FedEx has awarded the Grand Prize in its 2017 small business grant competition to Sword & Plough founders Emily Núñez Cavness and Betsy Núñez.
FedEx is providing US$100,000 in funding and US$20,500 in grant and business services to its first, second and third place winners of its latest annual competition.
Growing up at West Point, where her father Joseph Núñez taught political science, not only inspired Cavness to become an officer in the U.S. Army, but to create a company with her sister to give back to military veterans.
In 2012 they founded Sword & Plough to transform military tents, sleeping bag covers, bullet casings and other military surplus into fashion clothing and accessories.
"From the beginning, Sword & Plough has been about more than just creating bags. We've always been excited to create high quality products, but our hope was that these products could be used as a platform to promote change," says Cavness.
In less than four years the company, with its quadruple bottom line goal of people, planet, profit and purpose, has supported 65 veteran jobs, repurposed more than 35,000 pounds of military surplus and worked to bridge the civilian-military divide by donating $35,000 in-kind and 10 percent of its profits to veteran organizations.
"Sword & Plough's 'repurpose with a purpose' model positively impacts our military veterans, our environment, and promotes greater understanding between the military and civilian world," comments Bonnie Voldeng, director of Go-to-Market and Content Strategy at FedEx. "This company, and the visionary entrepreneurs behind it, represent just how important small businesses are, not only to the U.S. economy, but to society as a whole."
FedEx is providing US$100,000 in funding and US$20,500 in grant and business services to its first, second and third place winners of its latest annual competition.
Growing up at West Point, where her father Joseph Núñez taught political science, not only inspired Cavness to become an officer in the U.S. Army, but to create a company with her sister to give back to military veterans.
In 2012 they founded Sword & Plough to transform military tents, sleeping bag covers, bullet casings and other military surplus into fashion clothing and accessories.
"From the beginning, Sword & Plough has been about more than just creating bags. We've always been excited to create high quality products, but our hope was that these products could be used as a platform to promote change," says Cavness.
In less than four years the company, with its quadruple bottom line goal of people, planet, profit and purpose, has supported 65 veteran jobs, repurposed more than 35,000 pounds of military surplus and worked to bridge the civilian-military divide by donating $35,000 in-kind and 10 percent of its profits to veteran organizations.
"Sword & Plough's 'repurpose with a purpose' model positively impacts our military veterans, our environment, and promotes greater understanding between the military and civilian world," comments Bonnie Voldeng, director of Go-to-Market and Content Strategy at FedEx. "This company, and the visionary entrepreneurs behind it, represent just how important small businesses are, not only to the U.S. economy, but to society as a whole."
Story Type: fact
