Vermontrepreneur

Lynn Levine is the founder of Forest Care, the first woman-owned forestry consulting business in the North East. She's also the author of several books including Mammals: Tracks and Scat, and Identifying Ferns the Easy Way. Lynn started the conservation commission in her town, and she's also the founder of Heartwood Press and Nature Connect, two ventures aimed at connecting all people with the outdoors. Lynn grew up in a traditional jewish family in Brooklyn, where she was expected to become a school teacher, get married, and have children. But after meeting some interesting people in the forest during a camping trip in college, she decided then and there that she wasn't going to follow the path laid out for her. Listen to episode 10 of Vermontrepreneur to learn the inspiring story of Lynn Levine as she blazes her own trail and stays true to herself, all while creating countless of educational programs and community projects and savings thousands of acres from irresponsible logging in the process. 

Champlain Valley Hops is Vermont's first large scale hop farm, aimed at providing high quality, aromatic, and flavorful hops to Vermont's local beer scene and beyond. On today's show I talk with co-founders Peter Briggs and Julian Post, as well as Sales and Marketing Manager Max Licker. Peter Briggs has family roots in Vermont dating back to the mid-18th century, although he's spent most of his life traveling the world working for companies like Citibank and Alvarez and Marsal. While living in Eastern Europe, Peter started to become fascinated with the local hop growers there. Noting the similarities in climate and latitude, he wondered why there weren't more hops being grown in Vermont. That brought him to Vermont hop conferences, where he ultimately met Julian. Julian Post is a UVM grad who spent a few years out of college working for UVM agronomist Heather Darby. Eventually he helped her manage her hop research farm in Alburgh, Vermont. This niche position allowed Julian to become one of the most knowledgeable hop farmers in the region, which is what made Peter so curious to meet him. The two teamed up,and the rest is history...or, the present. Today, Champlain Valley Hops is putting their first real crop on the market, after three years of bringing their perrenial plants to maturity! That's why we included their newest member to the team in this episode, Max Licker, to talk about how they're bringing their product to market. Thanks for watching the show and I hope you leave inspired! 

Welcome to Episode 8 of Vermontrepreneur, featuring owner/founder power couple Lauren Stevens and Peter Varkonyi!"Butcher and Pantry second, Brownsville first." Peter and Lauren owe their success, in large part, to this sentiment. In a way, they built their business plan for a combination grocery, butcher, and cafe around the physical space they leased in Brownsville. The town they chose to start their business was more than just a zip code on their financial statements, it was a major stakeholder in their endeavor. From the beginning, Peter and Lauren wanted to do something different. They wanted to provide high quality food to their community, without pretentiousness. And they needed the community to believe in what they were doing if it was ever going to work. In Episode 8 we hear the tale of two souls destined to create something uniquely them, and whose paths collide at just the right time. Meanwhile, they're lucky enough to have a town that's looking for a couple of dreamers just like them. But if they're going to build what they have in mind without going broke, there's going to be a lot more demolition and hanging sheet rock  in their future before they get to butchering pigs and baking pastries. Peter and Laurens story of starting their business provides a realistic account into what it actually takes to build something from the ground up. We also learn about the challenges, as well as the opportunities, of operating a small, nimble grocery store during a time of global pandemic and international supply chain disruption. If you're looking for inspiration, look no further. Today's show will give you hope that you never know who you might meet tomorrow. Who knows, within a year you might be taking a leap of faith together. Enjoy. 

In episode 7 of Vermontrepreneur, I get the chance to sit down with Raj Bhakta, founder of Whistlepig  Whiskey and current owner of Bhakta Farms. Raj's parents immigrated to the US from India and Ireland, and he was raised to love this country for the opportunities it offered. Raj's father started from nothing, and ended up building a career in the car industry and then the hotel business. Having grown up with a father who possessed a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Raj always figured he'd join the family business, or start his own thing. He never really planned on working for someone else. But after working with his father on a hotel development project in Vail, Coilorado,  he realized that "the family business" wasn't going to be his thing. Then his friend told him about an opportunity to be on the Apprentice, the reality TV show hosted by Donald Trump, and he ended up getting the gig. After the show, he used his newfound fame and confidence to  run for public office, start a ".com" company, and eventually founded a successful spirits company. And he's still going. Join me on an inspiring journey of a man who refuses to doubt himself and believes that optimism is the best medicine for good business. To be fair, it really has worked out for him. You have sipped on Whistlepig, right?  

