LONGVIEW, Texas — The COVID-19 pandemic has closed businesses across East Texas, but Matthew and Lucero Harris saw it as an opportunity to start a new business.
They started a new business called Operation Unbroken. Everything the company sells is produced by veterans and veteran-owned companies, and those companies all give back to the veteran community.
"A lot of people think that we are a nonprofit, and I like to tell them no, we are a business which is just like any other retail store," Lucero Harris said. But creating a nonprofit is part of Operation Unbroken's long-term plan.
Despite a global pandemic, Operation Unbroken has found ways to support veterans across East Texas. "We've been able to kind of grow our veteran community a lot that which was something that wasn't expected."
By 2021, Matthew and Lucero Harris hope to expand to other cities in East Texas.
"We got our roots in Longview, but we also want to expand into Tyler, by next year, for sure, and definitely carry more products," Matthew Harris said. "So we're always looking for more veterans, you know, to reach out to us as well as us reaching out to them."
It is important growth, learning, and expansion, as East Texas works to get back to business.