Business Notes | Mid-May 2023
May 12, 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
Darn Tough expands in Waterbury adding 22 new knitting machines
New knitting equipment arrives at Darn Tough's Waterbury sock manufacturing plant. Courtesy photo
Darn Tough Vermont last week announced that it has added 22 new state-of-the-art knitting machines to its Waterbury sock-production facility.
The move is in response to increasing demand for the popular socks it manufactures both at its Cabot Hosiery Mills headquarters in Northfield and at its 30,000 sq. ft. Waterbury plant in Pilgrim Park.
“Since we opened our second mill (Waterbury), we have increased our capacity significantly,” said Ric Cabot, President & CEO of Darn Tough. “Increased capacity means that we can provide more opportunities for our communities – that makes us proud.”
The sock brand also has grown its office space in its Waterbury location. The company did not say how many new jobs might be associated with the move.
Darn Tough makes premium, all-weather outdoor and lifestyle socks backed by its unique unconditional lifetime guarantee. For more information at DarnTough.com.
Just in time for summer: Barr Hill & Lawson’s Finest sell G&Ts in a can
Two local craft beverage companies, Barr Hill Gin and Lawson’s Finest, have launched a new collaboration to produce and distribute a canned gin and tonic cocktail.
Barr Hill’s canned gin & tonic. Photo by Drew Vetere
Montpelier-based Barr Hill has created the beverage to be distributed by The Beer Guy, the distribution arm of Lawson’s Finest Liquids brewery in Waitsfield. It’s the first non-beer, non-Lawson’s Finest product that the distributor will handle and it will only be available in Vermont to start off.
Spirits-based packaged cocktails are relatively new in Vermont. Gov. Phil Scott last year signed a new ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage definition into law, creating the opportunity to sell them in grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations. The new law allows for beverages with an alcohol content under 12% to be sold by retail stores, rather than outlets regulated by the Department of Liquor and Lottery. The canned gin and tonic contains 9.3% alcohol.
According to the Barr Hill announcement, the cocktail began as a pandemic project to help people make gin and tonic drinks at home. The distillery spent two years perfecting the recipe. “It’s a real cocktail made in Vermont with real ingredients, including tonic made the traditional way from cinchona tree bark, lemongrass, fresh citrus, and honey,” the company said, describing the finished product containing “gin botanicals, citrus and herb notes, and tonic bite, sweetened only with a touch of honey.”
Sean Lawson, CEO and founding brewer of Lawson’s Finest Liquids, with Ryan Christiansen, head distiller and president at Barr Hill Gin. Photo by Drew Vetere
Ryan Christiansen, head distiller and president at Barr Hill Gin said a key to the project was making the tonic in-house. “I’ve been a skeptic of canned cocktails for a while, but this one is special,” Christiansen said. “It comes from the visionary bartenders in our Montpelier distillery who make tonic the right way – without artificial ingredients or extracts. Real tonic is hard to find, but when made well, it’s as good as the gin.”
Sales of spirits-based packaged beverages in Vermont came to $800 million in 2021, according to the companies, with annual sales expected to grow by 29% through 2025. The 12-ounce Barr Hill Gin & Tonic cocktails are priced at $19.99 for a four pack.
Lawson’s tips Amy’s Armoire through May 15
Amy's Armoire on Main Street in Barre this winter. Courtesy photo
As part of its ongoing support for Central Vermont nonprofit organizations, Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield is donating to Amy’s Armoire thrift shop in Barre through May 15.
Located at 114 N. Main Street in Barre, the store is run by Waterbury resident Amy Anderson with a mission to serve families who participate in Vermont’s foster care and adoptive children’s programs. May is Foster Care Awareness Month and donations made May 1-15 at Lawson’s taproom will support the shop.
The donation is part of Lawson’s Sunshine Fund started in 2018 when it opened the Waitsfield brewery, taproom and retail store. The brewery pays employees market wages and benefits and tells patrons there is no tip obligation to support staff. However, some customers opt to leave a donation, 100% of which go into the Sunshine Fund that the company distributes to a number of community organizations throughout the year.
“The Sunshine Fund allows us to support organizations that provide essential services to Washington County residents to ensure healthy, thriving, and sustainable communities,” says co-owner Karen Lawson.
Also this month, foster, foster-adoptive parents and families raising kin can receive 50% off clothing purchases in May at Amy’s Armoire if they register online at amysarmoire.org and let staff know at check out. In its second year of operation, the volunteer-run nonprofit has a retail store, a donation center and a new family center, all in Barre. Its services, however, reach foster/adoptive/kin families across Vermont and support at-risk children.
For more information, call 802-622-0076 or check online at amysarmoire.org, on Facebook and the private Facebook auction group Annex to Amy’s Armoire. More about Lawson’s is online at LawsonsFinest.com.
