”Vetrepreneur” Launches Home Repair Business to Support Disabled Vets and Others With Mobility Challenges

By: Allison Stevens

When Jason Williamson joined the military, he dreamed of becoming a “lifer.”

But that dream was cut short just one year later—before he even reached adulthood.

Soon after graduating high school, Williamson enlisted in the US Marine Corps and began working toward a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Months later, war broke out in the Middle East, and the New York native found himself on his way to the other side of the world—and then, just a few months later, back home again.

While serving in the Gulf War, Williamson suffered a debilitating injury, rendering him unable to sit comfortably for long periods or walk or run long distances.

At just 19, he was in constant physical pain and mental anguish—and faced a terrifying future. “When you can’t move, when you can’t take care of yourself, it just wreaks havoc on your mind, it wreaks havoc on your body,” he said. “It's like being thrown in the deep end and following the bubbles up. ‘Where am I going? Where am I going?’”

Finding His Way to the Surface

Williamson, 55, eventually made his way to the surface—and has long since answered that disorienting question.

Today, he’s a successful entrepreneur, a philanthropist and happily married father to three adult children. This spring, he launched his latest venture: a new franchise of Next Day Access, a company that helps injured, disabled and aging people—including Veterans—modify their homes so they can move about safely, comfortably and independently.

In other words, the Marine Corps Vet has long since gotten his sea legs in civilian life. But his recovery and transition to entrepreneurship wasn’t always easy.

After receiving a medical discharge, Williamson moved in with his uncle and took odd jobs while he worked to recover his mobility. He got a real estate license and landed a position in sales in North Carolina while also supporting a wife and two young kids. “I was hungry,” he says. “I was willing to do whatever it took to make it.” The young father worked his way up the ranks at various real estate companies before deciding, in 2012, to launch his own brokerage, JMW Realty Services, which offers staffing and listing services for builders and buyers in Florida and North Carolina. A few years later, he and his wife started an online class to educate people about financial health and security, particularly when it comes to buying and maintaining a home.

The idea came after the death of Williamson’s beloved uncle, a mentor and man of character who helped Williamson develop a “sales mindset” but who also struggled financially. Today, the Williamson Resource Foundation partners with VA chapters to offer free workshops in personal finance, homebuying and retention, debt and money management, and other subjects to area residents, as well as individualized counseling and support. “When we get people into a home, we want to educate them on how to protect the home,” he explains. The goal, he adds, is financial security for all.

Part of the Family

Key to his success has been partnership with a financial institution that understands his needs and champions his goals as a “vetrepreneur.”

Navy Federal Credit Union—and particularly its Business Solutions team—offered competitive business products, including checking and savings accounts, credit cards and loans and access to a suite of resources for vetrepreneurs.

Its brand of personalized service didn’t hurt either. For example, on the day he joined, his member service representative offered helpful advice about how to file forms with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Instead of focusing on getting “money in the bank,” she sought to understand and support his business from day one, he said. “That’s a big deal,” he said. “She helped steer me in the right direction.”

In the years since, the credit union has treated him as “part of a family.” A self-proclaimed “disciple” of the credit union, he does his part to grow the family by referring clients and family members, including his mom and kids, to Navy Federal.

Larry Perino, a retired Army colonel who now serves as Assistant Vice President of Business Solutions at Navy Federal, champions vetrepreneurs like Williamson. “Veteran-owned businesses drive our economy forward, generating nearly $1 trillion in revenues and employing more than 3 million people,” Perino said. “We celebrate their service during National Veterans Small Business Week, and every week, and are proud to provide all business members in the military community with custom products and services tailored to their unique needs.”

A New Venture

This year, Williamson, 55, pivoted to a new direction—one that hits close to home.

Williamson and his longtime partner, Rob Williams, opened Next Day Access franchise this spring to serve Veterans and others with mobility challenges in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. The company works with homeowners to install wheelchair ramps, lifting devices, pull bars and other mobility devices. “We want to bring dignity back to people that have these infirmities,” Williamson said. “That’s the whole premise.”

Williamson’s partner—a general contractor who used the same tools to help his late father age in place—echoed the point. “That’s our mission, to make sure that folks can live out their lives as best they can and as safely as they can. And I am glad that Navy Federal was able to help us.”

Federal championed the cause from the start, Williamson added. “They said, ‘Listen, how can we help you with that? How can we move this forward with you?’” A career in the military teaches teamwork—which is also a critical skill in business, he added. “Navy Federal was a part of my team.”