Who We Are
The Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce serves veterans and military families by providing resources to support veteran owned and veteran friendly businesses across Wisconsin. We are the voice of Wisconsin’s veteran business community, dedicated to improving the business climate for military veterans and their allies.
Wisconsin is home to more than 55,000 veteran-owned businesses. These businesses report more than $20.1 billion in annual sales and employ more than 110,000 people. 10.8% of Wisconsin’s veterans are self-employed. The U.S. veteran population’s purchasing power exceeds $1 trillion annually.
As veterans, we recognize the value of teamwork. In the military and in business, working as a team is often the difference between failure and success. With us on your team, you will have a wide network of resources, experts, and partners committed to supporting veteran-owned businesses across the state. We invite you to support the veteran business community by becoming a member of the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce.
Saul Newton
President & CEO
Proud Members of:
Meet Our Leadership Team
Alannah McReavey 
WVCC Board President
Alannah McReavey is a Relationship Manager for the Wisconsin market in Bank of America's Commercial Banking division.
She has been a leader in Toastmasters (public speaking) for the past 15 years and has reached the level of Distinguished Toastmaster-highest level of achievement award for leadership and communication excellence.
Alannah is a veteran advocate and is very active in the Military community. She is a volunteer in the Military Support and Assistance employee resource group and participated in the Veteran Development program at Bank of America. In addition, she serves as a Board member of the Tai Chi center of Milwaukee where she is an active martial artist enthusiast and has plans to incorporate a veteran program.
Alannah is a native of Canada, but has lived in Wisconsin most of her life. She graduated from the University of WI-Milwaukee and majored in Economics. In addition, she attended the UWM’s Reserve Officer Training Corp-commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and was part of the 84th Division Army reserve unit in Milwaukee.
Board of Directors
- Abraham Dispennette
- Dillon Ambrose
- Manny Lara
- Chris Kolenda
- Chris Faherty
- Toby Canapa
- Jeff Boudreau
Chamber Staff Members
Saul Newton
President & CEO
Saul Newton
President & CEO
Saul Newton served in the Army as an infantryman from 2009-2012, and deployed to the Arghandab River Valley in Kandahar, Afghanistan for 13 months from 2010-2011. In 2015 Saul founded the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as the organization's President & CEO.
With more than a decade of nonprofit, advocacy, and public policy experience, Saul is a tireless advocate for Wisconsin's veteran and business communities. Saul's volunteer experience includes serving on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Feast of Crispian, and the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative, as well as the Advisory Board of Wisconsin Veterans Network and Milwaukee's Ward 4 coworking space.
In 2019, Saul was appointed by Governor Tony Evers to serve as a Business Representative to the Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment. He is also a member of the New Politics Veterans Council, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Wisconsin Advisory Board, Urban Economic Development Association Small Business Affinity Group, Ethnic and Diverse Business Coalition, M7 Region Entrepreneurial Advisory Council, Employ Milwaukee Governance, Compliance, and Nominations Committee, and previously served on the Next Generation Workforce and Economic Development Policy Advisory Council and the City of Milwaukee Housing and Urban Development Consolidated Plan Task Force.
In 2017, he was recognized as the Veteran Small Business Champion by the U.S. Small Business Administration. In 2020 was a recipient of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 awards, and was recognized by the BizTimes as part of the inaugural Notable Veteran Executives feature.
Saul is a member of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and Amvets.
Zach Zabel
Vice President of Programs
Saul Newton
Vice President of Programs
Zach Zabel is a highly experienced professional specializing in program development, nonprofit organizations, and change management. As the Vice President of Programs at the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, he empowers veteran business owners and optimizes talent attraction. Zach's innovative programs support growth and sustainability for veteran businesses while offering tailored workforce development solutions for employers. With prior experience as a Workforce Program Director and Community Engagement Manager, he has a strong track record in planning and executing initiatives that benefit veterans. As the Executive Director of Tech For Vets, Zach connects and engages veterans through technology and gaming, providing community-building opportunities and fully funded education programs. With his background as a former US Navy electronics technician, he understands the unique challenges veterans face during the transition to civilian life. Zach Zabel's dedication to supporting veterans and his expertise in program development make him a valuable asset in empowering and assisting veterans in their entrepreneurial and employment endeavors.
Christian Thornton
Vice-President, Membership
Christian Thornton
Vice President, Membership
Christian Thornton is a 12 year Navy Veteran, while serving Christian received numerous
commendations and citations and completed five combat tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Christian holds baccalaureate degrees in Marine Transportation from Kings Point US Merchant Marine Academy, and Clinical Laboratory Science from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Whilst attending both institutions Christian was part of several teams and societies.
After separating from the military Christian devoted his time to working with several non-profit organizations where he promoted programs, in the form of corporate sponsorships and access to various educational programs and resources, to support Veterans during their transition from military to civilian life.
WVCC - Regional Directors
Dr. Susan Schrank - Southeast Regional Director
- sschrank@wiveteranschamber.org
Tom Parr - Southwest Regional Director
- tparr@wiveteranschamber.org
Shane Kanneberg - Northeast Regional Director
- skanneberg@wiveteranschamber.org
Veteran and Military Community Small Business Consulting
Jonathan Klein: Veteran and Military Community Small Business Consulting
UW System's Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship and the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce (WVCC) announce their partnership to support and empower the Veteran and Military Community’s entrepreneurial endeavors. This collaboration fosters a thriving business ecosystem for Wisconsin’s veteran and military community and their families by supporting a statewide Veteran and Military Community Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Consultant.
In a joint partnership with the Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship and the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, veterans, military members and their families can access no cost, confidential 1-1 small business consulting. Learn more about the consultant, Jonathan Klein, and his experience in the military is well as a small business owner on our webpage: https://wisconsinsbdc.org/services/initiatives/veteran-consulting/