On this episode of Vermontrepreneur I sit down and talk with Marina McCoy, founder and CEO of Waste Free Earth. Marina's story is one of extreme highs and lows. As the saying goes, "It's an uphill battle, but we're gaining". Before this Spring, Marina's company was growing. She was adding employees, locking in big clients, and overall her company was on track to have their biggest year yet. And then, Coronavirus. Waste Free Earth has taken a big hit from the associated economic shutdown. Events across the world are halted, and Marina doesn't think they will return for at least another year and a half. But she's not just going to sit around and wait. In this interview we talk about how she has pivoted her company to serve the needs of small businesses today. We also dive in to the rest of the news Marina has been served this summer, and talk about her strategies for dealing with mental health challenges as a CEO. 

In Episode 5 I talk to Thomas Hark, the founder of the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. Tom's story is unique because starting a youth conservation corps isn't something he just fell into, it's something he's been pursuing for virtually his entire life. One summer in college he decided to go down to Georgia and work for a conservation program that was sponsored by the Forest Service. He loved it. But after one year it closed down, which left him thinking, how can I create a program like this, but one that will last? He spent the next 40 years of his life trying to answer that question, and ultimately succeeding. But creating the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps wasn't always the end of the road for Tom, he always imagined something bigger. So after leaving the VYCC in 2015, he's been working on taking his dream nationally, in hopes of one day employing 1,000,000 young people every year. Host: Jordan RowellEditor: Duane Peterson 

This episode marks the one month birthday of the podcast. And yes, just like human babies, I'll be counting my podcast baby's age by months. In this episode of Vermontrepreneur we talk to Zoe Richards, Director and driving force behind Burlington Wildways, our first non profit on the show! Zoe's organization is charged with improving the access and interconnectivity of wild spaces in the Burlington city limits for both animals and humans alike. Zoe thought that her kids spent more time in school learning about penguins than the amazing stories happening in the woods in their own back yard! She also realized that so many of us who live in Chittenden County ( a place "close to Vermont") take for granted the natural spaces in our small cities. We set our sights on the prominent ridges of Mt. Mansfield and Camels Hump for our weekend excursions. But there are plenty of people in Burlington without the time or the means to access those wild places on a regular basis. So instead, Zoe is bringing the wild to them. Or rather, reminding them that it's always been there. 

Jaquelyn was born to a family of small business owners. Although her parents never had much money, they lived life with a zest and fervor that many of us would give up anything for. Jaquelyn learned early on that if you wanted something out of life, you had to take action. She never hesitated. That's why, a week after quitting her teaching job in 2003, she was packaging and selling her own granola after hours at the local diner. And a few weeks after that, she had hired her first employee. Jaquelyn's story is one of charging full speed ahead, making what she believed in, and taking care of the people around her in the process. Make sure to stick around until the end of the episode to hear who we'll have on the show in Episode 4!

In the second episode of Vermontrepreneur I interview Norah Lake, founder of Sweetland Farm. Norah started Sweetland Farm in 2012 because she was inspired to offer her community local food in a convenient, educational, and meaningful way. And she's been farming ever since. But she didn't always think she'd be a farmer. First she wanted to be a teacher...and when her first day of school didn't go as planned, she thought about doing something in environmental policy. But low and behold, here we are talking about Norah the farmer. So what happened? Check out the interview to learn more about her inspiring story of jumping into something that wasn't a part of the plan, and turning a hobby into a career. 

The first episode of Vermontrepreneur is here! Welcome to the show that celebrates the people who build businesses and non profits in Vermont. This first show we talk to Sam Brakeley, founder of Hermit Woods Trailbuilders. Sam has been digging in the dirt and stacking rocks ever since he was a kid. He got his first trail job right out of college and he was "bit". After a few years of bouncing around New England working in different outdoor seasonal jobs, Sam showed up in the Upper Valley of Vermont and asked around for trail jobs. None to be found. No problem, Sam just starts his own trail business. 7 years later and he's still at it. Listen to this inspiring interview to hear more about how Sam made the leap of faith to start his own business.