VBSR Member News Round Up 10-30-24

Middlebury College, Encore Renewable Energy, Green Mountain Power, and Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company: Representatives from Gold Member Middlebury College, Champion Member Encore Renewable Energy, and Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company recently gathered for a ribbon-cutting event celebrating the activation of a five-megawatt solar array (one of the largest in the state) that provides the College with 40 percent of its total electricity. Middlebury, Encore, and Champion Member Green Mountain Power formed an agreement that allows the College to purchase credits for the energy created from the solar array in support of its goal to use 100 percent renewable energy. Learn more here.

Beta Technologies: A year after the grand opening of it’s South Burlington factory, the 188,000-square-foot South Burlington electric aircraft factory for Beta has come to life. Beta's progress is already shaping the region's economic future. What began as a startup in 2017 has already grown into one of the state's largest companies, with most of its more than 800 employees in Vermont. At last year's grand opening of the production facility, Gov. Phil Scott predicted that Beta would soon become as important to Vermont as IBM was in the second half of the 20th century. Learn more here.

Caledonia Spirits / Barr Hill Gin: Barr Hill Gin (Caledonia Spirits) has concluded its 8th annual Bee's Knees Week efforts (held Sept. 20-29, 2024) by announcing this year's campaign achieved 320,000 square feet of new pollinator habitat pledged – the largest amount ever pledged in a single year. In just eight years, the campaign has grown to be the spirits industry’s largest sustainability focused campaign. With this achievement, Barr Hill surpassed its goal of pledging and planting a total of 1 million square feet of pollinator habitat since the campaign’s inception in 2017. Learn more here.

Darn Tough Vermont: Cabot Hosiery Mills, manufacturer of Gold Member Darn Tough Vermont socks, recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the company's ongoing energy efficiency improvements. In 2022, Senator Bernie Sanders secured $1,000,000 in Congressionally Directed Funding to support the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority’s Business Energy Repayment Assistance Program (“BERAP”), providing on-bill repayment loans. Cabot Hosiery Mills has received the first loan through this new program to fund upgrades to its facility’s roof, which will significantly reduce energy costs and contribute to lowering the company’s carbon footprint. Learn more here.

Front Porch Forum: The idea of an online forum that builds community instead of dividing it is attracting national attention. The Washington Post recently reported, “At a time when Americans are increasingly disenchanted with social media, researchers are studying Front Porch Forum to try to understand what makes for a kinder, gentler online community — and what Big Tech could learn from it.” Learn more here.

The Green Mountain Club: After three years of seasonal restoration work on the popular Burrows hiking trail on Camel’s Hump, the Green Mountain Club (GMC) and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation have announced its completion. Interested parties recently gathered at the trailhead for a commemoration and an educational hike along the trail. This rehabilitation project is the largest trail project the GMC has undertaken in modern history. Learn more here.

Landmark Trust USA: The nonprofit Landmark Trust USA is working to protect Rudyard Kipling’s Dummerston hideaway – where he penned “The Jungle Book” – from increasingly punishing precipitation. The U.S. National Park Service recently awarded the trust a $400,000 “Save America’s Treasures” grant in support of a $1.25 million improvement plan targeting the storm-battered roof and groundwater seeping into the basement. The grant came about, in part, due to their participation in ClimateReadyVT. The Landmark Trust USA team took part in the inaugural ClimateReadyVT cohort and the experience helped them gain clarity on what they needed to accomplish with the National Park Service grant. Learn more here.

Local Motion: How can we create new infrastructure to support active transportation in a space designed for motorized vehicles? It can be challenging to envision the necessary changes to make our streets safer for those biking, walking, and rolling. A “Pop-Up” is a temporary demonstration that allows us to experience these changes – and Local Motion is a leader in this approach to community safety. Safer roads make livable spaces, where traffic slows down, and people can comfortably exist on foot and bike. Pop-Ups show what is possible. Learn more here.

National Life Group: Champion Member National Life Group recently announced its inclusion in Forbes’ prestigious list of America’s Best Insurance Companies for 2025. “At National Life, we are dedicated to serving our clients and agents with integrity and purpose,” Chairman, CEO, and President of National Life Group Mehran Assadi said. “We take great pride in making a positive impact in our communities, and our core values set us apart in a competitive landscape. Being recognized for our commitment to excellence is truly an honor.” Learn more here.

Turtle Fur: Gold Member Turtle Fur aims to be louder and prouder in the market to promote business as a force for good. Born on the ski slopes of Vermont, yet versatile and capable enough to be donned by the Wu-Tang Clan during their Vegas residency, outdoor headwear and accessories brand Turtle Fur recently launched a rebrand. The initiative ushers in a new logo, new website, new storytelling, and a renewed mission to connect with and expand its audience. In recent years, a central goal has been to think more sustainability and explore ways to use business as a force for good – where the environment, employees and social and climate justice become baked into the brand DNA. Learn more here.

Twin Craft Skincare, Let's Grow Kids: Parents, local business leaders and elected officials recently gathered to celebrate the new Little Ones University child care center that opened in Williston in early September. The new program was made possible with the help of new public investment from Act 76, the child care law passed last year. Michelle Asch, Vice President, TwinCraft Skincare was there to celebrate the impacts that child care progress is having on the workforce. Aly Richards, CEO of Gold Member Let’s Grow Kids, was there to remind Vermonters that in the first year since Act 76 passed, 1,000 new child care spaces have been created statewide. Learn more here.

VEDA: Gold Member the Vermont Economic Development Authority, or VEDA, marked its 50th anniversary in the state through the release of its annual report recently during its annual meeting. The extensive annual report examines VEDA's work during the last fiscal year and looks at the world in which the states' diverse business landscape has endured, survived and thrived over the five-decade period. In its first year, VEDA approved six direct loans totaling $967,000. This year that number was more than $58 million, through129 loans to the agricultural, travel and tourism, renewable energy, manufacturing and other sectors. Learn more here.

Vermont Community Foundation, Hula, Flexible Capital Fund: The Vermont Women’s Fund, the Vermont Community Foundation, and Champion Member Hula are presenting the premiere Vermont screening of the documentary Show Her the Money at 6:00 p.m. today (Wednesday, October 30) at Hula’s Lakeside Avenue campus in Burlington. A discussion of our business landscape and the need for dramatic change will follow. Show Her the Money explores the challenges women and other underrepresented communities face in the male-dominated venture capital landscape. After the screening, Janice St. Onge, president of the Flexible Capital Fund, will host a conversation. Learn more here.

VSJF, DeltaClimeVT: Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund's DeltaClimeVT climate economy business accelerator is seeking innovative start-up and seed stage ventures offering innovative products and services aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resilience in an effort to help Vermont meet its climate goals. During Energy 2025, entrepreneurs will work directly with Vermont utilities who are ready to contribute to Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan (90% renewables/efficiency by 2050), Vermont’s Climate Action Plan, and Burlington’s Net Zero by 2030 goals. Learn more here.