Political Quotes

“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.…”