Meet Our Champion & Gold Members

We’re passionate about what we do and where we are. Far from being an overnight success, we’ve earned national recognition by taking our thirty years of experience in the renewable energy industry and constantly innovating our products, our thinking, and our goals.

David Blittersdorf, our CEO, isn’t new to renewable energy. When he was 14 he built his first wind turbine to light the small shack where he boiled sap into maple syrup. As a student at the University of Vermont, he built yet another wind turbine. And after he graduated, he went on to found and lead Renewable NRG Systems—one of the most successful wind-energy companies in the U.S. On New Year’s Eve 2008, he sketched out the initial design for a solar tracker that followed the sun like a sunflower. And AllEarth Renewables was born.

Ben & Jerry’s was a founding member of VBSR and has remained a member since 1991. The company operates on a three-part mission that puts product, economic, and social goals on equal standing. Social mission campaigns focus on fighting for environmental and social justice, with the sweet spot landing where those areas overlap, such as climate change.

But it’s going to take more than just the actions of individual companies and people to fight climate change. Ben & Jerry’s Climate Change campaigns urge people to collectively call on elected leaders to support a rapid transition to the clean energy economy of the future.

Because if it’s melted, it’s ruined.

The Bellows Falls based Chroma Technology Corp. is not just a leading manufacturer and supplier of components for the photonics industry but has an almost 30 year legacy of living and breathing VBSR’s mission through their commitment to social justice, employee ownership, serving their communities and cultivation of a people-first workplace. Paul Millman, who co-founded Chroma in 1991 and recently retired, received VBSR’s Terry Ehrich Award for Excellence in Socially Responsible Business in 2016 to honor his commitment to sustainable businesses practices and vision for sharing equity & profits among employees.

Chroma believes that a strong socially responsible company can only be built on the foundation of a successful, profitable business. Chroma has developed a strong and loyal customer base by providing exceptional customer service and using cutting edge technology to manufacture some of the most advanced optical filters in the world. Consistent profitability has been the return on the investment in their workforce and dedication to meeting the needs of the scientific and technical communities they serve.

We believe that our responsibility to do good work extends beyond our office walls, and this value permeates our office culture. As a firm, we are proud to run a successful corporate fundraising campaign each year for the United Way, an initiative that our whole firm rallies enthusiastically behind. Our internal Committee for Social Responsibility helps ensure our firm’s positive environmental and social impact; as a result of their efforts, our office is solar powered, composts organic waste, and we make contributions to some 50 community sponsorships each year. In addition, many of our attorneys hold board leadership positions with organizations throughout the state. We deeply believe in the important roles that our professionals play outside the office and encourage their participation in broader community conversations.

As a founding member of VBSR, Gardener’s Supply not only believes that social, environmental, and human policies are essential for a regenerative economy but that a business has the responsibility to drive change with their own business practices and platform. Gardener’s Supply makes this change through community action, employee volunteerism, sourcing sustainable products and building healthy soil.

With food security being a crucial need in Vermont during COVID-19, the company’s employee-owners are combating food waste and hunger in their communities through a variety of gleaning and donation programs. All of their four locations have company gardens where they grow, harvest and donate fresh vegetables to local food shelves. Each employee-owner is gifted eight hours of volunteer time for work in community gardens or local non-profits and schools.

Gardener’s Supply shows support for the community and future generations by donating 8% of its profits to school gardens, community gardens and more. The company shows that through gardening, people learn compassion for the planet and one another, adopt healthy eating practices, understand the value of science, and learn critical skills like patience and responsibility. Through various funding streams, Gardener’s Supply helps non-profit organizations and schools connect educators and families, provide garden grants and gardening-related curricula, and cultivate a community of practice.

Gardener’s Supply believes that gardeners have an important part in combating climate change as it’s been proven that building healthy soil is directly related to a sustainable environment. Garden patches of healthy soil can store huge amounts of carbon meaning that each of us can play a key role in building healthy soil as we hope to leave future generations with a healthy planet.

