The spirit of vetrepreneurship

Like many who attempt the transition from the military to civilian world, Travis Barnes found the road difficult. After doing three tours as a Recon Marine – seeing combat in the initial surge in Iraq in 2003, as well as in Fallujah, Ramadi and Nasiriyah – Travis went through an adjustment period after his final tour finished up in 2006.

His close-knit family initially helped him through that process; returning to college and then graduating from law school also was part of the process. And now, Travis has found another way to continue that assimilation: that of “vetrepreneur.”

In September of 2014, Travis, 32, helped open Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery in Indianapolis alongside three friends and his wife, Hilary. The distillery’s name comes from the military phonetic alphabet for the initials of Barnes and his wife. The two of them joined with friends Adam Willfond, Brian Willsey and Nabeela Virjee in the venture. The distillery is believed to be the first in the country owned by a disabled combat veteran.

Travis’ story is one that started similar to many Post-9-11 veterans. He was in his first semester of college when the terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon rocked the country. Feeling a call to service, Travis dropped out of school a month later and eventually enlisted in the Marines where his tours led him to combat zone after combat zone. After suffering multiple traumatic brain injuries, Travis left the Marines – a bit changed from when he had joined. “When (you) come back from three tours as a gunfighter, essentially, your lens has changed on how you see the world.”

Once home, Travis moved into a house with his sister that was right next to his parents’ home. “It was weird, I guess,” he said. “I’d say for about the first two years back it was a very strenuous time for myself and my folks. I’ve always been close with them, and I’m grateful I was because they were there to sometimes back off at times and to also say, ‘Your actions are not normal.’”

Family played a big role in Travis getting back to “normal," to the point where he eventually went back to college, earning his degree and then enrolling at Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis. He planned on graduating from law school and then opening up a practice in his hometown of Albion, Ind. Then he met Hilary. “Plans changed … for the better,” Travis said. The pair married in 2012; the 28-year-old Hilary, an Indianapolis native, now practices law just miles from the distillery.

Travis admitted that distillation also has been an interest, and at times a hobby, for him. He saw an opportunity and a public desire for a micro-distillery in the area, and so he and his friends applied for a permit. The company was founded in 2013, and the permit was approved in 2014.

Hotel Tango opened for business in the fall of 2014 and now produces gin, vodka, rum and limoncella – a lemon liqueur typically served as an after-dinner digestivo. A magnificent aged whiskey is on the way soon. “The problem is it just keeps getting better,” said Travis, explaining why it has yet to debut. The spirits are starting to be distributed at local restaurants and stores.

The facility itself is impressive: more than 3,000 square feet in what has the look of a ski lodge. In addition to the production area, there’s a bar/lounge and a tasting area that features a wood-burning fireplace built by Travis’ father. Oh yeah, there’s also U.S. Marines flags hanging from the ceiling.

Hilary said opening a business has provided Travis more than just a profession. “I think it helped him a lot in that he told everybody that he wanted to do something – in particular, start this distillery,” she said. “So then, going through with it and starting it and having it … (be) successful so far, I think has been something that’s been very good for Travis and a point that he’s been very proud of.”

The structure of the business, according to both Hilary and Travis, draw from Travis’ military experience. “I kind of structure this like a platoon almost,” Travis said. “Everyone’s got a role to fill. Everybody knows (the job of) the guy below him and above him. It’s a very team-oriented thing where it does matter if you’re the low guy on the totem pole or me. If something needs to be done, get it done. I think that helps our accountability for one another. It sets the standard very high – for our customer service, our actual spirits, everything we do here."

Another veteran currently is on Hotel Tango’s staff, but the plan is to have many more come on board as business continues to grow. “We have committed to hiring 21 folks over the next five years, and it’s kind of our personal mission to hire as many vets as we can,” Travis said.

And in trying to help local veterans in other ways, Hotel Tango has worked with the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation and will soon start to serve as a site for locals to donate canned food items to help feed veterans in need.

“We’re trying to reach out in all the ways we can,” Travis said.

Running a business requires a lot of hours. Most of Travis’ days are in the 12 to 16-hour range. But that’s OK. “I think if was in a law office doing those hours it would be different,” he said.