RALEIGH -- In advance of the Veterans Day holiday, Governor Cooper declared this week to be Military Veterans Small Business Week and the month of November as Military Family Appreciation Month.

“North Carolina is the most military friendly state in the nation. We owe a great debt to our service men and women and also to their families. Military veterans and their families provide invaluable skills to our workforce and strengthen our communities. We want to be a state that every veteran wants to stay

in when their military service concludes,” said Governor Cooper.

North Carolina is home to more than 800,000 active military and veteran families and four major military installations. These families support more than

578,000 jobs statewide and contribute more than $34 billion in personal income to their local economies.

Additionally, more than 120,000 businesses in North Carolina are veteran owned. Governor Cooper recently toured veteran and military family-owned small businesses in Southern Pines.

“The spirt of determination, resilience, and innovation that makes our military the most powerful in the world also make veterans such impactful members of the workforce. We know that if we give our veterans and military families the tools to start their own businesses, we can bolster our economy and create good jobs here at home. I’m so grateful to our veterans for both their service to our nation and efforts to make North Carolina an even better place to call home.”