Hender’s reopens on May 18
Hender's Bake Shop and Cafe sits at the corner of Winooski Street and North Main Street. Courtesy photo
Hender’s Bake Shop and Cafe will reopen on Thursday, May 18, according to owner Jessica Wright.
The North Main Street shop has been closed since late February for a reset of sorts. Wright says she’s looking forward to resuming the routine of making and serving pastries, baked items, sandwiches and coffee and tea beverages.
Seating will be outside only on the deck and in the side yard. New hours will be Thursdays-Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sundays until 2:30 p.m. The shop will rely on both online and in-person ordering. In addition to new filled crullers, pop tarts and danishes, the cafe will serve Lucky Dog loaded hot dogs daily at lunchtime.
“This rest and recovery for my mind, body and heart has been energizing and inspiring for me and the business. I have been able to take a step back after running the business for 6.5 years and reassess what's working and what's not. Also finding the work-life balance,” Wright wrote to followers in a social media post. “You, my customers, are the best and the reason we keep loving what we do!”
During the closure, Wright said some interior renovations were done including making the cafe’s restroom available for customers. One additional note: Hender’s currently has a job opening for a cook.
More information online at hendersbakeshop.com.
Vermont National Guard holds Career Fair May 20
Job fair poster by the Vermont National Guard
The Vermont National Guard is hosting a career fair at Camp Johnson in Colchester on Saturday, May 20, from 1 to 4 p.m. with representatives from dozens of Vermont businesses with hundreds of job openings.
The public is invited. Attendees will need to present any government or state photo ID (a driver’s license is acceptable) upon arrival and the guard reminds the public that weapons are not permitted on the base.
The event aims to support Vermont companies looking to recruit new employees.
Through the PRIME Program – Partnered Recruiting Initiative for Military and Employers – the guard also works to pair military members with businesses and business employees to the guard.
Camp Johnson is located at 789 Vermont National Guard Road in Colchester.
New name, same services for longtime youth services agency
The nonprofit Washington County Youth Service Bureau in Berlin has a new name: Elevate Youth Services, Inc.
New logo for the longtime nonprofit youth services agency. Courtesy image
For nearly 50 years, the organization has served youth and families in Washington County and provided leadership and support to youth-serving organizations throughout Vermont. The new name announced in April aims to better identify the organization’s mission and work.
“Our work has always been about helping youth and families achieve higher aspirations. Our work is also about developing the field of youth work in the state of Vermont,” said Executive Director Kreig Pinkham.
The organization serves approximately 400 youth ages 12-26 through a variety of programs such as youth and family counseling, substance use prevention and treatment, emergency shelter and housing assistance, crisis intervention, case management, life skills instruction, teen parent support, and a drop-in teen center. The agency also administers four statewide coalitions of youth service providers that together serve another 40,000 youth throughout Vermont annually.
With a new logo and website, elevateyouthvt.org, the change looks to convey the idea that both youth and the field are elevated through the organization’s commitment to professional youth services that promote safety, competence, and confidence as youth move through adolescence into adulthood, Pinkham said.
“Our name has changed, but our services have not,” Pinkham added.
VDOL Hires Equal Opportunity and Accessibility Manager
Kristen Rengo is the Vermont Department of Labor's new Equal Opportunity and Accessibility Manager. Courtesy photo
MONTPELIER – The Vermont Department of Labor recently hired Kristen Rengo as its Equal Opportunity and Accessibility Manager, to increase the department’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts across all of its programs.
Rengo will serve as the equal opportunity officer, overseeing the development, implementation, and monitoring of the department’s non-discrimination plan, which includes conducting fact-finding investigations to resolve discrimination complaints, and working to assess current programs, to improve equal opportunity compliance and accessibility.
Rengo previously served as the Department of Labor’s State Monitor Advocate & Foreign Labor Certification Program Administrator in the Workforce Development Division. Rengo will serve as the Department of Labor’s first-ever EOA manager and has a professional background working with refugee children and families with the U.S Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and the Howard Center.
Rengo’s previous experience includes working directly with new Americans coordinating interpretation and translation services, designing, and implementing training for best practices on working with interpreters, implementing statewide grants such as Reach Up, and collaborating with schools, hospitals, and medical service providers to support those with language access needs.
“I am passionate about language access and hope to bring my prior experience in workforce development, refugee resettlement, and interpretation and translation services to this new role,” Rengo said. “As the manager it will be my priority to ensure that our array of services are accessible to all Vermonters.”
Vermont Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington said Rengo is a good fit for this new role. “I’m incredibly excited to see this position come to fruition. We have been talking about adding an equity manager for a long time and now that it’s here, I feel like we can really make some ground in this area, in order to better serve Vermonters,” Harrington said.
Contact Rengo at Kristen.Rengo@vermont.gov. Information about the Vermont Department of Labor’s resources is online at Labor.Vermont.gov.