“Gardener’s Supply Company is thrilled to support VBSR as a Champion member. As a founding member of VBSR, we believe in innovative social, environmental and human policies that help Vermont thrive and become more sustainable. VBSR is aligned with Gardener’s Supply values and well connected with policy makers and business leaders throughout the state and beyond. We are so pleased with the partnership and look forward to what is ahead in 2021.” – Cindy Turcot, President, Gardener’s Supply

Powering Vermont homes and businesses with energy that’s 90% carbon free and 60% renewable, Green Mountain Power is focused on providing clean, reliable, cost-effective power, while also offering the latest in innovations like battery storage to help customers cut carbon and costs. GMP is committed to having a 100% renewable energy supply by 2030, and using energy as a force for good. In 2014, GMP was the first utility in the world to become a B Corp and continues its commitment to the community, employees, and the planet by helping to grow local renewable generation, offering convenient programs that help cut costs for all customers, and partnering with communities to make the grid more resilient in the face of more severe storms due to climate change.

King Arthur Baking company’s core belief is that baking has the power to make a difference for their employees, owners, community & planet. The 100 % employee-owned company believes that all their worker/owners deserve a fair and competitive wage while fostering a culture of health and wellness and community engagement. Recently King Arthur Baking Company announced a $15 minimum wage for everyone on the payroll with no reductions of any employee benefits or offerings. King Arthur Baking Company works to promote increased organic grain production in the U.S., including policy advocacy to promote organic farming, and direct engagement and grower outreach in pilot regions throughout the U.S. Their national program, Bake for Good Kids, teaches kids to bake and also to give back to their community, as the kids give their baked goods to those in need.

Waitsfield, Vermont's Lawson’s Finest not only aims for the highest quality standards in their beer production but achieves this goal by leading with their values and by building genuine personal interactions. Lawson’s Finest embodies what it means to use business as a platform for good and a generator of social change by valuing their employees, customers, community, and environment.

The Lawson’s Finest Social Impact Program (SIP) works to support thriving communities where people take good care of each other, protect and enjoy the natural world, and bring more fun to life. The program features six initiatives focused on cultivating a people-first work place, supporting local communities, greening the planet, and bringing people together to play and innovate.

The Lawson’s Finest commitment to making a difference in Vermont begins at home, where they strive to be an employer of choice by providing generous livable wages and comprehensive paid benefits to their staff. The brewery boosts economic vitality in Vermont by generating year-round tourism, sourcing from local businesses, and through guest donations to their Sunshine Fund, which supports non-profit organizations focused on healthy communities and natural resource protection.

In addition to charitable giving, the brewery puts their money where their values are. They are committed to continual innovation and investment in efficiency, taking steps to minimize their impact in a resource-intensive manufacturing business. Lawson’s Finest is proud to be a founding partner of the VT Brewshed Alliance and a member of the pioneer VT Green Brewery Cohort. From the planning and building their Waitsfield, Vermont taproom to selecting the most efficient brewing, packaging, and process equipment available (even when it requires more investment), Lawson’s Finest continues its deep commitment to people, planet and prosperity.

“Social responsibility is at the core of important business decisions that we make at Lawson’s Finest. Whether selecting suppliers from among Vermont’s many talented artisans and businesses, to supporting equity, diversity and inclusion, or generating our energy from sustainable sources. We recognize the important impacts that our business can make on the social, economic and natural landscape of our state. We are delighted to be a VBSR Champion member which brings together like-minded Vermont companies who aim to operate in a socially-responsible manner, give back to their communities, and share a vision built on sustainability, equity, and prosperity for all Vermonters.” – Sean Lawson, Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Mamava’s freestanding lactation pods are an innovative design solution—driven by empathy and understanding—that solve a unique problem facing breastfeeding parents: finding a clean, private space to express milk when you’re away from home. Their mission is to celebrate and support all breastfeeding parents by ensuring they have access to lactation spaces; they also have a free mobile app that helps moms find pods and other dedicated spaces nearby and educational resources they need to meet their breastfeeding goals.

Mamava is a Vermont based business with a firm belief in supporting the local economy with quality jobs. Their business model is driven by a collaborative framework that empowers employees to be co-creators of the company’s culture, mission, and success (all employees are shareholders). Mamava’s headquarters is based in Burlington and their revolutionary pods are manufactured in Springfield, Vermont.

National Life Group is a mission-driven, purpose-filled company that has been keeping its promises since 1848. But it’s not your grandfather’s insurance company. It’s dedicated to a cause bigger than itself: To do good in the communities where it does business.

