JOHNSON CITY, Tenn (WJHL) — A Tri-Cities business owner wants to help veterans leaving the military find a new career.

“There are plenty of veterans who are coming to the area trying to transition,” said Craig Charles, owner of Crown Cutz Academy of Barber and Style, a barber and cosmetology school based in Johnson City. “One of the key things you look for is jobs.”

Charles and his colleagues are working to spread the word that veterans can use their GI Bill and get training in the barber and cosmetology industry.

“We give them opportunities with careers like cosmetology, barbering, aesthetics manicures and pedicures for men and women,” he said.

Charles says eight veterans currently are enrolled in the school. One of them is Kang Hoon Choi who moved to Johnson City to enroll in the veteran-friendly program. “I’d like to open a barber shop and hire some barbers from the school that will benefit students and the community,” said Choi.

“The great thing about that is they get a stipend to go to school, so they get paid to go to school and they get their school paid for,” he said.

He’s now hosting career fairs to help veterans learn about opportunities, and he’s working with a team who say helping veterans is a way of saying thanks.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the veterans who served the country to keep us protected, said Natanya Richele Conley, owner of NRC Design Solutions, a company that’s partnered with Crown Cutz Academy in the job fair. “This is the least we can do to get through the transition and continue to have careers after the military.