WALNUT CREEK, CA – KelleyAmerit Fleet Services, the largest Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise in California, proudly supported the Keeping the Promise Conference held May 14-15 in Los Angeles.

Inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s promise “that this nation care for those who ‘shall have borne the battle,’” the KTP Conference began in 1994 in an effort to foster and support veteran owned businesses. The KTP Conference provides a valuable networking forum for disabled veteran owned businesses and large corporations who seek supplier diversity, while celebrating and appreciating our country’s armed services men and women.

This year’s event continued the tradition of being awe-inspiring.  The red carpet brought together Hollywood A-listers, sports legends, musicians, activists, and companies in support of the military community.

Giving heartfelt speeches, actors Jon Voight, Louis Gosset, Jr., James McEachin, Dennis Haysbert, and Dodger baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, founder of Tommy’s Team, shared their experiences and passion for serving those who have sacrificed so much in service to our country.

However, the true stars of the event were the past, present and future military soldiers. In kicking off the conference, KelleyAmerit CEO Gary Herbold, a service-disabled Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, welcomed more than 500 dinner guests to watch over 140 new recruits become sworn-in to each of the five armed services.

Many veterans and active military soldiers were present to support the induction, including some of the original Tuskegee Airmen; Evelyn Lackey, the oldest living woman of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service in World War II; and Bea Cohen, a WWII veteran of the Women’s Army Corps, who has spent more than 70 years of her 102 year-old life supporting the U.S. military.

Business owners concluded the event with an expo and matchmaking session, which comprised over one thousand business-to-business networking appointments.  This matchmaking portion allowed for fellow veteran associated organizations to build business connections with one another, continuing the support of the veteran community.

KelleyAmerit was proud and honored to have been a part of Keeping the Promise. Fellow sponsors of the event included McKesson, Union Bank, Symantec, AT&T, Hewlett Packard, and the California Department of General Services, among others.

For more information on KelleyAmerit’s support of the veteran community, please visit www.kelleyamerit.com.