By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network When three friends at Middlebury College couldn’t find the perfect gift for their boss, they decided to make something special. Nathaniel Klein, Jacob Freedman, and Alex Gemme wanted to thank their supervisor at the Middlebury Snow Bowl for helping...
Francie Caccavo was a female founder before the term became trendy. Back in 1991 when she started Olivia’s Croutons, she was simply a young mother looking for a creative way to work from home and be present for her children, then two and three years...
By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Brad Johnson would like to see wood products valued for the stand that’s left behind in the forest, not just the dollar value of the wood removed. “The lumber industry is sort of where the food industry was in the...
When Rebecca and Joe Pimentel moved to Vermont, they envisioned a life of organic farming and raising their family close to the land. “We’ve always been passionate about the food movement and about what we put into our bodies,” said Joe, who began farming commercially...
DeltaClimeVT Energy 2021 climate economy business accelerator graduates cohort and announces Neothermal Energy Storage as the winner Entrepreneurs from seven start-ups focused on reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in residential, commercial and industrial buildings graduated from the DeltaClimeVT Energy 2021 climate economy business accelerator...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Ten years ago this summer, Hurricane Irene tore through Vermont, leaving massive destruction and flooding in its wake. Among the hardest hit were mobile home parks, where many residents lost everything they owned—including the...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund It’s often said in business that “bigger is better,” but for Josh Seidman, steward of Rugged Ridge Forest, “better” is making the highest-quality maple syrup sustainably. A 2010 University of Vermont graduate, Seidman became interested...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund When the water pump on Allard Lumber’s boiler went a few years back, Trevor Allard finally had the excuse he needed to begin building the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system that he had...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Resourceful Vermonters have long looked to the forest for wood heat, building materials, and furniture, but Jim Lovinsky, owner of Sylvacurl in East Hardwick, may be among the first to see an alternative to...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Mike Rainville, founder and owner of Maple Landmark, landed his first wholesale account at age 15, when a traveling salesman noticed the wooden tic tac toe boards Mike had for sale at the Lincoln...
Her business vanished virtually overnight, but with creativity and coaching, Sugarsnap Catering is back stronger than ever and optimistic about 2021. Over a seven-day period that she refers to as “Twilight Zone Week,” Abbey Duke, owner of Sugarsnap Catering in Burlington went from a full schedule...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund The story of von Trapp Brewing begins fifty years ago in the forested hills behind the resort, where a natural spring bubbles clear water up to the surface of the earth. The spring is...
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