Helder Machado joined the U.S. Army to get money for college through the GI Bill. What he gained was far more valuable.
Over 32 years of service, he became a combat veteran, received the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and served overseas in Iraq with the highly decorated Third Infantry Division. His last duty in the Massachusetts Army National Guard was chief information officer.
Before joining the service, he didn’t know much about the military’s core values. When he joined, he felt a tremendous amount of honor and pride representing the country. The Army core values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage became the values he endeavored to embody. It created a hunger in him to be the very best he could be. The military provided him with the discipline, structure, and organization skills needed for business success.
The hardest part of transitioning to civilian life was the absence of military structure and camaraderie. His military life was characterized by well-defined routines, clear roles, and a strong sense of shared purpose. Civilian life felt unfamiliar because it lacked that regimented structure and close-knit community.
Today, Machado is CEO of Machado Consulting, an information-technology consulting practice and managed security service provider. His service-disabled veteran-owned small business has grown to 35 employees since 2001, and Machado was awarded Veteran Small Business Owner of the Year for Massachusetts from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
