In 2015, Corey Duckett came up with the idea of Mechanics for Vets. He worked out of his garage for 2 years helping his friends and then decided in 2017 he wanted to go mainstream with the idea, and in 2018 filed the necessary paperwork. Mechanics for Vets is a nonprofit mechanic shop out of Sioux City, repairing vehicles for veterans, charging them only the price for parts.
Duckett himself is a disabled veteran. He served in the Army and was deployed in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. He realized he wanted to start this nonprofit as a way to help veterans in need and to be able to do something that he enjoys and is good at.
The thing that surprised Duckett the most is the amount of feedback and support he has received for the organization. He is very proud of overcoming the challenges he faced to take his idea and make it a reality. The first major accomplishment was the actualization coming from concrete being poured for his shop.
At times, fundraising can be a lot of hard work, but it is rewarding when people see where their money is going and see the impact their donations make. Corey would like to see his nonprofit, or ones like it pop up on a national scale in order to not just help veterans in the Sioux City area, but all over the nation.
Talking about his experience with Todd Rausch, Western Iowa Tech SBDC Advisor, Corey says āIāve had nothing but good success with Todd. He has helped me with everything up to his limit. Thereās never been an issue, heās always a phone call or email away. If you donāt have it, he has it.ā
Video link to success story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WSnfbMp3L4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3uDc6W4fmMgz0d6QyBK2H57XMFGv4QiCw3rAiv3NyX0C4pIlRMKsTFCd4