SOCKWORK: Rockwall native launches company to benefit veterans

July 24--Rockwall native, West Point graduate, Army veteran, and now entrepreneur Mario Barrett has recently started a company dedicated to benefiting veterans across the country.

The idea for "Sockwork: Socks with a Purpose" came to Mario and his wife, Tina, after becoming frustrated with the difficulty of raising money for veteran non-profits. After struggling to put together a fundraising event for Stop Soldier Suicide -- an organization that helps raise awareness about PTSD -- Mario thought there must be a better way. Always doing what they could to help veterans in their community, Mario and Tina knew it was time to make a bigger difference.

Mario graduated from West Point where he met Tina, who is originally from New York. He served in the military for seven total years: five in the Army and two in the National Guard. When he finished, he made every effort to readjust to civilian life, getting help from veterans' charities when he needed. Once he was succeeding on his own, he and Tina knew they wanted to do all they could to give back to the charities that gave to them, in turn helping others who have also served our country.

After graduating from the University of Texas with his master's of business administration, Mario wanted to create something more effective in helping veterans. A subscription model was what the Barretts sought, but settled on selling socks when Mario remembered his time in an internship where he felt "self-conscious" about his black socks.

"Being in the army, all I had was black socks. All of my coworkers had bright, colorful socks, and I decided I needed to spice up my game," he said.

Mario also admitted that his wife loves socks and was completely behind the idea.

Once they had their plan, all the Barrett's had to do was put it into action. A company called Crate Joy that specializes in subscription services took care of the small details, while the Barretts purchase the socks, advertise their business, create boxes, and ship out the product from their new home in Austin.

With Sockwork, any person can subscribe to receive "Guys or Gals" designer socks made by Richer Poorer for as little as $18 a month. Subscribers have their choice of styles, from professional to fun or a mixed box of both. Ten percent of every purchase is donated to a different veterans' charity every few months.

Sockwork donates to charities carefully chosen by Mario that assist veterans with emotional, mental, physical, and transitional services. Mario chose to support Stop Soldier Suicide after learning that an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day.

Team Red, White & Blue is another organization selected by Mario because it seeks to enrich veterans' lives by connecting them to their community, relieving some of the difficulty of reestablishing a civilian life. Suits for Soldiers supplies proper business attire to veterans seeking employment, as well as assists in finding employment opportunities.

This month, Sockwork supports Hire Heroes USA, a transitional organization that creates job opportunities and assists military veterans and their spouses in seeking employment.

After only two months of business, Sockwork has donated over $500 to nonprofit veterans' charities. In the future, Sockwork hopes not only to assist veterans monetarily, but to also impact other veteran entrepreneurs in growing their brands and companies by pioneering a new subscription-based business model.

Mario believes his model creates a community effect between the charities and the companies supporting them, while also allowing for a predictable donation amount each month. In addition, Mario's model benefits purchasers by keeping their feet warm.

Subscription details and more information about Sockwork: Socks with a Purpose can be found on their website at sockwork.com.

___

(c)2014 the Rockwall County Herald-Banner (Greenville, Texas)

Visit the Rockwall County Herald-Banner (Greenville, Texas) at rockwallheraldbanner.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services