Gabriel Wander - A Man on a Mission
All things seem to happen at the right time for Wander Staffing and its president, Gabriel Wander, whose life experiences and training led him to be the successful business owner he is today. When meeting Gabe Wander and his colleagues, there is a vitality and excitement that permeates among them where the past, present, and future connect to carry out a vision that has been leading them for many years.
A combat veteran many times over, Mr. Wander served over two decades in the Army as a Combat Medic, Emergency Medical Technician, ambulance squad leader, Medical-Surgical Nurse, Cardiac Intensive Care Nurse, Triage Officer for the National Disaster Assistance Response Team, parachutist, and finally, an Officer and Board-Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist (CRNA). After a traumatic parachute injury, Wander thought he would retire early and transition back into civilian life as a CRNA.
After his first staffing contract as a new hire, he realized there was potential in not just being the staff but staffing the staff! He ventured forth, studying the intricacies of staffing contracts, and executed his first contract with himself as the new recruit! Thus, Wander Staffing was born! He continued along this journey, gained his Veteran-Owned Status, and worked long weekend shifts as a CRNA so he could focus on being a business owner the other days of the week.
Wander took the knowledge he knew about the medical field, its needs for critical staffing, and the demand for qualified medical personnel and coupled it with the close relationships he had gained with the hospitals and hiring agents among San Antonio’s expansive medical facilities. The unrelenting demands of the pandemic spearheaded his operations as he learned fast how to vet, hire, and place needed clinicians.
But the cost of securing highly trained employees was not cheap and the father of five was working relentlessly to pay himself and his growing team of reliable nurses and physicians placed across the United States. Wander needed funding to keep up the momentum and turned to the SBA for a Revolving Line of Credit. That financial assistance was a parachute, a lifeline that kept the business afloat and food on the table while Wander still headed to the hospital every weekend to make it all stretch.
Wander eventually learned the benefits of the 8(a) program and began to study it until he became an expert on its certification and compliance requirements. Wander found the SBA San Antonio District Office Business Opportunity Specialist, Eric Spencer, extremely helpful as he marks his fourth year on his 8(a) journey, which has helped solidify Wander Staffing as a premier choice for filling positions. This has given them the confidence to battle with the bigger companies for contracts. Gabe Wander only recently stopped working weekends and night shifts at the hospitals and has felt financially strong enough to focus solely on his business. He has learned to delegate more responsibility among his small, but mighty, executive team.
Wander speaks of his experience with the SBA, stating that “SBA has been absolutely instrumental in the growth of my business, guiding us from a dream to a thriving reality with 3,200% growth since our start in 2018. When I transitioned from the Army after 20 years of service, I participated in the Boots to Business program, which opened my eyes to entrepreneurship and the possibilities ahead. From there, I dove into every resource the SBA offered—reading their materials on government contracting, engaging with the University of Texas at San Antonio Procurement Technical Assistance Center to navigate System for Awards Management (SAM) registration and compliance, and learning through their classes.
"The SBA’s guaranteed revolving line of credit provided critical financial stability during key growth phases, allowing us to invest in infrastructure and talent. Programs like SCORE introduced me to mentors who shared invaluable insights, and Bidmatch helped me identify opportunities that matched our capabilities. Additionally, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans at Texas A&M further refined my business acumen and leadership, preparing me to meet the challenges of scaling my company.
"Thanks to the SBA and its ecosystem of support, I’ve not only built a successful company but also a team dedicated to serving our nation’s Veterans and supporting healthcare in underserved communities. The SBA has truly been a cornerstone in our journey, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”