This Veterans Day, we’re spotlighting Flags of Valor, a veteran-owned, Virginia-based manufacturing company dedicated to building 100% American-sourced, American-made wooden flags, awards, and lifestyle goods while creating sustained employment for service-disabled veterans.
Brian Steorts founded Flags of Valor to combine domestic manufacturing with a mission-driven workforce. Today, Brian is also a key partner and team member at BAMKO, giving his corporate clients direct access to enterprise-scale sourcing, custom apparel, packaging, and end-to-end branded merchandise programs.
We sat down with Brian to discuss the realities of building an uncompromisingly domestic supply chain, why companies are prioritizing veteran-owned corporate gifts, and how his partnership with BAMKO makes purpose-driven procurement seamless at scale.
The Origins of Flags of Valor: Mission-Driven American Woodcraft
Q: What was the inspiration behind starting Flags of Valor?
Brian: The company grew out of a challenging period of recovery and personal loss. I spent 15 years in the military across both the Army and the Air Force—first as an infantry paratrooper and later as a special operations pilot, deploying nine times downrange. Following a service-connected injury that required surgery, I was grounded and undergoing daily physical rehabilitation. Over that same short span of time, I lost several close friends in combat, as well as my sister, who was also a military veteran.
While going through rehab, I realized how much I missed wearing the flag on my uniform sleeve every day. At the time, no one was manufacturing solid-wood, handcrafted American flags. Without any formal woodworking background, I picked up basic tools, raw lumber, sandpaper, and paint, and started building them myself. Working with raw materials- sanding, cutting, painting- became deeply therapeutic.
The turning point came when I gave the first completed flags to the families and widows of the teammates I had lost. Seeing what those pieces meant to them gave me a clear sense of direction. It showed me that this work could go beyond a personal outlet; it could become a viable, lasting business dedicated to honoring service, sourcing strictly within the United States, and providing stable employment and purpose for other veterans.
Q: How does Flags of Valor support veteran-led non-profits and military families through each product sold?
Brian: It starts right inside our own woodshop. Every purchase directly sustains our mission of employing veterans, including service-disabled veterans, providing competitive wages, meaningful work, and the steady camaraderie that can be difficult to find after transitioning out of the military.
Beyond our internal team, giving back has been built into our operational model from day one. We partner closely with several veteran service organizations, with a strong focus on programs that train and transition veterans into skilled trades, helping strengthen the domestic workforce.
We also donate hundreds of our handcrafted products every year to veteran-led non-profits and military charities. These organizations use our flags and woodwork as featured auction items to raise critical funding, or present them as gifts to honor donors, families of the fallen, and community leaders. By supplying these pieces at no cost, we help those organizations generate substantial resources for families facing acute hardship, turning our shop floor hours into tangible support for the broader military community.
100% American-Made Corporate Gifts: Sourcing & Manufacturing Standards
Q: Why was committing to 100% American-grown, sourced, and manufactured materials a non-negotiable standard from day one?
Brian: If you’re building a symbol of our nation to honor the people who defended it, cutting corners on materials is completely out of the question. A lot of brands will import foreign parts, assemble the final product domestically, and stamp it “Made in USA.” We rejected that approach from day one.
For us, committing to true domestic manufacturing means every single link in the supply chain supports American businesses and American workers. That standard applies to the entire build, not just the lumber: our Eastern white pine is harvested right here in the United States, but so are the nails, the industrial wood glue, the paint, the stains, and the finishes. Even the corrugated shipping boxes and the packing tape we use to send orders out the door are manufactured right here at home.
Keeping 100% of our sourcing domestic ensures our dollars stay in American communities, strengthens our domestic industrial base, and guarantees our customers are getting an authentically made American piece from the raw timber down to the smallest nail.
Q: Can you walk us through the craft behind each piece, from lumber selection to the finishing touches?
Brian: It begins with sourcing raw Eastern white pine, chosen specifically for its quality and grain. Once that lumber arrives at our shop, our veteran artisans step in to cut, route, and hand-sand each board, prepping the raw material and ensuring the distinct character of the wood shows through.
From there, we carve the star fields using CNC precision machinery, which gives every star a clean, three-dimensional depth rather than a flat, printed surface. Next comes the finish work: every stripe and union is carefully hand-painted, stained, and sealed to protect the wood while preserving its texture. Finally, the entire piece is assembled entirely by hand, bonded structural point by structural point using heavy-duty wood glue and nails.
