Combined Arms invests in helping Texas veterans and in TxEDC.
Amilitary veteran-led company is streamlining and improving the way other veterans find and connect to needed services.
Houston-based Combined Arms, an investor in the Texas Economic Development Corporation, serves veterans through its innovative technology and by partnering with states to provide a seamless digital platform.
Mike Hutchings, CEO of Combined Arms, says the goal of his firm is to provide a one-stop-shop portal for veterans and their families.
“We are a Texas company,” he says. “We were founded in Houston, and we are based here. Texas was the first state to partner with us. Combined Arms built the veterans’ portal for the state. It makes sense. Texas is the No. 1 state for veterans.”
For Hutchings, this is not just a job. It is his life’s calling. As a U.S. Army Ranger Qualified Parachute Infantry Officer, he served a tour of duty in southern Afghanistan before returning home. In a lifetime of moves, it was another new beginning.
“I grew up in a military family and moved all over the world. I lived in Italy and Germany,” he says. “After serving in the Army, I returned home and started my own family. I left the military and went to work at General Electric (GE). While I was there, the Bush Presidential Center put out a call for a Presidential Leadership Program. There were 33 of us in that first Presidential Scholars program. I was one of the very few corporate attendees. The rest were all veteran non-profit leaders.”
“It was important to elevate what we’re doing to help veterans to the highest level. We have planted our flag firmly in Texas.”
— Mike Hutchings, CEO, Combined Arms
Mike Hutchings is CEO of Combined Arms, a Houston-based nonprofit that connects veterans nationwide to needed services via an innovative digital platform.
That’s when Hutchings faced a life-changing question: “What am I doing with my life? I did not feel like I was continuing to serve to the best of my ability,” he notes. “I decided to leave the corporate world. I had no job lined up, but I was so passionate and knew I would find my way. Other Presidential Scholars helped me. That led me to Combined Arms.”
During his time at GE, Hutchings helped the company stand up a new business unit with software, but he wanted to do more. That is where Combined Arms came in.
“I was hired to be the chief development officer in 2019. I hit the ground hard in Texas,” he says. “Combined Arms was stood up as a grassroots effort. It was launched in Houston, and it attracted interest from the state. That is when the state came in and asked us to set up this platform for veterans for the whole state. Texas said, ‘We want to be the best state for veterans,’ and that is what we are helping the state do.”
Today, every Texas veteran and active-duty guard member can connect with 1,500 social service resources free of charge. “The days of having to do endless Google searches are over,” says Hutchings.
Combined Arms Expands to Other States
Next came expansion. “We found a way to white label our network and take it across the U.S.,” the CEO says. “The next state was South Carolina and then Virginia. We just signed a contract with New York City, and now we’re talking with five other states.”
When asked why he wanted Combined Arms to become an investor in TxEDC, he said: “We are the first non-profit to partner with them. We have a great solution. It has been proven in multiple states. This is a win-win for everyone across the board.”
He credits Aaron Demerson, president and CEO of TxEDC, with being “a tremendous leader in this space. This will ensure that Texas stays the No. 1 state for veterans and remains in that spot for a very long time.”
As a result of this partnership, notes Hutchings, “we have served over 80,000 veterans in the state of Texas alone. We are a very rapidly growing company. The majority of that 80,000 are veterans who are searching for career services.”
Hutchings says veterans love living in Texas because the state “offers a ton of benefits. The Texas Veterans Commission are experts in this. Texas offers incredibly helpful benefits from cost savings to getting help for anything you need. From an economic development perspective, Texas is growing and attracting new investments. That means great jobs can be found in great military-friendly companies. My fellow veterans know that it is lucrative to move here, live here and work here.”
The rapid rise of Combined Arms in Texas has enabled Hutchings and his team to collaborate with TxEDC and launch a Shark Tank-like event called Veterans Business Battle.
“The leading companies in Texas are part of this,” he adds. “They are warm and receptive to what we’re doing. It was important to elevate what we’re doing to help veterans to the highest level. We have planted our flag firmly in Texas.”
Mia Garcia (Middle), Executive Director of the Texas Veterans Network powered by Combined Arms, pictured at the Powering the Future: Texas Energy Summit hosted by TxEDC in Austin. Together, they empower veterans and strengthen the state’s workforce through innovative support programs.
Photos courtesy of TxEDC
