Travis McVey, USMC Veteran: The Inspiring Story Behind Heroes Vodka

In the bustling world of the spirits industry, one brand stands out as a true beacon of patriotism and purpose – Heroes Vodka. Founded by Travis McVeigh, a Marine Corps veteran, this unique vodka brand is more than just a delicious spirit; it's a testament to the sacrifices and service of those who have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation.

Travis shared his remarkable journey, from growing up in a small town in Indiana to becoming a decorated Marine and ultimately, an entrepreneur driven by a deep sense of duty and camaraderie.

Travis' story is one of resilience and determination. Facing the challenges of his parents' divorce at a young age, he found solace and discipline in the military, joining the Army Reserves at just 16 and later transitioning to the Marine Corps. It was during his time at the prestigious Marine Barracks 8th and I in Washington, D.C., that Travis forged unbreakable bonds with two fellow Marines, Richard and Tommy, who would later become the inspiration behind Heroes Vodka.

Tragically, both Richard and Tommy lost their lives in the line of duty – Richard as an Indiana state trooper and Tommy in Afghanistan. It was in the wake of these devastating losses that Travis found his true calling, determined to honor their memory and the sacrifices of all service members through his entrepreneurial endeavor.

With a passion for service and a drive to succeed, Travis set out to create a vodka brand that would not only be a high-quality spirit but also a vehicle for giving back to the veteran community. The journey was not without its challenges, as Travis navigated the complexities of the spirits industry as a newcomer.

However, through perseverance and a willingness to learn, Travis partnered with industry veteran Robert Lippmann. Together, they leveraged the buying power and expertise of industry giants like Buffalo Trace to create a product that could compete with established brands while maintaining an affordable price point.

What sets Heroes Vodka apart is not just its exceptional taste, but the ethos that underpins the brand. Crafted from 100% American corn and free of gluten and glycerin, the vodka is a pure, high-quality spirit that can be enjoyed straight or in a variety of cocktails.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Heroes Vodka has continued to grow, expanding its distribution to several states and garnering recognition for its quality, with the brand winning multiple gold and silver medals.

As the brand prepares to unveil a fresh, new look in the new year, Travis encourages supporters to reach out to their local retailers and request Heroes Vodka.

Throughout the interview, Travis' resilience and compassion shone through.

His message of "post-traumatic growth" – the idea that we can emerge from tragedy as better, more empathetic individuals – is a powerful testament to the human spirit. Travis' willingness to be vulnerable and share his own struggles serves as an inspiration to others who may be facing their own challenges, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, there is the potential for growth and triumph.

The story of Heroes Vodka is one that transcends the boundaries of the spirits industry. It is a tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the unwavering determination of a veteran-turned-entrepreneur who is committed to honoring those who have served. Through his brand, Travis McVeigh is not only creating a high-quality product but also building a community that celebrates the unsung heroes of our nation.

As we raise a glass to Heroes Vodka, we are also raising a glass to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedom. It is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of community, and the transformative potential of turning tragedy into triumph.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hi, everybody. You're listening to Wake up with
Patty Katter. And of course, I'm Patty Katter
Today. I am so thrilled to tell you I
have Travis McVeigh on my show. Travis is a Marine Corps
veteran, and I have been waitingfor this day for so long.
Welcome to the show, Travis. Thank you Patty, appreciate you
having me on and give me this forum.

(00:22):
Yeah, you are one of the most gogetter people that I know.
And you just light up a room when you walk in.
I've been to a couple of events,Yeah, I've been to a couple of
events with you there. And as soon as you walk in, just
the energy just goes up. I think it's the spirit that I
represent and like I say, that'skind of a punt since I do Heroes

(00:45):
Vodka. But it's it's what it represents
and it makes me happy. It makes me go into a room and
be able to talk about my friendsand what we're trying to do.
That's true. I don't think anybody gets too
sad when we hear vodka. No, no, I do still cry about my
friends, but I, I used to get mad at myself for that.
But they're actually more tears of joy than they are of sadness.
It's just remembering them and, and all because they were the

(01:06):
inspiration behind it. So it really, really affects me
differently. Sometimes I still see them in
the room when I go in. Sometimes, you know, I can just
put them in my mind and it makesit a lot better.
Yeah. And I want to talk about you a
little bit and more about your company.
Tell me though, first, where, where did you come from?
How did you grow up a little bit?
And I really want to hang on your company and what you're

(01:29):
doing today. OK, they all go together,
especially my early years. I grew up in a small town called
Austin IN high school class of 98, my parents dad worked at the
post office. My mom was a stay at home mom
for a long time. And then my parents divorced
when I was about 12, which is not a good age.

