Community means family.
I think that's what it's turned into.
I'm going to cry.
I don't know why.
Alright, your turn to talk.
Hey everybody.
Sam from Bonn Place Brewing Company here, and this is my wife.
I'm Gina.
Bethlehem is one of the greatest steel towns in America.
When manufacturing had a downturn Bethlehem had to reinvent itself.
When I first met Sam and Gina, they had this dream that they wanted to accomplish.
When we first signed our lease on this building, people were questioning it, like "you sure you want to open a brewery on the south side of Bethlehem in the current climate?"
We were certain that it was ready for what we wanted to do.
We needed a bit of help to get this place opened...and everybody needs help.
When anybody ever comes to us and says, "We need help. What can we do? We don't know how to get through this red tape."
We say, "This is what we did. This might help you."
We even went to City Hall for someone once.
This is the community we can change.
What we can change is right here and right now.
Sam and Gina are very passionate about working with women entrepreneurs.
It's hard to start a business.
One thing Sam and Gina have been able to achieve is share the lessons they've learned with other business owners and convince them, "hey, it actually is possible."
We want to see businesses succeed with the opportunities that we've had.
So what better way than to mentor them.
We're all in this together, and it's the bigger picture.
Bonn Place is a catalyst for the regrowth of this community.
They're also now helping other young entrepreneurs get started.
Sam and Gina sat down with us and gave us tips and tricks of what to do to get started.
We had this idea.
And they believe in us.
How much they're committed to the growth of Bethlehem as a whole.
That's the real story.
[Applause]
They are the last two people who would want this bestowed upon them, but they are the most deserving.
So we all want to gather here today and say thank you, because we value everything that you put into Bethlehem.
There's a little bit more.
So, the contribution we made to a female entrepreneurship program, in your name.
We're absolutely thrilled.
Next year, with this gift, we're going to be able to serve even more women entrepreneurs.
The integrity of this community is real strong.
This is just the beginning.
Canada
