Imagine every city in the nation offering some inducement to vets,who often have a skill set gained from military training, to open small retail and industrial operations. A little free rent, a couple tax abatement’s like most of corporate America bags, and some good publicity. Who knows we may even see a day when our grandchildren will see products that say,”Made in America.”
Disabled Marines open cell phone store in Oceanside
Posted on: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:27:10 EST
OCEANSIDE, Feb 11, 2011 (North County Times – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) –Troy Rhoads and Frank Jordan, two service-disabled veterans of the Marine Corps, have opened a cell phone and bill payment store targeted to the needs of their military brethren.
Global Mobile, at 127 S. Coast Hwy., is an authorized Verizon Wireless store and also sells prepaid cell phones from a number of carriers
In addition, customers can pay their bills for SDG&E, cable, wireless carriers and utilities not just in San Diego County but across the country. That’s something Rhoads and Jordan said is suited to the needs of service members, who come to this area from all around the country.
Global Mobile says it handle bills from 96 utilities, such as Idaho Power; Commonweath Edison and Missouri Gas Energy. It accepts bills for auto loan companies such as Ford Motor Credit; GMAC Auto Finance and Wells Fargo Auto Finance.
Rhoads and Jordan have known each other for about a decade. They’re from different eras of the Marines. Jordan served two tours in Vietnam; Rhoads was in when the U.S. ousted Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega. Their experiences in the service, and common struggles with disabilities, helped draw the two together.
Rhoads says he has an illness that affects blood flow to his extremities, sometimes causing his hands to contract in painful spasms. Jordan says he’s suffering the effects of the defoliant Agent Orange, and he had a heart attack in August 2009.
After looking at their employment prospects, Jordan said he and Rhoads decided their best course was to go into business for themselves.
The cell phone business is attractive because of its near-universal customer base, Rhoads said.
“Pretty much everywhere you look, everyone has a cell phone, and so many cell phones are coming out nowadays,” Rhoads said. “When I was in the military, not everybody had cell phones. They’re a great way to stay in touch with your friends and family.”
The Oceanside location “seemed to be a natural” because of its large presense of Marines and veterans, Jordan said.
Rhoads said he and Jordan plan to donate part of their sales to help disabled veterans.
“We’re going for 5 percent,” Rhoads said. “We don’t know our profits yet, but we’re trying to get as close to that as possible.”
Call 760-721-3800 or go to Global Mobile on Twitter (@Verizon_Dealer).
Call staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at 760-739-6641
Now that I am retired from the reserves I can express my opinions about the support I received from any of my previous employers over my 19 years in the reserves – NONE.
It may have been a random statistic however after each activation and return I noticed a rapid decline of employed reserves in my organizations.
SAD – as I have been applying for civilian positions over the last two years, not a single organization has identified and recognized the skills and training I received from the military or expressed a positive comment about my service.