Business Notes | February 2023
Feb. 9, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout The following are recent highlights in business news in and around Waterbury reported and compiled by Waterbury Roundabout.
~ Lisa Scagliotti, editor
Over $1,500 Raised for Waterbury Area Food Shelf during Holiday Campaign
Woodstock Farmers’ Market cashier Brent is a familiar face at the Waterbury store. Courtesy photo
The beat goes on at Woodstock Farmers’ Market where customers rounding up at the checkout adds up for nonprofit organizations the company supports each month.
Woodstock recently announced that over the holiday season, its Waterbury store raised $1,534 for the Waterbury Area Food Shelf.
“Every year our customers step up to support our local food shelves by donating at the registers,” said Patrick Crowl, founder and co-owner of Woodstock Farmers’ Market. “Some of our customers are in the store several times a day, and each time they say ‘yes’ to rounding up. It’s amazing how it adds up. Every penny counts.”
Sara Whitehair, director of the Waterbury Area Food Shelf, thanked the market and the community for supporting the store’s round-up program. “It's hard to believe that a small amount of change can add up so greatly, but it really does,” she said. “We are excited to work with Woodstock Market to be able to purchase milk and produce for our food shelf clients with those funds.”
Meanwhile, the company’s flagship store in Woodstock, Vermont, over the holidays raised another $11,000 that was directed to help purchase fresh produce for the Woodstock Community Food Shelf and Reading/West Windsor Food Shelf.
“Thank you to everyone who opted to round up at the register or left donations in the collection boxes,” Crowl said. "Because of your generosity, we’re able to make sure fresh produce is available for our community members in need.”
In January and February, “rounded-up” change at the Waterbury market will support the nonprofit Let’s Grow Kids organization that works to expand, support and improve child care programs in Vermont, the company said.
The market also noted that its Bring Your Own Bag program in 2022 raised another $166 at the Waterbury store to go to the Waterbury food shelf. Customers are encouraged to use their own reusable bags. When they need a bag, however, they are charged a 10-cent fee for a paper bag and those fees are given to nonprofits. The Waterbury store sends them to the food shelf, the company said.
Woodstock Farmers’ Market is a specialty grocery store offering fresh produce, local meats, prepared foods, grocery items, beer and wine. The Woodstock store opened in 1992 and the Route 100 store in Waterbury Center opened in 2018.
Darn Tough Vermont hires Global Director of Environmental and Social Responsibility
Kristen Graf is Darn Tough Vermont's new Global Director of Environmental and Social Responsibility. Courtesy photo
Darn Tough Vermont recently announced the addition of Kristen Graf as its new Global Director of Environmental and Social Responsibility.
Graf steps into the role with two decades of experience in developing and overseeing sustainability and equity programs. Graf’s focus will be to steer corporate engagement and Darn Tough’s connections with the outdoor industry as part of its mission of environmental and social accountability.
“Having Kristen in this new role ensures that we continue to do and be the best that we possibly can be in regards to both environmental and social responsibility,” said Darn Tough President and CEO Ric Cabot. “Her passion and background in social responsibility will play a big part in who we are as a brand moving forward.”
In her new role, Graf’s responsibilities will focus heavily on the brand’s mission to produce quality socks while positively affecting the environment and the community. “Having the opportunity to work with a brand like Darn Tough that is made here in the USA was ideal for me,” explains Graf. “I am excited for the brand, especially in today’s landscape where I believe American manufacturing can and should be leading on sustainability and equity. There’s a lot already being done, and a lot we are going to do in the future.”
Graf holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University, and is a senior fellow in the Environmental Leadership Program. Previously, Graf served as the executive director of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy, received a career achievement award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s C3E Initiative, and was named 2022 Green Power Leader of the Year by the Center for Resource Solutions.
Darn Tough is a brand of Cabot Hosiery Mills, the Vermont sock manufacturer with operations in Northfield and Waterbury.
Vermont Virtual Job Fair looks to match students, new grads with employers
On Thursday, Feb. 23, the Vermont Department of Labor, the University of Vermont and Saint Michael’s College will collaborate with Champlain College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Bennington College to host the inaugural Vermont Virtual Job Fair to connect job seekers with some of the top employers in the state.
“Students and employers will be able to connect more easily by meeting virtually during this event, giving students a wider range of potential jobs, and employers a more diverse pool from which to recruit,” said Saint Michael’s College Director of Career Education Ingrid Peterson. “We’re excited that students will have this opportunity to connect with employers throughout Vermont, thanks to this partnership of colleges and universities across the state.”