When a client or company displays one of our pieces, they aren’t looking at a mass-produced novelty that rolled off an automated conveyor belt. They’re looking at an heirloom shaped with patience, discipline, and pride by someone who wore our nation’s uniform.
While flags are our signature build, we apply this exact same veteran-led craftsmanship to our broader catalog of functional, premium woodworking gifts:
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- Challenge coin presentation holders and display racks
- Edge-grain cutting boards and serving blocks
- Solid wood drink coasters
- Wall-mounted cast-iron bottle openers
- Heirloom holiday ornaments
- Handcrafted keepsake and cigar boxes
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Q: What are the biggest challenges, and the greatest rewards, of building a fully domestic manufacturing shop in today’s global supply market?
Brian: Competing in a globalized market is always an uphill climb when foreign supply chains can cut corners, slash prices with cheap offshore labor, and rely on synthetic materials. Doing things domestically and doing them right costs more and takes longer.
The reward that balances all of that out is what happens inside our shop every single day: restoring the camaraderie that so many veterans lose when they hang up the uniform. Leaving military service often means walking away from a tightly knit brotherhood, clear accountability, and a shared sense of mission.
We know what veterans bring to the table: discipline, unmatched attention to detail, and a deep sense of ownership. We served our country together downrange, and now we get to build things together back home. That shared environment creates an extraordinary culture on the production floor, and you can feel that pride of service in every single piece that leaves our doors.
Elevating Corporate Gifting: The Flags of Valor & BAMKO Partnership
Q: How does your background as the founder of Flags of Valor shape how you advise BAMKO clients on merchandise and gifting?
Brian Steorts: I stepped into branded merchandise sales about a year ago out of a direct need for my Flags of Valor clientele. Clients loved our wooden flags and woodwork, but they kept asking for more: “Can you get us American-made hats, branded apparel, golf balls, drinkware, or event swag?”
I’ve had deep relationships at BAMKO for years. Partnering with BAMKO gave me the global sourcing engine, design muscle, and logistics infrastructure to be a true one-stop solution without ever compromising our woodshop’s focus.
For instance, we recently built out full culture packs for a major tech client. Instead of just delivering an award, we combined our handcrafted wooden flags, challenge coins, matching coin holders, cloth flags, and kids’ flag-building kits with premium USA-made apparel and caps. My background as an artisan ensures that intentionality and material quality stay front and center, while BAMKO provides the enterprise scale to execute seamlessly.
Q: How do Flags of Valor and BAMKO help brands shift from disposable swag to purpose-driven, heirloom-quality gifts?
Brian: Most promo merchandise ends up in a desk drawer or a landfill. Corporate buyers are realizing that every dollar spent on gifting can either be an expense or an investment in a relationship and a message.
Through Flags of Valor and BAMKO, we deliver pieces that people keep on their walls and desks for decades:
- Executive & Speaker Recognition: Premium handcrafted pieces for retiring leaders, board members, and guest keynote speakers that carry real storytelling power.
- Veteran & First Responder Milestones: Authentic tributes given by organizations honoring military personnel, first responders, or patriotic milestones at major sporting events and galas.
- Corporate Culture & Onboarding: Purpose-driven bundles that welcome new team members with values-aligned gear rather than disposable trinkets.
- Patriotic & Domestic Pride: Highlighting companies headquartered in the USA that want to demonstrate authentic support for American manufacturing and veteran livelihoods.
When you present a piece made by a service-disabled veteran, the story behind the gift becomes the real present. It starts an immediate conversation about shared values.
Q: What does the future hold for Flags of Valor as you continue expanding product lines and deepening your partnership with BAMKO?
Brian: It’s all about intentionality and frictionless access. We’re doubling down on multi-item culture and gifting packs that bundle custom woodworking with domestic apparel and curated hard goods. We’re also rolling out dedicated client web portals where corporate teams can log in and order pre-approved, custom-branded packs, apparel, and milestone awards on demand.
No matter how large the client program is, the baseline never shifts: every project must carry intention, support American craftspeople, and deliver a lasting story.
Elevate Your Organization’s Gifting Strategy
Move past throwaway promo items. Build an award, executive gift, or employee culture program that celebrates authentic craftsmanship and supports veteran-owned diversity vendors.
Connect with the BAMKO Team to design custom, USA-made executive gifts, employee culture packs, and milestone recognition programs.
Flags of Valor & Veteran-Made Corporate Gifting FAQ
