Aldevra Earns Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Certification

Kalamazoo, Mich.-based foodservice equipment and supplies dealership Aldevra has recently been certified by Disability:IN’s Supplier Diversity program as a Service-Disabled Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprise.

Disability:IN’s Supplier Diversity program provides networking opportunities and links certified businesses to organizations seeking to diversify their supply chains, according to its website. In addition, the certification will provide the dealership with more opportunities for education and business development, says Rodney Marshall, Aldevra president and CEO, in a press release.

To qualify, businesses must be 51% owned, controlled, operated and managed by a veteran who sustained their disability during their service. Marshall, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1989 to 1993 when he was honorably discharged, suffers from disabilities related to his service.

Marshall served as an infantryman and squad leader in the Persian Gulf War under Task Force Ripper and was awarded the Rifle Expert Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Southwest Asia Service Medal with two stars, Kuwait Liberation Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Aldevra, formed by Marshall in 2009, was first verified as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2010.