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Veteran beekeeper urges county support for small veteran-owned business
Summary
A Fayetteville-area veteran and leader of the Cumberland County Beekeepers Association spoke during public comment about hive losses and asked the board for help with his veteran-, woman- and minority-owned beekeeping business.
During the public comment period, John Paul Keller, a retired U.S. Army veteran and vice president of the Cumberland County Beekeepers Association, addressed the board to describe his beekeeping work and request county assistance.
Keller said beekeeping has been therapeutic since his military retirement in 2023 and that in his first year as a beekeeper he lost six hives. He described his business as veteran-owned, woman-owned, minority-owned and family-owned and said the operation aims to raise awareness about honeybees while meeting community nutritional needs. Keller told commissioners staff at one county office had told him they did not care about his veteran-owned business, and he asked the board for help.
Chair or meeting leadership thanked Keller for his service; the board presented a certificate to recognize the Fayetteville Cumberland Youth Council earlier in the meeting and acknowledged Keller’s comments during the public comment period. No formal board action followed his remarks.