(01:49):
Divorce is not good at any time.But that age, it affected me a
lot. But you know, I didn't, I kind
of started partying too much, hanging out with the wrong
people and I needed some discipline in my life.
So at 16 I joined the Army Reserves when you could do that.
So after my junior year of high school, I went to a basic
training at Fort Knox, became a soldier, went back, finished my

(02:09):
senior year of high school. After that, I went to AIT in
Fort Jackson, finished up my training in the Army, but then I
was in the same town, the same people, the same environment.
So I was like, I got to do something different.
So my brother was a Marine and my parents always thought, you
know, the Marines were just a little bit tougher and treat him
a little bit like that. I, I, I think looking back at
it. So I said, well, my brother can

(02:29):
do it. I know I can do it.
So I joined the Marine Corps. I did very well in the Marine
Corps. I, I was a big runner in high
school. I won the Junior Olympics at 13
years old. I could run a mile and 4:20, so
I only weighed like 136 lbs whenI joined the Marine Corps.
And so then I qualify. I didn't know of that.
But during that time they have ascreening team for a Marine
Barracks 8th and I, the White House screening team, Yankee

(02:51):
White program. So when I was going to infantry
school, they come out and they interview us and you never know
the last minute I was getting onthe bus for my orders to
Security Forces school and they got me off the bus that I've
been selected to Marine Barracks8th and I.
So that was a big change in my life.
It actually brought a lot of things into place for my future.
And so I get on a bus. I go to DC in October of 1989.

(03:14):
You know, President George HW Bush was the 41st president of
the United States. The world was totally different
to Twin Towers. We're still standing.
And but it was such an honor to be there at 19 years old, you
know, be there at the White House and at Camp David and
things like that. And I became friends with two
other Marines there became like brothers to me, Richard and
Tommy. But unfortunately, Richard was

(03:34):
killed as an Indiana State trooper.
My friend Thomas was killed in Afghanistan.
And that's what gave me the inspiration for Heroes Vodka.
It's just, you know, my relationship with them and
service and sacrifice is what I try to teach people.
That's what the brand's about, service and sacrifice.
So I consider service and sacrifice the silent heroes of a

(03:55):
thriving community. And that's true.
A lot of us do a lot of things behind the scenes that people
never know about, you know, about me because I have this
company, but I meet Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen all
over the place and students and outstanding things that just
people are not aware of. But also try to be an
inspiration to other people. If I could do this on a big
skill, they can do it too. You know, it's just, but luckily
I was naive at the start and I had a lot of a lot of people

(04:18):
that knew the industry that I put myself in the same room with
because you never want to be thesmartest person in the room, of
course. So that's what I partnered with
a man named Robert Littman. I spent two years learning how
to make vodka. I'd take all the 50ML bottles
together and me and my buddies would try them.
The ones we liked we would set to the side.
And once a month we'd overindulge in this to see,

(04:39):
we're trying to find the healthiest way to drink if
you're going to drink. And through that process, we
found that the corn was the bestingredient to make it from.
So we're 100% American corn and what that the buzzword now is
gluten free. People hear that all the time.
It's kind of died down a little bit.
Thank goodness, because everything just about in the
spirits world is gluten free anyway.
But the most important thing about my mind's glycerin free

(05:01):
glycerin is why dehydrate your body on an electric level.
So it's naturally gluten and glycerin free because it's made
from corn. And I got very lucky.
My business partner was man named Robert Lippman, was the
first distributor of alcohol in Tennessee, been a business since
1939, the first distributor of Jack Daniels.
So you know, you can't tell Marina can't do something or
he's going to die trying. So I just called the guy up on

(05:23):
the phone. Cole called him and he actually
answered his phone and he said, Travis, he said I have 150
different vodkas in my warehouse, but since you're a
veteran, I'll give you 20 minutes.
So we had a meeting that came inprepared, got a new suit, had my
PowerPoint all put together. I had my trademarks, I had the
juice, I had everything ready togo.
And at the end of it, he was very impressed.

