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 In every industry, there are individuals who set the bar. In Vermont’s forest products industry, two of those individuals are Brian Lafoe and his son-in-law, Stan Parker, owners of Lafoe Logging. Last year, Lafoe...
We Need Your Input to Shape the Future Together By Jake Claro, Farm to Plate Director at the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund MONTPELIER, VT – The Farm to Plate Network, managed by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF), just launched a public survey that will help develop...
Upper Valley Produce Responds to New Needs of Vermont’s Food System By Geoff Robertson, Business Assistance Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund It’s no secret that the food industry has been among the hardest hit by COVID-19. The pandemic forced producers, farmers, and restaurants to adapt their business...
Start-Up Whiteout Solutions Piloting Forest Inventory and Mapping Technology in Northeast Kingdom By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Vermont’s first sawmill opened in 1738, nearly a century before the first chainsaw was invented, not to mention cars or telephones. And it...
Young Farmers in Vermont Met with Challenges and Opportunities The landscape of farming is changing throughout the country, and Vermont agriculture is by no means an exception. To see this borne out, one only has to look to the dairy industry which has shaped Vermont’s identity...
The Rough Cut Issue No. 1, May 2020 By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Dear Network Friends, I hope this inaugural Vermont Forest Industry Network newsletter finds you healthy and safe. I’ve started to write this many times in the last few weeks,...
One of Vermont’s oldest manufacturers shifts from wood products to personal protective equipment. By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. [caption id="attachment_4748" align="alignleft" width="207"] Malcolm Cooper is the second generation owner of JK Adams, one of Vermont’s oldest manufacturers. His workshop has...
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announces the selection of the Energy 2020 cohort of the DeltaClimeVT climate economy business accelerator. Nine early-stage energy companies from across the U.S. and Canada will work with climate economy leaders, industry experts, potential partners and investment professionals over the next...
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