Brewery inducted into Hall of Fame
Virtual event was a first for annual celebration
WEST SADSBURY » The Chester County Economic Development Council’s Business Hall of Fame has two new members.
Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet, co-founders and brewmasters of Victory Brewing Company were inducted Wednesday in a ceremony that was live streamed for the first time ever — from Victory Brewing in West Sadsbury — to a virtual audience of about 125 of the region’s business leaders.
The event is the Chester County Economic Development Council’s most high profile business gathering of the year, according to Gary Smith, president and CEO of the council.
Originally scheduled for April, the event was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it became clear social distancing regulations would prevent an in-person event this year, the live stream was scheduled.
“Induction into this Business Hall of Fame is the highest business distinction we can bestow upon leaders,” Smith said Wednesday.
The Chester County Economic Development Council’s relationship with Covaleski and Barchet began in 1995, according to Smith. The council assisted Victory Brewing with securing its flagship brewery and restaurant in Downingtown, as well as a business loan to help with equipment needs, according to the agency. Victory Brewing opened in Downingtown in 1996, and the Chester County Economic Development Council has worked with Covaleski and Barchet ever since.
Covaleski and Barchet, Smith said, “continue to grow an impressive company.”
Moskowitz added that Covaleski and Barchet were being recognized not just for being visionaries and pioneers of the craft beer industry, but also for what they give back to the community.
“Whether volunteering on boards, donating beer to charitable events or lending their voices to champion the virtues of Chester County, they are always there,” Moskowitz said.
Covaleski and Barchet have been friends since 1973 when they met as fifth-graders on the school bus. As adults they participated in friendly home brewing competitions before deciding to leave their corporate careers to study with the best in the brewing industry in the U.S. and Germany.
Ultimately, they created Victory Brewing Company, which now employs more than 300 people in Pennsylvania, including in Downingtown, West Sadsbury and Kennett Square.
“It’s not too often guys with beers in their hands are inducted into a prestigious Hall of Fame,” Covaleski said Wednesday.” For that reason and many others, there is much to be thankful for and reflective on today.”
He went on to thank his family and Victory Brewing team members for their support.
“The incredible team that surrounds Ron and I every day gives us inspiration. The drive, creativity, care and concern for the future that they embody is inspiring to say the least,” Covaleski added.
Victory Brewing has been part of Artisanal Brewing Ventures since Feb. 2016, when it announced an alliance with Southern Tier Brewing Company. Sixpoint Brewery in New York and Bold Rock Hard Cider in Virginia have also joined Artisanal Brewing. Victory remains the largest brewer involved in the venture.
“When we wrote our business plan in 1994, there were 460 brewers in the U.S. At the close of 2019, there were 8,386. We (Artisanal Brewing Ventures) reached No. 10 in the U.S. for annual production — No. 10 founded in Chester County. That is a victory for us to celebrate,” Covaleski added.
Barchet said he is “humbled to think that 25 years ago we came to Chester County with a dream, a solid idea and a pretty good business plan. None of what we know of Victory even existed at that point — an amazing thought about what can happen in 25 years.”
He said there are two things the company cannot be without — customers and employees.
“Thousands of employees over the years have made it their mission to make customers happy,” he said. “And then of course the customers. We’re proud we have Chester County as our home and a population that loves good beer.”
“All the help we have had has been critical — I want to thank everybody out there listening that had a part of that, that this victory is yours,” Barchet added.
Also on hand for the virtual event Wednesday were Chester County Commissioners Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline.
Kichline called Victory Brewing an ambassador for Chester County.
“You can go anywhere — not just in Pennsylvania, but around the world and everyone knows Victory Brewing. You have led the revitalization — what we call the ‘brew-vitalization’ in Chester County,” she said.
“What you have done in Downingtown over 25 years is give hundreds — maybe thousands — employment, and given an entire community of people pride of where they are from,” Maxwell, who is from Downingtown, said.
Both Moskowitz and Smith reflected on the events of the past three months, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread.
“A combination of preparation, partnerships and smart investing has helped Chester County to keep our COVID-19 numbers lower than all other counties in the region, has helped us to cope with the physical, emotional and economic challenges that COVID-19 has brought, and has helped us to make informed decisions on our ability to restore and reopen Chester County safely,” Moskowitz said.
Smith also talked about the shift in the way the Chester County Economic Development Council has worked over the past couple of months, transitioning to an “all hands on deck” organization.
That includes processing 576 applications for funding through the Federal CARES Act, resulting in $58 million for small businesses in Chester County; procuring more than 500,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment; and managing a $5 million grant fund established by Chester County Government, which saw 249 grants distributed to local businesses with an average grant size of $20,000.
Smith said that much has changed over the council’s 60-year history and the last three months.
“But one thing stays: our commitment to the economic health of the county. It’s our primary job. We are always nimble and responsive to you, the business community.”