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[Page S7151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING 14TH STAR BREWERY
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to celebrate the success of a
Vermont entrepreneur and small business owner, Steve Gagner, of 14th
Star Brewery. Started in 2012, 14th Star Brewery began in a hand-built
brew house in St. Albans, VT, with beer brewed in repurposed maple sap
collection tanks. Under the leadership of the team he has assembled,
the company has grown immensely since then, increasing their staff to
24 and moving to a new location where they are expected to produce over
8,000 barrels of craft beer by year-end. 14th Star has become widely
popular throughout Vermont and distributes to six nearby States.
The creation of this Vermont brewery, however, began on the
battlefields of Afghanistan. The founders of 14th Star, Steve Gagner
and Matt Kehaya, served in Afghanistan with the Vermont Army National
Guard. During their deployment, they drafted the business plan for
their dream company on the back of a notebook. Even as the business has
grown dramatically, Steve continues to serve in the Vermont Army
National Guard and has been named commanding officer of the Army
Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, VT. Steve was deployed for two
combat tours and is a two-time Bronze Star recipient. He also teaches
the next generation of leaders as an assistant professor at Norwich
University.
Named after Vermont's status as the 14th State to join the Union,
Steve has ensured that 14th Star Brewery maintains a close tie to
service of our fellow Vermonters. Taking its values from Steve and his
close-knit leadership team, the brewery directs a portion of its
proceeds towards supporting Purple Hearts Reunited, an organization
founded by fellow Vermont Guardsman Zach Fike to return lost or stolen
military medals to veterans and their families. Each June, which is
PTSD awareness month, 14th Star releases a special brew, 11Bravo, and
hosts an annual event to support the Josh Pallotta fund for addressing
veteran suicides, in memory of his fellow Vermont Guardsman.
Steve and 14th Star are proud and devoted members of the St. Albans
and Franklin County community, serving every way possible, such as
raising enough funds to ensure eggs and milk were supplied to a local
kitchen for an entire year. 14th Star's tireless efforts to give back
to their community and the State shows how far a small business's
impact can go.
Marcelle and I have enjoyed getting to know Steve and his wife Nicole
over the years. During the Vermont Brewers Festival in 2015, Steve
kindly gave me a tour of the festival and introduced me to many amazing
brewers within our State. Marcelle and I have also had the pleasure of
visiting 14th Star Brewery, where we were impressed not only by the
creativity and quality of the beer but also the sense of community they
have fostered by creating a welcoming gathering space in St. Albans.
His sister and business partner, Andrea Gagner, who is the CEO of 14th
Star, has also joined us in DC to participate in the annual Taste of
Vermont on Capitol Hill for 2 years, and Marcelle and I have enjoyed
spending time with her at the event.
I was proud to hear that Steve was chosen as the Vermont Small
Business Person of the Year earlier this year. I have seen firsthand
the dedication Steve has not only to his community in St. Albans but
also to the veteran's community. He has an outstanding work ethic and I
applaud him for all the selfless work to give back to his community. I
believe Steve truly exemplifies what it means to be a small business
owner in Vermont and he is very deserving of this high recognition.
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