Top Franchise Brands for Veterans: Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co.

For many veterans, the move from military service to civilian life comes with a frustrating disconnect. The discipline, leadership and ability to operate under pressure developed in uniform are valuable, but they do not always translate neatly into a traditional civilian career path.

Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. offers a different kind of runway. The veteran-owned craft soda franchise is built around mobility and hands-on event execution, giving franchisees a chance to operate in high-energy environments without the fixed costs and rigidity of a traditional brick-and-mortar food and beverage concept.

Led by CEO Mike Quilty, a Navy veteran, and Chief Growth Officer Mike Russo, Wild Bill’s has built its franchise model around live events, operational support and a veteran-focused mission. Quilty and Russo, often referred to collectively as “Mike & Mike,” bring both military perspective and operator experience to a brand designed to meet customers where they already are.

The brand operates at state fairs, conventions, sporting events and private gatherings, serving nostalgic craft sodas through mobile wagons and event-based setups. Rather than waiting for customers to come to a storefront, Wild Bill’s goes directly to high-traffic events where guests are already looking to spend, connect and experience something memorable.

Russo said the company’s event-driven structure has always centered around bringing the brand directly to customers rather than relying on fixed retail locations.

“We’ve always been a mobile-first brand,” Russo said. “We go where the crowds are, and then we kind of become the watering hole of the event. We really leaned into the experiential. We become a staple and a tradition at events. Versus the retail storefront model with the real estate, overhead and fixed location, trying to get customers to your location, we just figured: Let’s go where the crowds are.”

That model has helped Wild Bill’s carve out a distinctive position in franchising. For veterans in particular, it offers a business that rewards consistency, logistics and performing under pressure — skills that are often second nature after military service.

The Leadership Behind the Mission

Wild Bill’s has taken a more deliberate approach to franchise growth, especially with veterans. The goal is to give owners a business they can realistically run and grow, with guidance from a team that understands both the upside of the opportunity and the challenges of the transition into ownership.

That support starts with reduced franchise fees and financing assistance, but it also extends into mentorship and hands-on operational training. Franchisees are trained on equipment setup, troubleshooting and route planning, along with support for inventory and sales operations. The company also helps owners identify and evaluate event opportunities, which can be one of the most important parts of building a successful Wild Bill’s business.

Russo said the business is designed to maximize flexibility and visibility while avoiding many of the overhead challenges that come with traditional storefront operations.

“As long as you’re putting that stand to work, it’s all about how efficient the piece of equipment is,” Russo said. “A lot of our franchisees aren’t investing so much in marketing. The marketing is being out at the events. It’s great visibility in addition to making sales. People are asking about your brand and asking about booking private events when you’re at the fair. You’re out there building the brand and doing sales at the same time.”

From Military Discipline to Event Execution

Steven Ortiz, a Marine Corps veteran and Wild Bill’s franchisee in Dallas-Fort Worth, shows how that model can work for veterans who are ready to translate military experience into entrepreneurship.

Ortiz first joined Wild Bill’s in 2018 as an event manager and later became general manager for the brand’s Texas territory. When COVID-19 disrupted the live events business, he was laid off, but he stayed in touch with Quilty while exploring entrepreneurship on his own. By 2022, Ortiz had signed on as a franchisee.

Ortiz already understood the business from the inside, having run events, managed the Texas territory and worked closely with the Wild Bill’s team. That experience made franchise ownership feel like a natural next step in a system that matched how he liked to work.

“I already had the knowledge,” Ortiz said. “I already knew how to run Wild Bill’s for the most part. It wasn’t something I was nervous about or had doubts about when he first brought it up to me. It didn’t take me very long to decide.”

Before franchising, Ortiz served in the Marine Corps as a fire direction controlman, a role that required precision and real-time coordination under pressure. While running a soda wagon at a packed festival is obviously different from artillery work, Ortiz said the underlying habits are similar: stay organized, follow the process and make sure the team knows exactly what to do when the pressure builds.

“It’s about organization and keeping things as organized as possible, doing things in the same order every single time,” Ortiz said. “That translated from the military. As soon as we got the data, we had to compute it by doing the steps in order. It’s the same thing with Wild Bill’s. As soon as we get as many customers as we can handle, we’re just doing everything the same every single time. That way, nobody has an issue, and it runs as smoothly as possible.”

Event weekends move fast, and there is not much room for hesitation once the gates open. Inventory has to be loaded correctly, equipment has to work and staff has to stay organized when the crowds pick up. Veterans who are comfortable operating in structured, fast-moving environments often adjust naturally to that pace.

A Business That Can Grow With the Operator

Wild Bill’s also gives franchisees room to scale. Some operators may treat the business as a lifestyle opportunity with a manageable number of annual events. Others, like Ortiz, see the potential to build a larger regional operation with multiple units, consistent staff and a full calendar of public and private events.

Ortiz now operates three units in the DFW market and has grown from a modest event schedule to dozens of events per year. His long-term goal is to keep expanding the territory, increase event volume and create more opportunities for people around him, including other veterans.

That mission is personal. After leaving the Marines, Ortiz said he struggled to find civilian employers who understood the value of his background. Even entry-level opportunities were not always easy to access, despite the leadership experience he brought.

“One of the first places I applied to was 24 Hour Fitness because I just needed a part-time job while I was going to school,” Ortiz said. “They emailed me within the week and told me I didn’t have enough job experience. I remember being heartbroken. That’s the main thing for me now — being able to provide opportunities for veterans getting out who need mentorship and somebody to talk to. That’s the most important part for me.”

That perspective mirrors the larger mission behind Wild Bill’s veteran franchise program. The brand offers more than veteran incentives. It has created a framework where former service members can step into ownership with support, structure and a business model that rewards many of the traits they already bring to the table.

For veterans looking for a franchise opportunity that offers event-driven revenue, operational discipline and a business model built around community engagement, Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. stands out as a brand built with their strengths in mind.

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