The bright idea behind Liberty Candle Co.

STARTUp // Liberty Candle Co.

ENTREPRENEURs // James and Emily Dressler

What they do // Liberty Candle Co. makes patriotic-themed candles and donates 10 percent of its gross revenues to organizations that assist military veterans. One of its first beneficiaries is War Horses for Veterans, a Stilwell-based nonprofit offering equine therapy to vets.

James Dressler, an Air Force veteran, hopes his family’s candles will inspire people to pray for and help the service members, veterans and military families in their own backyards. His big, hairy audacious goal: to sell 1 million candles in all 50 states in the next five years.

How they got started // James got into candle-making years ago when he was in the service. He got really good at it—to the point that he could make and sell his creations.

A few months ago, Emily suggested they revive that sideline. Their basement is their production facility, and their kids and mothers pitch in. Liberty Candle Co. started selling online (www.liberty-candle.com) in October.

What’s next // Liberty Candle Co. plans to move into retail, especially on military bases, sometime early this year. It’s also looking for larger organizations interested in co-branded, sponsored runs of its candles.