The virtual job fair will feature a variety of Vermont-based companies from different industries including research, engineering, aerospace, science, education, finance, and more. The City of Burlington, Darn Tough, Galen Healthcare Solutions, Hayward Tyler, Johnson Lambert, and Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance will be among the many companies represented.
“The need for virtual recruitment opportunities coupled with hiring challenges Vermont employers face when seeking qualified candidates resulted in piloting this multi-college virtual event that connects an array of Vermont employers to a diverse group of talent from our higher education institutions,” said Vermont Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington.
The Vermont Virtual Job Fair will be hosted on Handshake, one of the top recruiting platforms used by colleges and universities. It will allow students to meet individually with recruiters, submit resumes, and learn more about opportunities in a business or industry through group Q&A sessions.
The fair will use the platform Handshake. To join Handshake and register for the Vermont Virtual Job Fair, go to: joinhandshake.com.
Two recent hires round out CLiF team
Mary Edith Leichliter is a program specialist at the Children's Literacy Foundation. Courtesy photo
Cassie Willner is program manager at the Children's Literacy Foundation. Courtesy photo
The Children’s Literacy Foundation recently added two new members to its staff as it prepares this year to move into a new headquarters under construction on Vermont Route 100 in Waterbury Center.
The Waterbury Center-based nonprofit runs programs to promote reading and writing literacy for children up to age 12 in rural communities of Vermont and New Hampshire.
Program Manager Cassie Willner joined the staff last fall and will oversee the organization’s Year of the Book project as well as programs with rural libraries and on community building, outreach and promotions, and planning annual literacy and library conferences. “I feel especially grateful for this opportunity to combine my past experiences of working in a school library along with many years of nonprofit communications,” Willner said in her self-introduction.
In January, Mary Edith Leichliter was hired as a program specialist. With a background as a middle school language arts teacher and later an adult basic education instructor, Leichliter has worked with literacy learners of all ages and in a variety of settings from K-12 schools to prisons. She describes her role at CLiF as “a ‘utility outfielder’ supporting our programs and working to build new partnerships across Vermont and New Hampshire.”
The organization has also been conducting a search for a new executive director to succeed founder Duncan McDougall who plans to step down this spring.
Green Mountain Power named a national leader for grid transformation
Green Mountain Power is among the top utilities in the country for grid transformation work, earning a spot on the Smart Electric Power Alliance 2023 Utility Transformation Leaderboard recognizing its progress toward a modern, carbon-free electricity sector, the company announced recently.
GMP supplies Vermont with power that is 100% carbon free and 78% renewable on an annual basis and is committed to having a 100% renewable energy supply by 2030. The utility continues to strengthen the grid to encourage more local renewable generation and energy storage so that communities can stay connected even when severe weather hits.
SEPA launched the Utility Transformation Challenge in 2019 as the first comprehensive assessment of U.S. electric utilities’ progress towards a carbon-free electricity system. The 2023 Utility Transformation Profile provides an updated view of progress and how to accelerate the transition to carbon-free energy. GMP has been honored on the national Leaderboard multiple times and joins utilities such as Portland General Electric and Sacramento Municipal Utility District on this year’s Top 10.
SEPA president & CEO Sheri Givens said GMP and other leading utilities provide examples for other power utilities to follow. “Transforming our indispensable and vital electricity system to a modern, equitable, carbon-free one will require SEPA, our members, and numerous stakeholders across the industry to collaborate and share solutions to tackle the myriad challenges ahead,” Givens said.
Central to GMP’s innovation work is its pioneering energy storage programs. GMP’s growing network of stored energy with batteries helps customers stay connected if the grid is damaged, and it also reduces costs – saving all customers about $3 million per year for the last few years. GMP’s microgrid in Panton, Vermont can disconnect from the greater grid during outages and keep the downtown section of the community powered up. This partnership is the building block for GMP’s Resiliency Zone initiative to build more community resiliency hubs across Vermont. In all, GMP has about 30MW of installed energy storage in utility scale batteries and residential batteries in customers’ homes and GMP is on track to double that.
“This recognition inspires us to keep moving faster, to strengthen the grid and local energy resources in partnership with our customers, so more can benefit from these innovative technologies,” said Mari McClure, GMP’s president and CEO.
The 2023 Utility Transformation Profile report and executive summary are available at: sepapower.org/utility-transformation-challenge/