(05:44):
He said, well how much experience do you have in this
industry? Really none.
I've self-taught myself. The Marines were found in the
bar. That's about the only thing we
had in common. And he was very impressed by
that. He said it's your passion, his
wife, what's what sold me on youand he said I can really help
you. So and that's how we got
started. He introduced me to Mark Brown,
the CEO of Buffalo Trace. And the people listening, they

(06:05):
know of Buffalo Trace because they make some of the best
bourbon in the world from Pappy Van Winkle to Weller to
Blanton's and things like that. And Mark Brown, I told Robert
he, so I'm going to have to meethim in person first.
So I drive to Louisville, I get to meet him.
He says, I see what Robert sees in you.
It is your passion. So he showed me all the
different bottles, all the different things you can choose
from and really help me. And I get the buying power of

(06:28):
Buffalo Trace. So that's what helps me be
competitive in this marketplace because a lot of guys starting
out, they don't have that buyingpower.
They don't have those relationships.
So they're charging 25 to 30 to $40 a bottle when you can buy
mine for $15.00, you know, so itmakes a big difference in that
way. And that's sort of a long story,
but that's what generated everything was from that.

(06:49):
Well, I love it and you know, I'm not a huge drinker.
I just don't like the taste of alcohol.
But I've tasted your vodka and it's really good.
It doesn't have like that horrible after taste that some
of them have. Taste.
Yeah, oh gosh, yeah. Most people mix, mix it anyway.
But yeah, I wanted to make sure as a pure enough spirit that you
can make a great martini, drink it straight.

(07:10):
So that's why we our taste our testing when we doing the test,
we always drink it straight justto see.
Because you can make vodka, mix it with anything.
That's what I like about it too.And the reason I chose vodka is
because it outsells all the other spirits combined.
And you can make it today and sell it tomorrow.
Basically, it's gender neutral and it's seasonal, so it's the
perfect product in the spirits industry.
You don't have to age it like you do.

(07:31):
Whiskey and beer has all these different shelf lives and
different things, so I have a lot of respect for people that
does craft brewery because it's a lot to keep up with.
And you know, one of the cool things is too about your your
heroes. Vodka is.
I've seen it in a lot of stores when I go shopping.
Where, what states is it in or where can we find a list of

(07:52):
where people can buy it? And if it's not in their state,
how can they try to advocate forthat?
Oh. Great question.
We're working on a lot of that. As you know, the pandemic, when
the pandemic hit, people don't realize how they're fixed supply
chains all over the world, especially a small veteran owned
spirits business and affecting us greatly.
A lot of the small companies gotbought up by the big ones, the
distributors and with the three tier system, there's a lot of

(08:14):
laws when it goes into alcohol. So you have to get approved
first for that state. You have to find a distributor.
Once you sign with that distributor, you basically sign
your life away. You're stuck with them whether
you like them or not. So you got to make sure you pick
a good one and have someone that's going to do the business
with you. But in this business, you got to
do most of the work yourself first.
Selling every kind of vodka, every kind of whiskey that's out

(08:34):
there. And there are thousands of
brands out there that's like that.
But we're in Tennessee, Georgia,DC, Florida, gosh, Ohio, getting
ready, going to Texas, but most of these will be relaunching in
January. So just be a little bit patient
in January. And if your store doesn't have
it, just say, hey, I want you toget Heroes Vodka.

(08:54):
You can go to our website, website, print out a picture,
send us a note that you're been requested in your state and
we'll try to follow up with that.
And that's the biggest thing youcan do is keep requesting it.
Like we talked earlier before westarted recording is, you know,
you know of some bars and different people with their
background stories, It's veterans or it's owned by a Gold
Star person. That really, really helps us.

(09:16):
What what's got us behind a little bit is I don't know if
you noticed that we got new packaging coming up.
Woo, I didn't see that. I'll show you.
This is the old bottle, which I do like.
I love. It turned out really good.
We won 6 gold medals and five silver.
But the new look is very, very clean, very fresh.
Same juice, same mission, same determination to give back.

