As a public official and an Iraq War veteran, state Sen. Dale Kooyenga has often found himself helping at local Memorial Day parades.
“(Memorial Day) is my day of reflection to think of the sacrifice (service members) made. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, most Americans don’t know someone personally who has made that sacrifice, which is very different than the American experience 30, 50 or 70 years ago,” Kooyenga said.
When thinking of ways he could bring the memory of these service members alive for younger generations, the idea behind Hero Cards Benefit Corp. was born. Kooyenga and Craig Du Mez, co-founder and chief marketing officer, officially launched the business in March.
The Hero Cards project involves two components: a physical collector’s card with an image or likeness of a fallen veteran and some basic information about their life as well as a permanent online tribute with a more detailed story.
“It’s a whole experience that starts with the card but pulls you into the larger story,” Kooyenga said.
So far, 39 veterans have been honored with their own card. Through an annual membership, customers receive 12 new cards each month. Each card has an accompanying online narrative that tells a longer story for each veteran. Individual packs of cards are available for purchase as well.
“You look at the number of heroes that lost their lives from the Revolutionary War to present day. … That’s a tall order, and it’s not going to be completed in our lifetime, but we can do it one hero at a time,” Du Mez said.
Hero Cards is registered as a benefit corporation, which is a for-profit company that considers additional stakeholders on top of making a profit. In this case, Hero Cards provides a portion of every membership sold, currently $25, to various veterans’ organizations.
In addition to donating proceeds, Kooyenga wants to eventually hire more veterans to work as artists and researchers. Hero Cards has committed to employing current guardsmen, reservists or veterans as more than 50% of its staff. The only official Hero Cards employee at this point is Du Mez, but several veteran artists have been commissioned for artwork.
Hero Cards recently secured a $250,000 investment from an anonymous investor, which will help with the process of hiring additional employees.
Location: Waukesha
Founder: Sen. Dale Kooyenga and professional illustrator Craig Du Mez
Founded: 2022
Service: Maker of collectible cards and online gallery honoring fallen U.S. veterans
Website: herocards.us
Employees: 2
Goal: Eventually create a card for every fallen U.S. service member; become a profitable company
Experience: Kooyenga is an Iraq War veteran and director of Alligator Holdings LLC.
