VBSR Announces Magic Hat as Newest Champion Member – Magic Hat supports the organization’s efforts to foster a triple-bottom-line business ethic in Vermont

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) announces this week that Magic Hat will join the organization’s Champion Members. VBSR is a business association with a 29-year history and over 700 members who advocate for policies which support workers, Vermont communities and the environment. The support of Champion Members is critical to VBSR’s success fostering a business ethic that sets a high standard within the Vermont professional community by creating opportunities for peer education and networking around the state and throughout the year.

Magic Hat, a Vermont founded brewery, opened its doors in 1994. Today the Artifactory and Brewery located in South Burlington can produce up to 175,000 barrels of beer a year. As a member of the Green Brewers Cohort, a group of Vermont breweries committed toward making their breweries more efficient and environmentally friendly, Magic Hat has found innovative ways to cut waste and environmental impact. They clean and recycle 7,000,000 gallons of wastewater annually through their digester, and are on track to generate 790 mWh (40-50% of brewery needs) from that waste.

As Magic Hat grows and finds success in Burlington, they continue to invest in our Vermont community, including through a ten-year long partnership with the Vermont Foodbank and close collaborations with organizations like HOPE Works, Big Heavy World and the Lake Champlain Committee. Through beer and special event collaborations, like Barroom Hero with the Dropkick Murphys and their Claddagh Fund, Magic Hat donated over $90,000 to non-profits in 2018. Last year they donated nearly 700 hours of paid employee time to volunteer efforts in the area.

“We chose to become a Champion Member of VBSR because we view that as an important piece of our Triple Bottom Line business model,” said Mark Hegedus, General Manager of Magic Hat. “Change starts at home, and Vermont is a unique state that, through the efforts of an organization like VBSR, prioritizes our core values. We’re proud to be a Champion Member and look forward to helping continue to move Vermont businesses in a positive, responsible direction.”

Magic Hat employees and more than 300 of Vermont’s leading socially responsible professionals will come together next month for VBSR’s 29th Annual Spring Conference in Burlington – just one of the many dynamic events produced by the organization throughout the year. At the conference, attendees can choose from over 15 forward-thinking workshops on topics such as equity in energy transformation, innovative benefits for “family first” workplaces, messaging your mission, and the impact of culture and engagement on customer satisfaction.

VBSR also advocates for local businesses at the State House on issues of sustainable economic development and social equity. VBSR’s 2019 legislative agenda includes initiatives supported by the organization for decades such as decarbonization and clean water initiatives, as well as newer ambitions to establish systems for paid family medical leave and for employers to contribute pre-tax earnings to workers’ student loan debts.

To learn more about VBSR’s policy work, upcoming events, staff and board, champion members, or how to become a member, please visit vbsr.org.