As the Founder and CEO of Günter Hans, Lydia Melton is an entrepreneur at heart with a severe case of wanderlust. In fact, her passion for travel led her to open her first bar at the age of 24. Having studied abroad in Belgium, Melton came home to find that many of the beers and treats she loved in Europe were unavailable in the U.S. Worse, many people had never heard of these brands.

Armed with copious amounts of data and an unhealthy level of motivation, Melton approached the bank with her plan. A bar designed to serve customers all things European- including an abundance of items guests have never tried before.

Lacking experience, capital and collateral in a risk-ridden industry, the bank agreed on one condition. Melton had to fundraise $20,000 from the local community to prove support for her concept. Using the “all or nothing” funding platform called Kickstarter, Melton reached her goal with hours to spare.

More than three years later, Günter Hans has not only proven to be a success, but has driven Melton to win several accolades including a position on Hawthorn Bank’s Young Business Leader’s Council and Columbia Business Times, “Top 20 Under 40” leader awards.