2022 Honorees: Richard Vandenburgh
The Greenport Brewing Company & Greenport Business Improvement District
About Richard Vandenburgh
Richard Vandenburgh - Co-Founder of Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, President of Greenport Village Business Improvement District and Local Real Estate Attorney.
Richard has been a local attorney for 30 years, specializing in Real Estate transaction and development law. In 2009 Richard co-founded Greenport Harbor Brewery with best friend John Liegey out of the old harbor side fire house in Greenport, NY and has helped steer Greenport Harbor’s growth from that small facility into a significant local brewery with multiple locations, housing more than 13,000 square feet of production space, 4,000 square feet of tasting rooms and restaurant with expansive beer garden and lawns on the North Fork.
Greenport Brewery’s ties to the North Fork of Long Island run deep and believe in protecting the authenticity and integrity of our local community and the “Independent Craft Brewery” model. The Brewery strongly believes in supporting “local”, working to help organizations and groups in need, supporting initiatives that protect our agri/aqua cultures and resources and offering a fun and premium experience to all who visit either location.
Richard has served as President of Village of Greenport Business Improvement District for more than 7 years and previously has had active roles on the boards of the Long Island Farm Bureau, North Fork Promotions Council, Greenport American Legion and Long Island Children’s Science Museum in addition to having served as a Southold Town Boy Scout Leader for more than 12 years.
Richard also serves as President of the New York State Brewers Association and has been a member of that state board for more than 8 years. He helped create the voting structure for the nine regional Board Seats throughout the state, drafted the Brewers Bill of Rights. He helped create the Official Sponsorship Program for the Association along with implementing a regional Chapter Structure for greater membership engagement.
Having lived with his wife, Ann (who he credits as his compass) and their two boys on the East End for more than 30 years, Richard embraces a simple philosophy: Never forget the local community, always try to help those in need, respect others’ opinions with dignity and try to have fun doing it all.
