The vast majority of businesses (93%) in Vermont have fewer than 20 employees, many of which fall into VSJF’s sectors of food and agriculture, forest products, climate technology, and waste management. Supporting these businesses is crucial—they are the backbone of Vermont’s economy, providing a significant...
Building houses, community, and solutions to extreme weather events one straw bale at a time. When Ace McArleton started New Frameworks in 2006, his idea was to offer natural alternatives to traditional building materials that were healthier for humans and the planet. Using materials such as...
Rockledge Farm plans for sustainable growth that is integrated with nature. When Scott Duffy purchased his grandparent’s hilltop farm in Wethersfield, Vermont in 1987, his wife looked around the empty farmhouse and suggested that he “get busy building a dining room table” so the young family...
Pushing the creative boundaries of the Windsor chair, George Sawyer is bringing traditional techniques to modern chairmaking. Growing up, George Sawyer would often join his father, Dave, in the small woodshop at the family’s farmhouse in Woodbury, Vermont. Most days, his dad was alone in the...
Jenny and Giacomo Vascotto bring Italian “cucina povera” to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. “The problem with pasta,” said Giacomo Vascotto, “is that there are so many brands out there, but how many can you name that are exceptional? Probably none.” The founders of Trenchers Farmhouse in Lyndonville, VT,...
The founder of WheelPad L3C, Lineberger and her team create fully accessible housing for veterans, seniors, and people with spinal cord injuries or debilitating illnesses. Julie Lineberger, founder and president of WheelPad L3C, received an unwelcome phone call in 2010 that would change the trajectory of...
Business Sense is a no-fluff source of information that gets right to the heart of what small business owners need: essential tools and relevant resources to help their businesses grow. The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF)’s just released the complete set of six modules of its...
The third and fourth generation owners of Monument Farms Dairy navigate the business, the legacy, and the future of one of Vermont’s last independent dairy farms. If the James and Rooney family could bottle and sell the authenticity, quality, and humility behind Monument Farms Dairy, they...
Butterfly Bakery of Vermont Finds Inspiration in the Working Landscape What do goat’s milk caramel, ginger cashew granola, maple hot sauce, and raspberry almond cookies all have in common? Aside from the fact that they’re all made at Butterfly Bakery of Vermont, there is a common...
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund launches 18-month program pairing energy services business owners with business coaches to address workforce challenges, strategic planning and project management. The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF), in collaboration with Efficiency Vermont and its Energy Excellence Network, is launching an advanced business assistance...
Junction Fiber Mill founders blend quality and tradition with the “punk rock side of knitting” at their custom processing mill in Vermont. Peggy Allen likes to knit. Amanda Kievet likes to knit. The two met over a skein of yarn Peggy was selling at the Norwich...
Food Connects in Brattleboro, Vt. is among a group of New England food hubs that are building a sustainable, regional supply chain. Richard Berkfield, executive director of Food Connects, has a vision that someday soon, Vermont farmers and food producers will be able to supply more...
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