National Life strives to put its values into practice every day and in every business transaction it conducts. Every summer, it throws a party on the back lawn of its Montpelier headquarters, serving up music, food, fireworks and plenty of fun. The parking fees from the free Do Good Fest have generated $185,000 for the Branches of Hope cancer patient fund at Central Vermont Medical Center.

New Chapter has been a longtime example of how a business can lead with their values. As one of the first US Vitamin and supplement companies to achieve B Corp Certification in the US, New Chapter has incorporated social & environmental efforts into day-to-day operations earning them B Lab’s Best for the World: Changemakers 2 years in a row (2018/2019). New Chapter not only cares deeply about a high quality workplace for its employers but also their suppliers. By using environmental & social performance screens on their supply-chain from Vermont to India, New Chapter ensures their products are a healing force from all directions. New Chapter’s values of healing for both planet and self also reach outward into the Vermont Community. New Chapter has major philanthropic partnerships with The Warrior Connection, an organization committed to improving the well-being of veterans and their families and the Vermont Foodbank which provides meals for the 1-in-4 food insecure people in Vermont.

Northfield Savings Bank, founded in 1867 and the largest independent bank headquartered in Vermont, not only has a legacy of servicing the community but remains deeply engaged to this day. In 2018, donations totaled more than $600,000 to local nonprofits and they proudly donate 10% of their annual earnings to Vermont communities.  This tremendous support helps Vermont communities prosper, thrive and make powerful change.  Not only does Northfield Savings Bank have a mission, but so do their employees.  Last year, Northfield Savings Bank’s employees volunteered more than 5,000 hours for over 100 local organizations.

Paul Frank + Collins was established nearly a half-century ago by Allan Paul, Joseph Frank, and Peter Collins in Burlington, Vermont. The quality general practice group grew to be a preeminent law firm where excellence, strong intellect, and commitment to client service are the standard. For decades, PF+C has been a law firm of choice for business, banking, and insurance sectors. PF+C’s talented lawyers provide world-class legal services to local, regional, and international clients.

Today, PF+C represents a wide range of entities from Fortune 500 companies to locally based businesses. The extraordinary people of PF+C provide a powerful suite of products and services delivered with unrivaled skill and the same know-how this firm was built upon.

For more than 25 years we’ve been formulating plant-based products that are safe and that work. Really well. Based in Vermont, we’re proud to be a B Corporation. B Corps are certified to be better for workers, better for communities and better for the environment. Join us in nurturing the health of the next seven generations.

We believe our products are healthy solutions for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets and people within your home–and for the community and environment outside of it. As a pioneer in corporate responsibility, we want our products to make a difference—from their development through to their production, purchase, use, and disposal.  We are always evaluating how to reduce their environmental impact, increase performance and safety, and create a more sustainable supply chain. We believe it is our responsibility to set a course for a more mindful way of doing business, where companies act as partners with other stakeholders to create a brighter future for the whole planet.

Our culture is intentional, and we value it deeply. We celebrate open and honest communication, hard work, creativity, cross-functional collaboration, high energy, good play, deep networking and acknowledging that we’ll each make mistakes and learn from them. We’re a local company made up of individuals who care about the people and places that surround us.

We feel a huge responsibility to succeed – in order to honor our triple bottom line commitments to people (our co-owners/employees and their families, our customers and residents of the communities where we do business), planet (our proud roots and local stomping grounds in both Vermont and the Hudson Valley, and the broader globe, given climate change) and profit (providing capital to grow, revenue to empower and share among our employees and a reasonable return to our investors).

In addition to brewing delicious world-renowned beer, The Alchemist is a powerful example of a businesses commitment to the environment, it’s employees and the community at large. As a leader in waste reduction & responsible water use, The Alchemist also encourages other brewers to do the same with its involvement in the Vermont Brewers Association. Their deep commitment to employees health & wellbeing is demonstrated through their benefits programs including employer-paid health insurance and a 10% 401k match; their wellness program, with daily stretching classes, unlimited healthy food, and organization-wide games and challenges; and their attention to gender equity at all levels of the organization. The Alchemist shows a resilient commitment to a thriving Vermont through it’s generous charitable giving which is focused on organizations that help Vermonters of all ages live, work and play, and work to build strong and sustainable communities through their philanthropy. VBSR awarded co-founder and CEO Jen Kimmich the Terry Erich Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.

