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 be...

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. Whil...

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 stakeh...

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 figure...

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 shut...

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...

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 i...

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.&nb...

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 behol...

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...