(09:37):
We're the official spirit of a grateful nation.
Now, this is a leader bottle, sowhen they buy it through the
bars, it'll have a different back label.
But in the stores, you're going to get to see my face again on
the back of the bottle. When you scan it, it'll have me
tell them the story. So you'll find those in the
stores. That is priceless.
That is so great and what an amazing legacy and I know you to

(09:59):
have just such a a sweetheart. Sorry guys, I know that's not
very marine or manly, but you dohave just such a soft heart and
and you can also be hard when you have to.
I get it. But but really I do admire that
about you and some of the thingsthat I see you do behind the

(10:20):
scenes as well that you are veryquiet at helping other like
organizations or what not. What's your favorite
organization right now, would you say?
Well, our give back organizations with the Buckets,
Team RWB with Mike Irwin, they do such an outstanding job
because one of the biggest killers of veterans is
isolation, Isolate themselves. You don't want to leave the

(10:41):
house. And that leads into bad thoughts
and different things. And so Team RWB gets people out.
We get out, we run together, youhike together.
They have all these different events throughout the year and
they have chapters throughout every city.
So it's something you can get involved with.
And because like the VFW's of American Legions, they do a lot
of great things too. But people have a lot of bad
stereotypes. I think they're just going into
a bar. But there's so much more than

(11:02):
that now. So I encourage you to go out and
get active in your VFW. They're very important for our
lobby group in DC. They're very, very important for
that. And Project K9 Hero is my
personal organization. I give back to with Jason
Johnson. I think you might know, Jason.
Amazing. I, I know I've met him along the
way. I'm going to have to have him on
my show. I was just thinking that.

(11:23):
Oh yeah, definitely. I'll definitely tell him he
needs to get on here. He does such an outstanding job.
You think I work hard? This guy is everywhere.
I don't know if you ever sleep, so I don't know about that guy.
That doesn't sleep very much. Wow.
So what one question I do ask all of my guests on the show is
what's trial, what trial you've had in your life and how did you

(11:44):
overcome that trial with triumph, either business or
personal or whatever? Are you gonna make me cry now?
It was the vodka. I mean, it's losing my two
friends that was, you know, I tear up just thinking about them
now, just how good of people they were.
You know, they were true leaders, true Marines.
We became from boys, the men together basically, you know, we
were 1819 years old and we met and overcoming that, it just

(12:08):
took me a long, a lot of time, alot of thought, lots of personal
reflection to have another mission.
And I spent 2 1/2 years researching and developing this,
this brand before we went to market.
So, and it keeps me focused. It keeps me focused on my
friends. That's one thing I never want to
forget. That's what we talked about.
I get to mention their names when I talk about them so

(12:28):
they'll never be forgotten when I talk to you and I talk to
other people like you brought upthe Goat Star family.
I'll talk to people and they'll tell.
They'll get that off their chesttoo.
They get to talk about their sonor their daughter and you'll see
that glint in their eye too, or that's a tear, or it's just a
light that comes on in them. You know, that's that's what
makes it. Yes.

(12:49):
Sorry. Now you got me.
The brand is about celebrating service and sacrifice.
We have some sad things in life,but through tragedy, great
things happen through tragedy. I can't emphasize that enough.
It's our post traumatic growth is what I call it.
Instead of post traumatic stress, we have post traumatic
growth and that's what makes us grow and become better people.
Man, and see those of you listening, this is what I'm
talking about, Travis, not only are you leaving a fantastic

(13:13):
legacy for yourself, but gettingthe stories out of our military
of your friends. It's it's very beautiful.
You know, some people, you know,they go by in life and just kind
of skip along and, you know, might take some of that the
trials that they've had in theirlife.
And and like you said, you know,kind of seclude and things like

(13:35):
that. And we are heading into the
holiday season and often time it's really difficult during the
holiday season for some of our veterans.
Some of the people out there listening who may not even be a
veteran, but are listening to this.
And one thing that you obviouslydid was you took that major
trial and look at what triumphs you have created and what an

(13:59):
amazing friend you are not. Not many friends would go above
and beyond that far well. Thank you.
Yeah, it's like I say, I still have my own struggles, but each
day, you know, I have that reminder of my two friends, you
know, and all the other inspiration I get from people
like Jason, from Adam, from you and people you don't realize

(14:21):
that you also inspire people. You get up every day and go do
it. I know we have the same.
A lot of times we go through trials in life that we keep to
ourselves. So we try to be too strong.
You need to have that battle, buddy, that person you talk to.
And when I I sell alcohol, you know, so you got to be very
careful with alcohol. Like I say in the military, they
train you how to kill. They train you how to locate,
close with and destroy the enemy, but they don't teach you

