“I live in the Fan just a couple of blocks away, so I am very much looking forward to being able to walk to work in the next couple of months,” he said.

A Chesterfield County native who started homebrewing years ago, Cooper founded Steam Bell Beer Works in 2016 after losing his job in the mining industry.

The craft brewery on Oak Lake Boulevard in Midlothian has become a family-run business.

His sister, Brittany, has moved back to Richmond for a while to help spearhead marketing while still working remotely for a company in New York.

Their parents, Tom and Connie Cooper, also are helping operate the brewery, with dad working on sales and mom helping with office management.

“It was never intended that it was going to be a family thing,” Brad Cooper said. “But right off the bat, it grew so much bigger than any of us anticipated. It brought both of my parents out of retirement.”

Brad and Brittany Cooper think there is still room for growth in the local beer market, even with more than two dozen craft beverage makers now operating in the Richmond region.