advisers and planners can champion veteran-led ETA as a serious option for succession, legacy, and impact.

  • Veteran ETA Education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is a dedicated education day in Philadelphia for veterans and spouses who want to understand what ETA looks like in real life, what paths exist, and how to evaluate whether this is the right move for their families.

  • NACCE Gainesville, tentative participation. Owners in Honor plans to participate in a broader entrepreneurship ecosystem event and bring the veteran ETA lens to community and campus conversations.

  • Range Day with Staccato in Las Vegas and Pahrump, Nevada. Owners in Honor will be present at range day with Staccato. Relationships start on the firing line and continue in conversations about ownership, deal flow, and support.

  • Green Beret Reunion engagement. This is two days of connection with the Green Beret community. Owners in Honor show up to listen, serve, and help connect the dots between service, skills, and future ownership.


February 2026

  • UT Austin Veteran ETA Event in Austin, Texas. This is a two-day engagement with the University of Texas at Austin. The focus is on introducing veterans and spouses to ETA as a path to ownership.

  • DAV Myrtle Beach in FloridaOwners in Honor will partner within a broader veteran entrepreneurship ecosystem. We will stand alongside organizations such as DAV and Patriot Boot Camp to support the next generation of veteran founders and buyers.

  • Operator Support Shoot in Dallas, Texas. This is a range-based experience in Dallas that builds real relationships, supports operators, and raises funds and awareness for the work Owners in Honor is doing.

  • Veteran ETA Event at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. This is an on-campus session that helps veterans, students, and community members understand the ETA landscape and how veterans uniquely fit into it.


March 2026

  • Veteran EDGE 2026 in Dallas, TexasOwners in Honor will be present at one of the premier veteran entrepreneurship events in the country and will help ensure that ETA has a seat at the table as a viable path beside startups and franchises.

  • Operator Support Shoot and Dinner with Staccato in Florence, Texas. This experience combines time on the range, community-building over dinner, and real talk about how to support operators in their transition to ownership.

  • Owners in Honor Miami Events in Miami, Florida. These are two days of programming in Miami that bring together veterans, buyers, sellers, and local partners around ETA, succession, and community impact.


April 2026

  • Operator Support Shoot in Nashville, Tennessee. This is another opportunity for veterans, supporters, and partners to connect in a setting that feels familiar, builds trust, and opens doors to deeper conversations about deals and support.

  • Exit Planning Institute Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. Owners in Honor will be present at the Exit Planning Institute Summit, where exit planners and advisers are shaping the future of succession. We will continue to advocate for veteran-led solutions.

  • Operator Support Shoot and Veteran ETA Day Zero at Vanderbilt University. This is a powerful combination of range-based connection and on-campus education at the Wondry at Vanderbilt University. It is designed to walk veterans from curiosity about ETA into the real next steps.


May 2026

  • SOF Week OSS and Veteran Booster Dinner in Tampa, Florida. This is an evening dedicated to special operations veterans, supporters, and partners. The focus is on boosting veteran paths into ownership and aligned careers.

  • SOF Week 2026 in Tampa, Florida. This is a whole week in Tampa that brings together operators, leaders, and partners who care deeply about what comes after service and how ownership can be part of the answer.

  • Veteran ETA Panel on Veterans and Wealth and Exit Planners at Embarc Collective in Tampa, Florida. This is a focused panel on how veteran ETA intersects with wealth management and exit planning. It is hosted at one of Tampa’s key innovation hubs.

  • Operator Support Shoot in Washington, District of Columbia. This event builds community and support in the nation’s capital through a shoot that raises awareness and resources for operator-focused initiatives.

  • Veteran Entrepreneurship Summit in Washington, District of Columbia. This is a summit centered on veteran entrepreneurship where ETA stands beside other paths to ownership and impact.


June 2026

  • Utah Veteran Entrepreneurship Event in Lehi, Utah. This is a week-long engagement in Lehi in partnership with DAV and VBRC. The focus is on helping veterans explore and pursue entrepreneurship, including ETA as a key path.


July 2026

  • Owners in Honor ETA Experience in Boston, Massachusetts. This is a multi-day Owners in Honor ETA experience in Boston that goes deeper than a single panel or evening. Veterans and spouses will have time to learn, connect, and build their plan.


September 2026

  • William and Mary ETA Day Zero in Williamsburg, Virginia. This is a dedicated Day Zero at William and Mary that introduces veterans and students to ETA and starts relationships that can lead to real deals.

  • Southeast ETA Conference in the North Carolina and Virginia region. This is a regional conference that touches William and Mary, Duke Fuqua, Emory, Kennesaw State, and other campuses. Owners in Honor helps bring the veteran voice into the broader ETA conversation.



How To Stay Up To Date On Details

The calendar above is only the start. Ticket blocks, team slots, sponsorship opportunities, registration links, and specific agendas for each event will be shared as they go live. Many of these events have limited capacity, especially the paid range days, operator support shoots, roundtables, and dinners.


If you want to be the first to grab tickets, know when we are coming to your city or campus, or connect a veteran buyer, seller, or adviser to the right room, make sure you follow Owners in Honor on our social channels and subscribe to our email updates. That is where every new date, registration link, and opportunity will appear first.


This work moves quickly. Deals appear, sellers make decisions, buyers step forward, and communities hang in the balance.


We want you in the room when it happens.

 
 
 

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