VIP Pensacola at Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area 2023 Membership Reveal

Imagine building your business and watching it grow and thrive, only to have to move to a new location.....then do this every three years. These are the challenges that military spouses and their businesses face every day. The unique life of a military spouse comes with not only this challenge, but many others as well, such as lack of familial support, deployments that lead the spouse to be the sole caretaker of children, and many more. This is why organizations that support military spouses and their businesses, like NWFL Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce, are so important. They help the military spouses grow their businesses, provide support, and create a relationship with the local community that is imperative for success.

What is the NWFL Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce?

We are the home of the military spouse owned business in the Northwest Florida region. The NWFL Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce is a non-pro t organization serving our local military community. We are the rst in the nation to open a chapter for the national Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce (www.milspousechamber.org), whose mission is to ensure that all active duty and veteran military spouse business owners have the tools and resources they need to strengthen their families, communities, and our economy.

How did this organization come about?

Macu Mateo (www.resethomenow.com), and Pamela Bolado (www.womenwhodowonders.org), both military spouse entrepreneurs, met at a coffee meet-up for military spouses and both felt that there was a gap between the military and local community. We both shared our struggles trying to build or grow our business while our spouses were stationed in this area. We put our words into action and created the very rst chapter of the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce.

What impact does the NWFL Military Spouse Chamber have on the community?

We are determined to bridge the gap between the local and military community. We want every military spouse entrepreneur to have a seat at the table, to network and grow their business, all while minimizing as much as possible the impact of the military lifestyle (constantly moving, limited or non-existent support system, deployments, etc…)

What are some future goals?

We are already in the works creating the 1st Annual MilEntrepreneur FORUM for November 2023 during Veteran’s Week. Partnering with the Panhandle Chapter of FAVOB (Florida Association of Veteran Owned Businesses), we want to put together the biggest military connected entrepreneur event this area has ever seen. Pitch competition, networking, and marketplace are among the activities planned for the FORUM.

What are some challenges your organization faces?

We are a very new organization, so is the national Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce. It has been challenging to get the funding we need to continue our mission.

What events does your organization host? Are any open to the public?

We offer monthly opportunities for military spouses and military connected entrepreneurs to network. We have different speakers for each event that cover the different aspects of entrepreneurship and help our members grow their businesses. We have planned morning meetings and social hours alternating each month. We are focused on military spouse entrepreneurs, but anybody is welcome to attend and support our community.

What is your role and how did you get involved with the NWFL Military Spouse Chamber?

Macu Mateo and Pamela Bolado are both co-directors and co-founders of the Northwest Florida Chapter of the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce.

What’s your favorite thing about being involved with the organization?

Our military spouse community is fantastic, and we love the fellowship and honest support to each other’s businesses and journeys. We have found that there were many military spouses who felt the same way and we instantly connected due to shared experiences and struggles.

What would you like our readers to know about the NWFL Military Spouse Chamber?

Being a community with one of the largest military presences in the nation, there is still a signi cant gap with the local community that needs to be addressed and bridged. Let us all support our service members and their families.

How can someone get involved and/or support your nonpro t?

We can only do our mission with the support of our amazing local community. Share about us, donate, attend our events, and support and shop military spouse owned businesses!

Visit our website www.milspousechamber.org/nw- orida/ and connect with us.