Page 7 - BusinessWest June 27, 2022

of 60 were allowed to leave the country. So you just saw women and children leaving, fleeing in buses on the highway — bus after bus after bus full of people.
“On the border, there were tents set up for food and a kind
of transition spot,” he went on. “But you’d see women 70-or 80-years-old crossing with bags, and young women with strollers and children just walking over the border.”
Kozub told BusinessWest that he felt compelled to travel to Poland in March. He wanted to visit the distillery, located in the town of Lublin, something he’s done every few months over the past several years, although far less frequently since 2020 due to
Paul Kozub displays one of the new-edition bottles bearing the color of the Ukranian flag. He is donating $2 from each bottle to help refugees.
COVID, but also to support refugees if he could.
He left with several thousand dollars in cash, most of it in
$100 bills, that he distributed to several different individuals and families knowing that the way exchange rates were moving, U.S. currency would buy much more than the Polish dollar. He made a few trips to the border, which is about a 90-minute drive from the distillery, and in doing helped bring the war to this country through a few interviews with a Boston television station that picked up his story and talked with him from his hotel room and at the border.
“I never thought I’d be a war correspondent, but there I was talking about what I saw and what I experienced,” he said. “To me there’s no more clear example of good versus evil, a country that’s invaded for no clear reason.”
Today, Kozub is planning a return visit to Poland and his dis- tillery with his family — his wife and four children. He’s not sure if he will make it to the border, but does plan to visit some refu- gee centers and try to reconnect with several of the people he met three months ago.
He plans to visit the Help the Ukranian Children Foundation in Zyrzyn, Poland, which he is supporting through a special label for his vodka, one with the blue and yellow of the Ukranian flag; $2 from the sale of each bottle going to support refugees.
For this issue, BusinessWest talked with Kozub about how
the war in Ukraine — and the plight of those who have fled that country for Poland — have become personal for him, and how he continues to find ways to not only support those individuals and families, but also shed needed light on their situation.
Richard F. Burkhart, CPA and Salvatore J. Pizzanelli, CPA, JD, PFS
The talented team at Burkhart Pizzanelli
Accounting
Julie M. Quink, CPA and Deborah J. Penzias, CPA
The talented team at Burkhart Pizzanelli provides
provides expertise in a full range of accounting
and financial services. Feel free to call on us at Consulting 413.734.9040.Feel free to call on us at 413.734.9040.
expertise in a full range of accounting and financial services.
201 Park Avenue, Suite 2, West Springfield, MA
201 Park Avenue, Suite 2 • West SpringfieldR, eMtAir0e1m08e9nt Plans T: 413.734.9040 • F: 413.781.5609
T: 413.734.9040 • F: 413.781.5609 • www.bppc.com www.bppc.com Tax Planning
ACCOUNTING • CONSULTING • LITIGATION • RETIREMENT PLANS • TAX PLANNING
Litigation
Nominations
Are Open
for these prestigious awards!
To Nominate Someone, Visit www.BusinessWest.com
DIFFERENCE
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
UNDER
FORTY
Next Event Date: March 2023 Next Event Date: June 16, 2022 This year’s nominations are closed, This year’s nominations are closed, nominate someone for 2023! nominate someone for 2023!
Women of IMPACT
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Next Event Date: Dec. 2022 Nominate someone for 2022! Deadline: August 2022
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Next Event Date: Oct. 2022 Nominate someone for 2022! Deadline: June 2022
For sponsorship opportunities and event info, call 413.781.8600 or email [email protected]
BusinessWest FEATURE JUNE 27, 2022 7