Iraq War veteran Justin Billard retired from running a private detective agency and decided to shift toward safer work, especially since he has a wife, a four-year-old and a set of newborn twins at home.
He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. for eight years with a Marine Wing Support Squadron, and was deployed in Iraq from 2004-2005.
After his detective business, he decided to start another business, except this time he will support and employ fellow veterans who have given so much of themselves to selflessly serve our country.
For now, the business, called Tools for Veterans, is set up in his home garage in Michigan, but he eventually plans to expand the business to a larger workshop.
Billard collects old hand tools and then cleans and restores them to sell online and at local events. He also plans on posting instructional videos on tool restoration.
But these aren’t just any tools – they all have a story and are a piece of history. After cleaning up a bench vice he got at a garage sale, he discovered a plaque on it that showed it was from the World War II era.
Two of his current employees are veterans, and he plans on hiring more in the near future.
Not only is he providing veterans with a job, but he is also donating part of his profits to charities that support veterans’ causes, especially those who live near him in Livingston County. Organizations that address mental health counseling, training service dogs for veterans, veteran homelessness and suicide prevention, are the causes that he holds close to his heart.
In addition to his new business, he also made it his mission to help tell veterans’ stories. He will be interviewing different veterans and sharing their stories on social media.
“I think documenting those stories is important to get the whole picture,” Billard told Livingston Daily. “What did they do when they returned? Were they married during their service? Some guys have 30 or 40 years of career experience after the service.”
Visit ToolsForVeterans.com to learn more.