Barnes & Thornburg and Bell’s Brewery Partner to Honor Local Veterans

GRAND RAPIDS – In honor of Veterans Day, Barnes & Thornburg teamed up with Bell’s Brewery to host a celebration for Grand Rapids area veterans. This community event was held on Nov. 6 at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and included local food, music and programming featuring local veterans. 

Veterans in the Grand Rapids community shared a few words about their experiences in the U.S. armed forces and the importance of celebrating and recognizing those who serve. Speakers included Steven Merkel, retired U.S. Army colonel and Barnes & Thornburg’s chief operating officer, CSM (Ret.) David Dunckel, strategy specialist at the Michigan Veterans Affairs Association, and Paul Dragicevich, a Bell’s Brewery employee and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp.

In addition to the programming, the event featured the first-ever untapping of Bell’s Brewery’s newest beer in their Celebration Series. The beer, called “Goin’ Dark,” is brewed by veterans at Bell’s or employees with close ties to a veteran. This Coffee Stout, brewed with barrel-aged coffee beans, represents the many night missions accomplished by military personnel. 

“I’m honored to speak alongside other veterans in our community at this great event celebrating their service,” said Merkel. “There are many hardships that come along with the privilege of serving our country.  It’s so important to remember and recognize not only the veterans who risk their lives to keep us safe, but their families back at home who endure so many sacrifices to allow them to do that.” 

This event was held on Wednesday, November 6, at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. 

With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.