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AUSTIN (KXAN) – When Anthony Gantt moved to Austin on military orders in 2018 to serve as a ROTC instructor at the University of Texas at Austin, he learned firsthand the financial consequences of military career advancement for families.
With more than 21 years of service in the Marine Corps. Gantt, his wife, and their six children decided to rent a vacation home instead of staying in a hotel room while they waited for their Austin home to close.
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The Joint Travel Regulations reimburses military service members for extended stays in hotels and other approved accommodation through certain booking channels during their military service. However, Gantt was unable to recover the $ 1,200 its vacation rental stay cost, despite the space, comfort, and tranquility it gave his family.
Gantt said a proverbial lightbulb went out in his head and inspired him to start a business offering alternative accommodations to military families facing moves or temporary service changes.
“I learned that certain booking channels are not allowed for official government travel and since any change of location is considered official government travel, I would not receive a refund,” he said. “And then I said there must be a company that already does that. And I thought I can’t believe no one does that. How do I do that? Should I do that? I want to do it. “
The business model was the first of its kind to hit the market and has since raised $ 100,000 in funding for Gantt.
Gantt was named a winner of Austin FC’s Dream Starter Program, an initiative aimed at “Recruiting Austinites from underrepresented groups, demonstrating ingenuity and competing” for $ 100,000.
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“To give to them [business] Founders who make a difference will be able to say, ‘Hey, I just need a little gasoline in the tank and I’ll show you how far I can drive this vehicle’ and then more people will be able to say, ‘Hey, I was one Part of it, ‘”said Gantt. “I think it only creates an ecosystem by contributing to the growth of our economy as a whole.”
“We all have a background that we are in today, we have shown perseverance, we have the courage and determination to win.”
anthony gantt, founder, atease rentals corporation
With a competitive pool of more than 80 companies, Gantt was selected as one of five finalists and later announced the winner at Austin FC’s first home game on June 19.
“I thought I’d be calm and cool and collected and just wave and say hello, but when you watch the videos?” Said Gantt with a laugh. “Then when all these fans were cheering with none of the athletes on the field, they were cheering at another local person doing something like me was amazing. It was surreal. As if you can’t even describe how it felt. “
At Ease gives military personnel the option to choose the type of property they want to live in – be it an apartment, house, condo, or hotel – the number of bedrooms and bathrooms available, as well as the type of amenities that are in the accommodation and in the surrounding districts.
The types of travel covered by the program include permanent station changes, temporary employment, vacation and freedom changes, and any combination of all three.
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“It’s all about mission readiness, and what I mean by that is all you can do to take the stress out of a service member and make them more able to move forward and accomplish their mission.” he said.
“[The government] takes care of it, hey, we come and help pay for the truck and the people who wrap you up, ”added Gantt. “But everything else is up to you as an individual, which is a great option because it gives us choices. But when you see that you cannot use the same resources and platforms as our civilian colleagues, then this selection is limited to these hotels. “
The $ 100,000 awarded At Ease will be used in marketing and promotion initiatives for the company to expand its reach to more military personnel and their families, he said. At Ease will work on adding a mobile rental application in addition to its website-based form after receiving feedback from interested service members, Gantt added.
Austin FC’s inaugural season details have focused on helping Austin businesses and artists, from the restaurants and vendors at Q2 Stadium to the musicians chosen for the home games.
Gantt said the Dream Starter program embodies the same feeling but takes it to the next level by targeting and supporting underrepresented groups to improve their chances of business success.
“It was hyper-focused helping founders or companies whose co-founders represent underrepresented people – people of color, LGBT, female founders,” he said. “So that was one of the great things about entering a competition and seeing my colleagues who all pitches that day had the determination to win.”
Do you have a story idea or a news tip? You can reach Kelsey Thompson, KXAN’s Digital Reporter, by email at kelsey.thompson@kxan.com, by phone at 512-703-5300, or on Twitter.
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