Photo By Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley | Spc. Billie Underwood applies heat to the vinyl wrap he is placing on the surface of a...... read more read more
HONOLULU, Hawaii -- While many Soldiers are well known throughout the formation for what they have accomplished during duty hours, many Soldiers are not as known for what they have accomplished in their off time. There are Soldiers who are college degree holders, authors, investors as well as many other things. Then, there are those who have started and maintain their own business ventures outside of their duties in the Army. For Spc. Billie Underwood, a human resources specialist assigned to the HR section of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, this has become a reality.
“I’m just very lucky to have found a hobby that has allowed me to give me a good outlook for a future outside the Army,” Underwood said.
He established his vinyl wrapping business in June of 2020, which was a turbulent year in regards to the start of Covid-19. Through the height of the pandemic, he was able to start and thrive.
“It was something I loved already; I had more time to learn and explore the art of vinyl wrapping,” he said. “Covid-19 has not affected my business at all, this was the reason I was able to start a business.”
He is a native of Kansas City, Missouri and joined the Army in December of 2015. He attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina where he was awarded the military occupational specialty of human resources specialist. In 2016, he served in 1st Battalion, 77th Armored Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas and has completed two overseas rotations to Camp Buehring, Kuwait and Camp Casey, South Korea.
Not only does his vinyl wrapping business include vehicles, but he has also branched out to include household items as well as appliances.
“I think that his car wrapping business is pretty awesome,” stated Sgt. 1st Class Yance Nunez, the Human Resources Plans and Operations Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge, 94th AAMDC. “He loves to do it.”
Like many places throughout the U.S., there are groups and clubs for car enthusiast and here in Honolulu, it is no different.
“The car scene is so big here and going out to the car meets has helped me build my brand significantly,” he remarked.
While the foundation for his business has already been laid, he has bigger plans to grow his company in the future.
“When I leave the Army I will be relocating to an undecided location in Texas so as to be closer to family,” he stated. “I will be taking part in multiple vinyl wrap training certification courses to gain more experience and hold certifications under my belt.”
“I would like to purchase or build a garage in order to store more vehicles,” he remarked. “Eventually I would like to have a large warehouse with quite a few employees where we can do wraps for all sorts of things like boats, commercial vehicles, racecars, even business graphics for buildings.”
Whether he decides to serve in the Army or if he chooses to continue his business outside the Army, some of things he has learned in the Army such as paying attention to detail, will serve him well either way he goes.
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2021 21:44 |
| Story ID: | 394307 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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