“We are so proud to have been able to build this business in Vermont, and to use our voice to advocate for policies that help Vermont’s people and environment. Our employees, our customers and our neighbors all benefit from our triple bottom line commitments.” -Jen Kimmich, co-founder and CEO of the Alchemist Brewery and board chair of the Alchemist Foundation

Union Mutual owes its success largely to its stable, values-led approach to business that supports its workers and families, the Vermont community, and promotes environmental sustainability. The company believes that when a company invests in its employees and families, not only are quality jobs created but communities thrive. The company’s robust benefits package supports employee wellness, flexibility, and families, while the Union Mutual prides itself on being a culture of fun and work-life balance. The result of this investment is a well-retained, easily recruited, healthy and happy workforce.

Vermont Creamery’s slogan, “Consciously Crafted to Love” perfectly sums up the cheese & butter maker’s commitment to caring for their, farmers, customers, community and environment. Their pledged obligation to positively affecting their employee and families is put into action by providing a strong wage and benefit package including production positions wages starting at 16.50 with plans to increase. Their employees take charge in community action by volunteering at the Vermont Foodbank and selecting nonprofit recipients of their year-end donations. B Corp Certified in 2014, and ranked one of “The Best Places to Work in Vermont” by Vermont Business Magazine, Vermont Creamery’s accolades prove that consciously crafting a business as a force for good is it’s highest priority.

VEIC was founded in 1986 by Beth Sachs and the late Blair Hamilton. As a nonprofit organization, the company had a clear mission: to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy use. The organization gave Beth and Blair a platform for delivering energy efficiency services to low-income multifamily building owners, small businesses, and residents in Vermont.

Since 2017 VEIC has been in the business of translating client input about industry trends into innovation for a new era. This work has involved big-thinking approaches that address more than just reducing fossil fuel use. VEIC is now aggressively moving the marketplace toward high-performance efficiency products, advancing transportation and building electrification, and ensuring clean and efficient energy solutions reach all people, including low-income and disenfranchised communities.

Today, we measure the impact of our work by the GHG emissions we help to mitigate.

The small Vermont company Vermont Family Farms, founded in 2018, is an aggregator of pasture-raised and antibiotic-free meat grown on Vermont family farms. The company is committed to making local and sustainable beef available to all Vermonters. They are also working with Vermont hog farmers on a premium line of pork products that will include specialty smoked sausage and other offerings. Their innovative meat production model promotes humane treatment of animals, respect for the environment, and support of the local agricultural food economy. On top of that commitment, the company uses solar and local hydro power for its production facility to further reduce its carbon footprint. Vermont Family Farms strives to ensure that workers at all levels of the food chain are paid a livable wage by paying above the national average per pound of meat and by committing to purchase their animals up to a year in advance. Vermont Family Farms utilizes 40 years of experience in specialty foods to help keep Vermont’s landscape open and productive and support the local agricultural ecosystem.

Since Villanti Printers opened our doors in 1959 we have been committed to doing business the right way: producing vibrant, high quality print and mail, sustainably. In addition to producing dynamic, impactful work for our clients, Villanti believes that ensuring the health of the planet and cultivating a high-quality team and workplace is simply the best way to do business.  

Villanti’s belief in working sustainably and reducing our footprint has led to constant workplace innovation and improvement in our environmental practices. We were the first FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified printer in Vermont and are the only one in the state who is Green-e-Certified. This means we are committed to responsible forestry practices, waste reduction, recycling and mitigating climate change. In 2019, we took another huge step by installing a 600+ panel solar array on our roof.

Villanti’s valuing of the triple-bottom-line also shows in the high quality workplace of the company. We believe in paying a liveable wage and giving good benefits. We also cultivate an inviting environment where every door is open. As a family-owned business, the team is part of the family, and our workplace practices reflect these values. Each year Villanti designates print projects to local organizations that share our values, to help further their missions because we believe in the importance of supporting our local community.

VSECU is a member-owned cooperative and not for profit credit union for everybody who lives or works in Vermont, offering a full range of affordable financial products and services to its member-owners. VSECU is committed to improving the lives of Vermonters by empowering the possibilities for greater social, environmental, and financial prosperity.