(14:43):
how to do certain things. So if you're angry, you're
pissed off, it's not a good timeto drink.
You know, you need to think about that.
It's it's a, it's a can be a good thing, but also be a bad
thing, just like anything else. So just be careful.
I have a lot of my favorite worst customers.
I call them my friend Andrew Farr.
He had a drink in six years. I'm very, very proud of him.
So if you have a problem with alcohol, I don't want you to buy

(15:03):
my product, period. But for the millions that don't,
why not pick a veteran owned product that gets back with
every purchase? We help those that may have a
problem with alcohol. So that's what it's all about is
paying it forward. Absolutely, and thank you for
bringing that up 'cause that's atough topic for some.
I have a really good friend who's an alcoholic.
However, anytime he gets a chance, if he were to hear about

(15:24):
your product, I'm positive that he would say, hey, you're having
a New Year's Eve party and you're purchasing alcohol
anyways, go ahead and purchase my buddy's alcohol, you know?
Yeah. And you can buy it for a gift.
A lot of people buy it for giftsfor other people that do drink,
you know, so I don't want you tofeel bad if you don't drink or
things like that. There's other ways you can
support veteran owned brands, you know, just buy it gives it a
gift for retirement for anything.

(15:46):
One one of the reasons I love you right is you're deserving
for real and well. Thank you.
So So where can people find yourwebsite or your social media?
OK, Heroes vodka.com. HEROES.
It's got the two ES in it. Heroes vodka.com and then Heroes
Vodka on Instagram. We're on Facebook a Heroes vodka

(16:07):
as well. And I just encourage you to
spread the word. That's what we need more than
anybody. If you're a member of the VFW,
the American Legion, tell your post to carry it.
Every post should be carrying this.
Also your Moose clubs, your Elksclubs, your Eagles clubs.
There's all these private clubs out there that do things for
veterans themselves. But the best thing you can do is
support veteran owned businessesand we have that.
I don't know if you've the new, the new bottle, we put like it

(16:29):
looks like a coin with a veteranowned on there.
So it looks really, really good.So we're very proud of that to
let people know that they have veterans do make a difference in
the world. You think of some of the biggest
brands in the world like Hilton,Walmart, Marriott, Hyatt,
Sherrits and all the Domino's, Little Caesars were all founded
by veterans. So it's just there's a lot of
inspiration out there. Right.
And not only that, to go a step further, OK, it's veteran owned,

(16:53):
but you mentioned that it's US made, correct?
Yes, yeah, everything's made in the United States from the glass
to the top to the paper. And that's very hard to do
nowadays, you know, especially keeping your price points the
right way. I think the glass is made in
Kentucky and Indiana, two different places for the
different sizes because we have the half gallons are going back
into glass. I have the handles on them, and
they look very nice like that. So.

(17:16):
But yeah. And also, if you're having a
party, a Marine Corps birthday party, you know, like we had
here recently, all your celebrations, like, that's a
great spirit to choose. Man, I had no idea that even
down to the bottle is made in the United States.
I was almost afraid to bring that up.
So I was like, I'm not going to do that, but oh.
No, now the first bottle here, this big fancy bottle here, This

(17:37):
was made in Italy, which one of our allies.
I don't mind supporting other, Ijust don't want it made in
China. Exactly.
We have some great allies out there that we need to support.
You know they support us. Absolutely 100% yes.
Thank you so much for sharing your.
You're welcome. You are just an incredible
organization or long day, an incredible business owner,

(18:01):
entrepreneur, but not only that,an amazing friend who supports
great nonprofits and talks aboutall sorts of great things, your
legacy with your friends that you have.
And I appreciate you and I know so many who know you just
absolutely adore you and I, I, Icongratulate you on doing so

(18:21):
well. And I just know that you're
going to be growing. And if you're out there
listening and you know of a facility, a bar, whatnot, who
wants alcohol, if you want to purchase this great vodka for
your friends, I encourage you todo it.
Like I said, I'm not a huge drinker, but I actually like the
first I tried it. I had to try it alone.
I took a shot. And it was, Yeah.

(18:42):
Well, thank you. I appreciate that very much.
Thank you. Thank you everybody for tuning
in and go to the show archives, check out some of the past shows
if you haven't done so. Otherwise, I'll see you again
next Friday. Thank you again, Travis.
Cheers. Cheers.